Florist News

like rosa said there are things the industry could do to reduce its carbon footprint but customers will not be willing to anymore for it, we would love details of more english growers we have had half a dozen types of english flowers this summer but I have seen alsorts of british stuff in the supermarkets as well. We have had an organic foliage box from tregothnan the quality was lovely as usual but it did seem quite expensive. We send our cardboard to a place that recycles it for charity but we pass by there on deliveries so we don't need to make extra trips

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Sarah Creating Bespoke Wedding Flowers Cheshire

I just wanted to quickly post a big THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to this thread so far (especially Rosa, that long post was great!!). The research continues so please feel free to keep posting as many items as you like on here as ALL information and discussion is useful!
I will keep you all up to date on how the research is continuing, and hopefully have some handy info on consumer attitudes by the end of the month when I attempt to get some customers to fill in a questionnaire on the topic!

Chris

P.S. In response to your question Rosa, yes we do a lot of practical work on the BA (Hons) too, wedding stuff, european design, artistic interpretation, funeral designs (both modern and traditional), corporate events even a plant design module. The more academic modules include business planning, Law (business, contract and european), Botany, Photographic techniques & photoshop editing, I.T. and personal development (C.V.'s academic techniques, research methods etc...) This final year also includes large event planning and decor where we have to organise and run a full Wedding Fair event here at the college grounds. Last year's students managed to get over 20 businesses to take part and I believe we had in excess of 400 people come through the doors!

Just thought I had better drop a quick post on here to let any new members know that this little discussion is running... so far the response has been great but PLEASE post anything you may have heard or want to say about environmentally friendly issues on here.

Am going to post a bit of info I have found out soon to see if it stirs things up a bit more!!

That's it for now...!!WATCH THIS SPACE!! BETTER YET USE THIS SPACE FOR ANY COMMENTS!!

Hi

I agree with Rosa in that a wedding is in a lot of cases perception of the event rather than sticking to a moral/ethical line, just look at how many people want to get married in church dispite not being regular attendees.

There may be an arguement in the corporate field for companies with a strong ethical background (ie B&Q) to buy from a carbon neutral source. But I think that untill we can source effectively (ie right price, right place, right time) then the demand may well be minimal in favour of cost of supply.

Chris, have you any facts and figures on the energy cost of producing flowers under glass in Europe vs flying them in from africa/s america? I recall reading that the energy cost of european production was worse than flying it in - ???

Also pondering on how the floral market compares to the food market in terms of % of imports, what with that being one of the other headline industries being bashed for carbon footprinting.

What are people's thoughts on that? Is it worse to fly in lower volumes of luxury items like flowers or higher volumes of staple food items? Should we be doing without our little luxuries (and our jobs ) for the sake of the planet? Maybe hair shirts and sandals will be de rigeur next season hehehehe.

Has anyone raised any questions with their flower wholesalers about the origin of their products? Do the wholesalers even know or care where their product comes from?

I discovered last week that our salal foliage comes all the way from Canada . On ships most of the time tho, so obviously that makes it alright haha .

Oh, and another random thought, can it be organic if it's flown in from the other side of the planet????

I spoke to my english wholesaler about this. He knows of growers that just cant stay in business and have incurred alot of debt. I would happily buy English grown if it was available and good quality. There is also the issue of cost and I'm not sure if people would pay it.

I read the same article as Rosa about it costing far more to heat the greenhouses here than fly the flowers in. I suppose there needs to be more of an awareness in the industry. Just watching that Gardeners World programme I discovered an Orchid grower near me and recently met a guy who grows foliage about ten mins up the road! Will definately visit both.

One interesting point. As far as know, florists arent really known for their lavish hols! (ok some get away more than others!) but cant imagine us lot having huge carbon footprints! On the other hand though we do alot of deliveries! Hmmm.

One last point, my council have just sent out a questionnaire about recycling shop waste so things are hopefully happening (at a cost I'm sure) Phew, that were long too. Like being back at college!

Thank you my faithful ones ...yes Rosa apparently as long as it is grown organically it can still be so if it is flown miles...that comes onto the idea of 'OFF-SETTING' the carbon footprint...nice take on it...could this stir up even more debate I wonder...???

Very true. It's a bit like Tony Blaire telling us all to use cars less then we find him flying off several time a year on holidays abroad!

For my part I try to make a difference in small ways.
I have 2 bins, one for fresh and one for general rubbish. Bottles go to the bottle bank.
I buy my greeneery from the Green Man based in North Wales, he has to import the exotic greens but grows and cuts quite a bit of green himself.
I buy my alstro from a grower in the North West.
I buy my plants and Dalihas from a local nursery here in Wirral.
My sundries man sold me a bio degradably funeral tribute (heart) and I am hoping to be able to use more bio degradably products.
Unless a customer has asked for a morning delivery I try to keep all the deliveries until after lunch so that they can be grouped together to save petrol.
Then the usual things like ensuring lights, taps and the bottle gas are off when not needed. Re using the white paper wrap on flowers to pad wedding boxes and saving the elastic bands from flowers to re-use on small bunches.

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Rainbow

Quote of the day : "It is much more comfortable to be mad and know it, than to be sane and have one's doubts."
- G. B. Burgin

We have asked our dutchman about organic or fair trade flowers, he says he is able to get them, but when they are sold on to us we are unable to prove that they are organic/fair trade to the customer (even though he has certification to prove this he can not pass this on to us!). Having said this though more is being done about this by the fair flowers fair plants (FFP) association. I think that they are now issuing point of sale info if your shop stocks organic or ethical flowers. The website is:

www.fairflowersfairplants.co.uk