NEW workshop: gardening with nature

  • 720-319-0243
  • Log in
  • Cart (0)
  • Checkout
colorado flower farm
  • home
  • shop 
    • classes
    • farm goods and flowers
    • education & coaching
    • á la carte weddings
  • on-demand classes
  • about the farm 
    • internship
  • public market
  • wholesale
  • weddings
  • blog
News

Carbon footprint of imported Valentine's Day flowers

March 15, 2021

carbon footprint of imported valentine's day flowers
Here's a shocking statistic: in the three weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, roughly 60 cargo planes per day take off from Columbia and Ecuador, full of pesticide-covered flowers. This herculean effort to meet the consumer demand of the holiday contributes to an incredible carbon emissions footprint, and the travel of your typical imported cut flower doesn't end at the airport: from there: they are loaded onto refrigerated trucks and trucked across the country at an even higher footprint. Combined with the incredible amount of pesticides, fungicides, questionable working conditions, and runoff/water issues associated with flowers coming in from these countries, it doesn't exactly send the message of love, does it?

That being said, domestic flowers on Valentine's Day aren't necessarily better. The fossil fuels required to heat and light large greenhouses to produce cut roses domestically during the winter season nearly equal the carbon footprint to import them from warmer climates.

Unfortunately, we simply need to come to terms with the fact that flowers out of season, no matter where they are from, carry a higher carbon footprint than the ones you can buy from your local flower farmer during the growing season. That doesn't mean you have to have a sad Valentine's, though...Here are some alternatives for you this year!

1️⃣ Cook your favorite meal and share a bottle of wine or spirits from a local distiller or winemaker
2️⃣ Pick up a vintage piece of jewelry from your local antique store for a more ethical and sustainable piece of bling
3️⃣ Grab some forced bulbs from your local flower farmer, which don't require additional light and minimal heat to produce (we have some via the link in our bio)
4️⃣ Source some rainforest certified ethical chocolates and do a taste test!
5️⃣go gift free, bundle up, and go for a starlit walk and enjoy the quiet beauty of a winter evening

Valentine's Day is meant to celebrate love. So let's show our love for the planet this year. Shop alternative gifts, shop local, and shop sustainable!

Tweet Share Pin It Email

Also in News

Flower farmer with homemade fertilizer
DIY mesophyllic alfalfa fertilizer

March 16, 2021

Hey, farmer/gardener/soil curator! Been looking for an inexpensive way to increase the level of beneficial microbes, slow release nitrogen and minerals? Have you heard of mesophyllic fertilizer? No? Neither had we, until we stumbled across this recipe...

Continue Reading

misleading marketing terms used to greenwash consumers in the floral industry
Greenwashing the floral industry

March 15, 2021

Let's talk about transparency in the flower marketing world! As in many industries, marketing terms that are used by floral professionals are not regulated. It can be so misleading as a consumer to seek out and wade through all of these terms to figure out who is ACTUALLY selling local, sustainable flowers! Let's talk about some of the misleading terms I see the most:

Continue Reading

pesticide and fungicide use in imported flowers to the United States
Pesticide and fungicide use in imported flowers

March 15, 2021

You might have read our recent post about the excessive use of damaging pesticides in imported cut flowers, but of almost equal concern is fungicide usage. You see, Ecuador, where many of the roses sold in the US are grown, has high amounts of rainfall and the greenhouses where these flowers are grown are notorious for holding in humidity and creating fungus issues like Botrytis. 

Continue Reading

main menu
  • home
  • shop
  • classes
  • farm goods and flowers
  • education & coaching
  • á la carte weddings
  • on-demand classes
  • about the farm
  • internship
  • public market
  • wholesale
  • weddings
  • blog
sign up for our newsletter

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more…

Email us with any questions!
briana@blossomandbranchfarm.com

720-319-0243

get in touch

We are open to the public with purchase at our weekly market! Get all the details at coloradoflowerfarm.com


© 2021 Blossom and Branch Farm. briana@blossomandbranchfarm.com Powered by Shopify

American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Elo Google Pay JCB Mastercard PayPal Shop Pay Venmo Visa