Most of us understand that eating fruit and vegetable that is in season makes sense. If we can source that food locally, all the better. With the introduction of Farmers' Markets it became easier. We may seek organic fruit or in the case of lemons fruit has not been waxed. Of course, there are fruits we cannot source from the United Kingdom. Although we have a long way to go for food, there are many exciting initiatives taking pace and innovative producers.
Floristry is lagging behind in become sustainable. With mechanics (those items that are used to arrange the flowers) in particular, there are some very suspect products and practices. Whereas our mothers and grandmothers would have used chicken wire and 'frogs' for example, we have become reliant on Oasis - the green foam block. This product is a plastic and one that releases microplastics. Use it more than once and you're releasing formaldehyde into the atmosphere.
When creating an arrangement, we might buy flowers from a florist without thinking where they have come from and whether they are in season. Luckily, with more and more local flower patches popping up, it is becoming easier to source locally grown, seasonal flowers that have travelled a few miles, not thousand.
Our Sustainable Floristry group is trying out different techniques for displaying our flowers. We source British Grown flowers and use foliage and flowers from our gardens. We are learning as we go!
Do get in touch if you'd like to set up your own group.
Danielle Ellis is a Sustainable Floristry Network florist
