Organic Flowers
To get those beautiful blooms you see in florist shops, the floral industry literally dips each flower in a concoction of pesticides. While there's no strong evidence that organic flowers are healthier for the recipient than flowers grown with pesticides, there is the questionable labor practices and environmental impact to take into consideration. The majority of these flowers are grown in Latin American and African countries that have lower chemical standards than the U.S., resulting in the use of nearly 20% of the chemicals banned in the U.S.
Organic Flower Retailers
Please note that I have not purchased from any of these retailers and cannot verify their validity.
- California Organic Flowers
- Diamond Organics
- Local Harvest
- Organic Boquet, read article from treehuger: "Organic Bouquet Delivers Carbon Neutral Flowers."
Bibliography and Further Reading
- Flower Confidential (read review)
- "Growers Say It with Organic Flowers", USA Today
- "Buy Organic Flowers Now", New American Dream
- "Valentine's Day 2007", Organic Consumers Association
- "Dutch Flower Growers Get Greener", treehugger, 2006.
- Pesticides, Wikipedia