Jeanne carefully explained that consumer requests stem (no pun intended) from the desire to buy from an environmentally friendly source. Many equate sustainability with local farms, but according to Jeanne, the inherent problem with this is that homegrown supply is limited.
Contributed by: Rachel Pafe Park Florist, nestled in the heart ofTakoma Park, is truly a treat to visit. After ogling the vibrant displays adorning the shop, I sat down with the manager, Jeanne, and discussedissues of sustainability in relation to consumer demand.
Jeanne carefully explained that consumer requests stem (no pun intended) from the desire to buy from an environmentally friendly source. Many equate sustainability with local farms, but according to Jeanne, the inherent problem with this is that homegrown supply is limited.
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So I admit, I probably had the easiest gig of the three of us. All I had to do was pick up the phone or, if I didn’t want to actually talk to another human being, I could order online and electronically chat with a rep if I had questions. How convenient! But, as mom taught us, sometimes the best choice isn’t the easiest choice. I started by calling FTD, holding the promotional card the company had sent me in the mail, and asked about sending a “Loving Thoughts Bouquet” to mi madre. Just like the one pictured on that card, right? (Not the same as the one above, btw.) Well, turns out that that bouquet isn’t available in her zip code. That seems odd. After all, the rep had just told me that the company uses flowers shipped from its headquarters in Illinois. And I know that FedEx delivers to my hometown. Huh. (And get this – when it’s sent by FedEx, it doesn’t arrive assembled! Just a vase separate from the flowers, which Mom gets to arrange herself. Because Mom hasn’t done enough already….) “So who grows these flowers?” I ask. “Specialty growers,” I’m told. “How delightfully descriptive,” I think to myself, “He might as well have said ‘magical elves’.” So I continue, “Where are they grown?” There are a LOT of people who want to make sure you don’t forget your mama this Mother’s Day. If your inbox looked anything like mine, you got offers from airline companies, telling you that you could earn 30 miles for every $1 you spend with FTD. (Mom does want me to come home more often.) Or from Amazon.com offering a “local deals” if you call 1-800-Flowers. Hmm, being smart with money? Mom might approve. Even Groupon got in on the “don’t forget your mother” action: But would Mom approve of what these options support? “Support?” you ask. “What would buying flowers do other than send warm fuzzies on Mother’s Day?” To answer that, we refer you to our earlier blog detailing the incredibly bad conditions that workers in the flower industry endure in flower farms around the world. In short, think sexual abuse and toxic chemicals, and that’s just for starters. Now I know the world isn’t always fair, but my mom is one of the main reasons I believe that it should be, so we wanted to be sure that weren’t supporting anything ugly in buying our moms beautiful flowers – so we rolled up our sleeves and did some research.
One of us went to a local flower farm to see where flowers are grown. One of us went to alocal flower shop, to see how flowers reach a more urban customer. And then one of us went the “traditional” route and called two major, national floral delivery services to see if they offered any good options. (And by “good” we mean free of human rights violations andenvironmentally friendly.) What did we find? In short: eco-labeling; a fairy paradise; and inconsistency. Contributed by (and photos by): Lindsey Sitz As a suburbanite whose wildest dreams, greatest fantasies, and everyday needs can be met within a 20-mile radius of where I eat/sleep/breathe, there is never any need to go beyond my comfortable bubble. This all changed two weeks ago when I made the trek down to Willow Oak Flower and Herb Farm in Severn, MD (which turns out isn’t really a trek at all—more like an awesome opportunity to listen to “Call Me Maybe” 11 times in a row). I was looking forward to learning more about this local, family run business for a number of reasons:
"If those aren't fair trade we're splitsville!"
Contributed by: Rachel Pafe At the tender age of sixteen, I received the gift of every young, lovesick girl’s dreams. “He got me flowers!” Yes, they were pink and wrapped with bouncy ribbons. Yes, they were entangled in a cheesy poem (to the girl who knows how to keep it g, will you go with me?). The fact that consonants should not be used to rhyme with nouns is beside the point; I was filled with sudden validation, because flowers meant romance, right? But why? Other gifts smell just as sweet and aren’t as produced in factories rampant with worker abuse. |
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