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When planning your Valentine's Day treats for your sweet, how about flowers that don't destroy the environment and are not involved in exploiting the people who grew and picked them?
It's sad, disappointing, and a little ironic, but that's exactly what you're getting with most flowers today—at least if you're buying, rather than picking them yourself. Most flowers are grown with at least a dozen pesticides and are destroying local ecosystems: in Kenya, one of the world's top flower exporters, for example, the flower industry is destroying Lake Naivasha, which has always been a treasured spot for bird watching and ecological biodiversity, a favorite tourist destination, and famous for its pink appearance because of the flamingos that crowd the lake. If you're lucky enough to see a lake literally covered in pink, it's quite a sight. But it's becoming rarer, as the lake succumbs to flower-induced drainage and pollution.
Most industrial flowers, which in the U.S. comprises at least an $18 billion business annually, are also picked by workers making little, if any, money, toiling in harsh conditions and often suffering physical injuries from the tedious labor. Sexual harassment, verbal abuse, extremely poor wages, and for women (who make up more than half of the flower-picking labor force), mandatory pregnancy tests—or proof of sterilization—are all common for people who pick the flowers we see in our stores.
Think alternative
If you're gifting for Valentine's Day, consider things that will last a little longer (or that will go super quickly! like homemade dinner or dessert), or anything that's a little more personal—and made with greater sensitivity to the environment and to people. (If you're artistic, maybe you can make fake flowers... with reused paper? Any better ideas, feel free to share in comments below—some last-minute Valentines will surely thank you.)
If you're going to go with flowers, look for organic and as local as you can find: the market is growing and there are plenty of vendors online if you do a little googling, but try first hunting around your own neighborhood. There may be more options than you realize right under your nose.
Related Posts:
Treehugger's Gifts for Valentine's Day
Skip Valentine's Day, and Still Please Your Lover: 4 Ways
Green Your Brain: Why Are Cut Flowers Such an Eco-Demon
