Environmental impact of fresh flower bouquets

Fresh cut flowers brighten up the room and bring joy to those who see them.  In many cultures, cut flower bouquets are gifted to show love, caring, and good wishes.  Growing, transporting, and selling the fresh flowers for these bouquets is a huge global industry that creates opportunities for trade and jobs, especially in impoverished regions that have ideal flower-growing climates.  However, this industry has a very large environmental impact.  As the article below discusses, a lot of the fresh flowers are transported long distances in refrigerated planes and trucks.  A large percentage of the fresh flowers are raised in greenhouses (to protect from weather and pests) that use power to heat and cool the greenhouses.  When their beauty fades, most of these fresh flowers end up in landfills, where their decomposition creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.  A recent Washington Post article pointed out that roses, carnations and chrysanthemums are the three species that make up the vast majority of imported flowers in the US.  “The environmental impact of a bouquet plummets when the flowers are grown locally and are in season”, so consider buying fresh flowers that are likely to be grown in your region and transported by truck rather than airplane.  Or perhaps gift your loved one a live flowering plant.  In March, I received the gift of a flowering houseplant and it is still covered with blossoms.  If you have space, grow your own flowers and cut bouquets to bring inside.  Read the attached article for more information and ideas on how to reduce the impact of the fresh flowers you buy. 

https://ideas.ted.com/the-environmental-impact-of-cut-flowers-not-so-rosy