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“FLOWERS? FOR ME? YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE!
NO, REALLY—YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE!”
Buying Organic Flowers Lets You Avoid Pesticide Residue on
That Lovely Bouquet
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Women love to get flowers. Men love to get flowers too.
OK, we made the second part up. But a nice vase of flowers is no doubt pleasing to most eyes, and with occasions such as Valentines Day, Easter, and Mother's Day, we know that the flowers will be flying off the shelves.
However, there's a little problem with most flowers. (And we don't mean the price!) Whether the flowers you buy were raised in the United States or in south-of-the-border countries like Ecuador, Columbia, or Mexico, you can bet the flowers received heavy doses of pesticides as the growers tried to produce nothing but flawless flowers, which is what the typical US consumer demands.
The pesticides used on flowers are a big problem for the workers who tend the flowers, particularly in non-US greenhouses, where companies sometimes use highly toxic chemicals that are banned in the US. Crew bosses often force workers back into the flower houses too soon after spraying, exacerbating the workers' exposure to the pesticides.
Pesticides on flowers can also be a problem for anyone who handles the flowers—including consumers—since many pesticides are easily absorbed through the skin. And because flowers are not a foodstuff (except in the case of our one weird cousin), the pesticide residue on them is not regulated by the US government.
So, is this the excuse you've been waiting for to cheap-out and forget about giving flowers on special occasions? Ah ah ah, not so fast. The organic flower market is rapidly emerging, led by Organic Bouquet, a US vendor that sells and ships pesticide-free flowers nationally. Organic flowers can also be found now in some natural food stores. So, let's hear it for pretty petals and not potent pesticides.
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Final tips: Guys—She'll love a nice home-cooked, candlelight dinner to go with the organic flowers you give her. Gals—He'll love the dinner too, if you'll just leave the TV on.
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MORE POISONOUS
THAN POISON IVY? |
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The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that in California alone flower growers apply almost 800,000 pounds of pesticides each year.
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ADVERTISEMENT
For more reviews or purchase info, click on any title to go to Amazon.com
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Growing Roses Organically
Your Guide to Creating an Easy-Care Garden Full of Fragrance & Beauty
Rose gardening doesn't have to be about chemical sprays and dusts! Learn the ease and simplicity of the organic approach; know the 100 best roses for organic gardens. (by Barbara Wilde, May-2002)
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The Flower Farmer
An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers
If you want to grow great flowers and lean towards doing it organically, here's how. Based on interviews with hundreds of flower farmers. (by Lynn Byczynski, Jun-1997)
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The Orchid Thief
The strange, compelling, and true story of about a shifty plant dealer that was arrested with stolen rare orchids, touching off an odd legal controversy involving environmentalists, Native Americans, and orchid-collecting fanatics. (by Susan Orlean, Dec-1998)
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Or see more Books for a Better Planet
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"Each Valentine's day, when US and other consumers purchase millions of flowers for their loved ones and deeply inhale the fresh aroma of roses and carnations, they rarely think about where the flowers come from or how they are produced. Yet, if these same people knew more about the high levels of agrochemicals used in flower production and the often less-than-rosy labor conditions under which flowers are produced, they might think twice about sinking their noses into the petals to smell the perfume."
— Environmental Health Perspectives [Volume 110, Number 5, May 2002]
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