Organic Flowers

Source: Organic.org

If you are one of the many who are choosing organic food to make improvements to your health, community, and environment, we would like to encourage you to look at purchasing organic flowers for the same reasons. And what better time to start than Valentine’s Day?

Purchasing organic flowers is a natural extension in supporting organic agriculture. Harvesting organic flowers helps to build soil and cuts down on water consumption in comparison to the amount of water used in larger flower factories.

You will also help keep growers, buyers, and recipients healthy by eliminating the toxic chemicals that are used in production and evaporate into the atmosphere. Industrial-sized flower farms typically found in equatorial regions, such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia are known for using large amounts of pesticides. According to the New American Dream, growers in these countries “douse the flowers with chemicals and make frequent use of pesticides banned in the U.S.— up to 20 percent of the pesticides used, in fact, are banned [there].” Many of the chemicals used in these farms have contributed to depletion of the ozone layer and may be responsible for a higher risk of miscarriage and birth defects.

Furthermore, flowers coming from such far-flung places consume a great deal of natural resources to arrive fresh in your local florist—imagine the transportation involved!

Below we offer a number of ways to brighten someone’s day—the organic way.

Organic Bouquet
Added bonus: Proceeds from each sale benefit nonprofits dedicated to social justice, wildlife conservation, and environmental protection. Their service includes a monthly gift club, and they also sell organic chocolate.

CaliforniaOrganicFlowers.com
Added bonus: Their designers can provide organic flowers for weddings, and weekly custom corporate designs are also available. Choose either certified organic or Cal-Eco Select (grown without pesticides by California family growers) on this site. 

Local Harvest
Added Bonus: The ZIP-code lookup makes it easy for you to find flower growers in your area.

Diamond Organics
Added Bonus: Diamond Organics has a nice selection of wine and other organic treats in addition to its organic flowers from Hawaii and California. Check out their Wine and Truffle Sampler or the Lovers’ Gift Basket that also features artisan cheeses!