Environmentally Friendly Cut Flowers - by Connie Krochmal
The most earth friendly flowers are ones that are field-grown locally rather than those being produced in greenhouses. It takes a lot of energy to heat and run greenhouses for orchids and other tropicals. Cut flower growers can now have their operations certified by VeriFlora. This eco-label program is also used by growers of potted plants. The VeriFlora Certified Sustainably Grown label is used by those that meet the guidelines. At this point only large wholesale cut flower operations are using this eco-label. You can look on cut flower labels to see if the symbol is there. At this point, one operation in the U.S. is certified. The rest are in Ecuador.
The sustainability certification applies not only to questions of agricultural sustainability, but also to social responsibility regarding employees. These socially responsible organizations take further steps. For example, they may provide housing, medical care, day care, or similar benefits to workers. They also pay a living wage, which is based on the local cost of living.
No comments:
Post a Comment