Sustainability in the Cut Flower Industry

Co-founder of Ecofficiency.org, Chrissy Gray, has spent the last few months abroad in South America and I'm excited that she is finally back!  While overseas, she had the opportunity to visit Cayambe, Ecuador, and get a peak into the thriving cut floral industry there. What she learned was that the actual impacts of farming practices on these flower plantations are alarming. Detrimental practices include the use of pesticides that are illegal in the US which, in turn, are affecting the community's children born with physical deformities and mental deficiencies...not to mention the use of non-biodegradable materials just to package the roses.  (I can't even tell you how much cellophane I have stored away for future design use off of cut flower packaging. I don't even purchase cellophane.)  Chrissy's article (which you can read here) tells an eye-opening view into what goes behind some of the flowers you purchase.  

Sustainability in the floral industry has been a difficult push.  Thankfully, the demand for environmentally safe floral farming has led to the development of certifications such as Veriflora and Rainforest Alliance. For Floral Sense, this makes the conscientious purchasing of our fresh goods much easier.  This also means that not all the flower breeds we want will be available within the certification which calls for some creative substitutions.  You, as a retail consumer, have the option to make better choices in where and how you purchase your designed arrangements.  My hope is that you are empowered with enough information to ask your florist the right questions.  At the end of the day, where we put our money is what we inadvertently demand.

If you have any questions regarding this topic or would like to further the discussion, please leave a comment below.  I would love to here you thoughts.

Yours truly,

Joanna

Ecofficiency.org Presents Japan Benefit Concert

On Friday, April 1, Ecofficiency.org will be hosting a Benefit Concert for Japan at The Boathouse Collective 8 PM - 1 AM. If you are looking for another way to send support to Japan, please come out! See you there!

Know Where Your Cut Flowers Come From

As my knowledge of sustainable living increases, so does my appreciation for all that encompasses sustainable floral design. In truth, at times, I find it overwhelming trying to apply all the eco-friendly changes necessary to call any floral arrangement "green." However, I am learning that a great place to start is getting to know the farms and farmers behind the cut flower industry. Inherently, we assume that flowers are great for the environment because they naturally decompose. But just as in any agriculture, farming practices have significant impacts on our environment.

I have come across two major arguments on where I should source my flowers.
1) The flowers should come from farms that are 100% organic whether they are grown locally or internationally.
2) The flowers should come only from local farms because the transportation emissions released into the environment would not offset the sustainable farming practices.

These two viewpoints have given me a lot of food for thought. So, in the meantime, I have decided to take time in researching the farms and farmers in which I receive my flowers. I currently use a wholesale distributer called Mayesh Wholesale and I work very closely with my account manager Shana who does her best to get me sustainably grown flowers. I've got my work cut out for me as I begin introducing you to these farms in which these flowers are grown.

Just a little FYI, I currently stand with Arguement #1. But my research may change my mind later on down the road. Ideally, I would love to get all of the flowers that Floral Sense uses from local farms that also have sustainable practices. So, if you are a farm in Southern California that meets that criteria, hit me up with an email or phone call! I would love to chat with you!

Any thoughts, ideas, questions? Feel free to comment below!

For Japan With Love - Bloggers Day of Silence March 18, 2011

I know I promised a blog post covering last Friday's ecofficiency.org meeting, but I'm going to postpone that one until Monday. Here's why.

As you are all aware by now, Japan suffered horrific tragedies last Friday as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. Thing aren't getting better as threats of nuclear plant melt downs persist. In response to the ongoing devastation, Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours have teamed up to collect funds for emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies via Shelterbox. They have also initiated a Bloggers Day of Silence for Friday March 18, 2011 to raise awareness and respect for the people of Japan. My heart aches for this country. Please join us as we acknowledge this beautiful country and the heartache they are experiencing right now.




If you would like to donate fund for Japan, click here.
If you would like to participate as a blogger, click here.

Guest Blogger - Jesse Baker of Ecofficiency.org - Raising funds for clean water to Haiti

If you've been keeping up with Floral Sense via Facebook and Twitter since December, you may recall my fellow Ecofficiency board members Jesse Baker and Chrissy Gray's trip to Haiti to distribute water filters. Since their return, they have recognized a larger, immediate need for the people of Port-au-Prince with an urgency to raise funds to return with more water filters. I asked Jesse to guest blog for us today. The people of Haiti need your help! Thanks for taking the time to make a difference!
Yours truly, Joanna

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During the last two weeks of December, through the nonprofit organization Ecofficiency.org, I had the opportunity to organize and lead a pilot project distributing water filters and Cholera education in a remote area of Haiti, where people were dying from Cholera (they still area), and there had been no aid response (there still has not been). My partner, Ecofficiency.org co-founder Chrissy Gray, and I were shocked and heart broken at the conditions people in Haiti are forced to live in. We’ve all seen footage and read reports about the devastation stemming from the Earthquake that hit over a year ago, but once you visit, it takes on an entirely different meaning…especially when you come face to face with a disease that has such a profound and deadly impact on such a large scale. As of Feb 18, 4,549 people have died from Cholera, with that toll continuing to rise - especially in rural areas.

One of the most impacting things we learned is that nearly all aid projects in Haiti are focused in cities, particularly Port-au-Prince. This makes sense to a regarding the rebuilding efforts, as most of the buildings that were destroyed are in cities. The Cholera outbreak, however, is ALL OVER Haiti – except in Port-au-Prince. We carried out our mission in a mountainous area close to the border of the Dominican Republic called Pays Pourri, where nearly 100 people had already died. People there didn’t even know what a bacteria is, let alone Cholera.

Through contacts I have at the UN, I was told that our project was worthy and well thought out, but that they simply were not doing work in that area, nor did they have any plans to in the near future…nevermind that the UN was the likely cause of the outbreak to begin with.

Those who live in Pays Pourri are truly forgotten people in a forgotten land.

Our mission was organized, funded, and carried out at the grassroots level in Orange County; we were truly one community helping another community. Through friends, family, and our growing network, we offered an opportunity to sponsor a water filter, or donate to our general mission fund. We raised enough funding to bring 20 highly mobile and effective filtration systems, which will provide clean water for up to 2000 people for the next 4-5 years!


While we are proud of this accomplishment, the reality is that there are another 15,000 people in Pays Pourri (as well as millions more throughout Haiti) who are in desperate need of these filtration systems, and the education we were able to provide. We were literally begged to come back with more water filters as soon as possible. Our goal is to return as soon as possible in order to meet this need. For more information about our project, and to see how you can help us help people in need, please visit our Project Haiti website.

Ecofficiency.org Founder - Jesse Baker
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