Flowers have been given on Valentine’s Day for ages. Each flower symbolizes something different. This tradition is beautiful and is used all over the world. Not only do people from everywhere feel loved on February 14th, the earth does as well.
Valentine’s Day is one of the few holidays that has the potential to affect earth in positive or negative ways. One of the many elements is the use and production of flowers since they are a staple for Valentine’s Day. It does matter where people get their flowers from and what kind of effects they have on the environment. Many grocery stores get their flowers from different parts of the world, and the constant shipping and refrigeration of flowers creates a high carbon footprint.
There is a simple solution to this problem. All people need to do is to shop for their Valentine’s flowers at a local flower shop. Not only does this support local communities and businesses, but it also lowers the overall carbon footprint. Most of the time small flower shops use self grown plants. Local flower shops use safe products for plants to make them a long term use plant rather than a temporary one use plant. Another example is in the presentation of these bouquets, using different materials on flowers that aren’t harmful to the planet, like plastic wrapping.
Another way to create a more environmentally friendly Valentine’s Day for the earth is the flowers you choose to give. There are multiple beautiful flowers and plants, many that help Earth in it’s own way. An important quality for flowers and plants is to be able to attract bugs. The planet depends on insects to pollinate and more. Bees and butterflies are crucial bugs that Earth relies on. That being said, it’s best to look for flowers and plants that attract those two bugs the most. Lori, a florist at Floral Acres Florist in Antioch, IL said “Well, there is a butterfly bush. That’s good! Milkweed is good for my butterflies.” A butterfly bush may not be appealing for Valentine’s Day, but on the other hand milkweed is a beautiful flower that grows in multiple colors. Milkweed can be purple, pink, orange, green, and white.
There are multiple beautiful flowers that are grown and owned at any local flower shop. It’s best to take advantage of Valentine’s Day to check out local shops and florists and be able to support the community while being environmentally friendly.
