Show Your Style
with Organic Flowers
Why should your next flower purchase be organic flowers?
Until fairly recently I did not know I could buy organic flowers. I eat organic food, buy organic products when I can but I gave no thought to the flowers that I bought for myself or others. When I thought about it, it made sense. Most of the flowers we see at florists or in the grocery stores are grown in other countries like Columbia or Africa. The most perfect blooms are what consumers want and the easiest, cheapest and most common way for many growers to get that is to apply fumigants and lots of pesticides. For many growers, concerns for the workers and the environment take a back seat when it comes to getting their flowers to market so choosing to grow flowers organically is rare. Workers many of them women and even children are often inadequately protected from the chemicals and can be forced to work for hours in fumigated greenhouses or out in the fields spraying plants. Workers have been found to have symptoms of pesticide poisoning such as nausea, headaches, dizziness and trembling. I would guess some of them do not know the dangers but they may have no other choice in countries with few work options. The effects on the environment are also a major problem with groundwater, soil and the local wildlife also affected by heavy chemical use. Some of the pesticides being used have been banned in this country but find their way to other countries.
I suppose someone might think this is a problem of another country, I know you don't think like that. But hundreds of million of these flowers come right here to us. They are freshly cut in the field or greenhouse and handled as little as possible to preserve the blooms. There is no removal of pesticides. They are even dipped in preservatives to ensure fresh arrival.
These flowers are shipped to florists, who will handle them and manipulate them into beautiful displays for us to enjoy. I would be concerned about everyday exposure to residual pesticides. And I don't know about you but when I receive flowers I smell them and handle them too. My exposure is probably minor in comparison but the Organic Trade Association says that for those of us concerned about exposure to pesticides we should consider what we might be breathing in. So for someone who works at eliminating exposure to chemicals for myself and my family removing one more source is a good thing.
I'm glad that there are a few growers that have connected the dots. Realizing the possible risks to growers, consumers and the environment decided to grow and market organically grown flowers.There are not very many sources available. Depending on where you live you may find some local growers or greenhouses, a great choice saving on shipping costs and energy. In my area I am not near any organic growers. Organic Bouquet is the one I turn to. One look through their website and it's easy to see why. Their commitment to organic flowers and safe working conditions for growers and the environment is evident. They have a great website with a nice selection and I see where some stores like Whole Foods carry their flowers in store. It's a good way to see what they have to offer. Now I can feel good about saying it with flowers, organic flowers that is.
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