Just because flowers come out of the ground, it doesn’t mean they’re always as green as they could be. Many of the flowers you see in grocery stores or other shops are produced in ways that are not as environmentally friendly as they could be. At Bloom, we try to change that in several ways. Here’s a look at some of the things we do to make your flowers as sustainable as possible.
Grow where they go
First, our flowers are sourced as close to the final recipients as possible. While 80% of flowers are imported (according to Michigan State University), we source all of our flowers domestically. This means your flowers don’t need jet fuel to make it from field to table, greatly reducing their carbon footprint.
There are many skilled flower farmers in and around the Sacramento region, and your purchase of flowers from Bloom supports them. Buying local flowers is the best way to brighten up your table because it supports local farmers, the local economy and the local ecosystem.
Less rubber, more soul
Now this next change may sound minor, and while it is small (literally), it has an outsized impact on our flowers. Many florists and farmers use rubber bands to hold their flowers together, and oftentimes that’s how flowers are packaged when we get them from our local suppliers and farmers. But even though it may be a natural material, rubber takes ages to biodegrade or compost. And if it’s a synthetic rubber made from petroleum, you’d better get really comfortable! When we package our bouquets for delivery, we only use natural jute twine to hold the flowers together. That natural, uncoated material is pretty close to what you’d find in nature, so its impact on the earth is minimal.
Wrap it up
Packaging can be a big part of flower waste. In order for a fresh bouquet to be shipped through a carrier like UPS or FedEx, it has to be packaged in all kinds of cardboard and, usually, plastic (that often ends up in the landfill). Because we hand deliver all of our bouquets in the Sacramento area, our packaging needs are minimal. We wrap all of our bouquets in kraft paper, which is easily recyclable or can be composted. When you get flowers from Bloom, you can skip the plastic wrap found on bouquets at the grocery store and stick with the most eco-friendly packaging possible. Everything that comes with our flowers can be composted or recycled.
All around town
When it’s time to deliver the flowers, we make sure to minimize the amount of gas our delivery vehicles use. We group deliveries by neighborhood, so we aren’t zig-zagging across the Sacramento region every week. For example, monthly deliveries to El Dorado Hills are scheduled for one week, while monthly deliveries to Roseville happen on a different week.
Can it
And then when it’s time to drop the flowers off on your doorstep, we make sure they’re always left in water. That helps them stay fresh longer. But we don’t just use any containers — or, heaven forbid: foam — for the water. We use entirely upcycled, reused containers like sauce jars, soup cans or yogurt containers that have been washed out and are ready to live a second life as a vessel to keep your flowers fresh.
