An (kisses) ethical bunch

April 1st, 2010 admin Posted in flowers |

By Ashlee Pedrick

With a current estimated worth of more than ?2 billion, the cut flower industry in the UK is massive. Sales are divided between high-street florists, online florists but supermarkets make up 70% of the market.

Domestic production is pretty small scale so 90% of the flowers sold in the UK are imported from overseas. Up until relatively recently, most of the flowers imported into Britain came from Holland. Now however, most come from Kenya and Colombia.

You might think that flying all these flowers in from farms in the Southern Hemisphere must have a massive impact on the environment. However, because they are grown in warm climates ? their natural climates in most cases ? they require less intensive energy usage to grow, therefore importing from Kenya and Colombia is actually more environmentally friendly.

In addition to this, if you buy Fairtrade flowers you will also be helping local communities in the developing world to earn a decent living and develop their own businesses to compete with giant global conglomerates.

Independent Fairtrade certification means workers are paid a fair wage, they work in safe environments and the whole community and local environment benefit from the flower cultivation. This means that we, as consumers, can make informed choices about the flowers we are buying.

The Fairtrade flower industry is now worth ?33.4 million which is a significant part of the ?1.6 billion that the total Fairtrade industry is worth. As a whole the Fairtrade industry helps 7 million people in 58 developing countries.

”Fairtrade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development” say the Fairtrade Association. They go on to say that ”its purpose is to create opportunities for producers and workers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalised by the conventional trading system”.

So what are the benefits for poor farmers? A price is negotiated between producer and buyer that reflects market value as well as intensity of production and relative living costs. Online florists can work directly with Fairtrade farmers to cut out the middleman used in the sale of supermarket flowers. This means more money and power goes to the producers in developing countries.

Another benefit of online florists is that they have the ability to show images and provide further information about the farmers they are working. This makes a more compelling case for consumers to buy fair-trade flowers as well as giving the farmers in third world countries a voice. Another bonus is that emissions will be reduced as one deliver driver can deliver flowers to numerous locations, instead of numerous drives picking up flowers from the supermarket.

Ashlee Pedrick gets their flowers online from Interflora, who they have been buying with for years now.

Flowers for your Mother

By Ashlee Pedrick

This year the 14th of March is Mothering Sunday. The tradition was started all the way back in the sixteenth century. On this day, people would return home to their ”mother” church and therefore be reunited with their mothers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, servants were given one day off a year to go home and be with their families and this coincided with Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent.

Now it is more of a general day of remembrance for motherhood and all mothers do for their children. It is still a time when families get together, but instead of eating traditional Simnel cake, we now give flowers and chocolates.

This year make your Mother’’s Day gift extra special. Don”t just nip into the local supermarket and pick up the first bunch you see, get your mother something that really shows your appreciation for everything she has done and continues to do for you.

Ordering and sending flowers online means your mother will be able to enjoy the flowers for longer and you will get better value for money as online florists have lower overheads. What’’s more if you are the kind of person to forget things, you can order them a few days before right up to a few hours prior to the occasion if you order before 2pm Monday to Saturday.

Online florists tend to have a wider selection of flowers to choose from, many of which are in vases as opposed to wrapped in cheap looking plastic and some also include chocolates and wine. If you want to do something a little different, you can even order potted plants which will last longer and therefore provide a more lasting memory of the occasion.

If you want to really go for the WOW factor, find out what your mother’’s favourite flower is and use this as the basis for your bouquet or arrangement. If you don”t know the flower variety, maybe go for her favourite colour instead.

Instead of rushing into a petrol station or cheap florists on the way home from work, frazzled after a hard week in the office, and picking the first bouquet you see, order a bouquet online. This will give you the time you need to decide on an appropriate selection and accompanying gifts.

Due to the greater level of choice on offer at online florists, you can choose to purchase standard bouquets, designer arrangements, specific Mother’’s Day themed flowers or Fairtrade bouquets. The choice is yours and the options are almost endless.

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Ashlee Pedrick, the author of this article, always use Interflora, the service that allow you to Your Online Source To The Meaning Of White Roses