Valentine's Day goes green as organic flower sales grow

TORONTO — The organic flower market boomed in the past few years as people became aware of the environmental effects of the floral industry, say vendors riding the wave.

Scott Graham is among the vanguard, selling locally grown flowers in the summer and importing organic and sustainable flowers in the off-season. The owner of EcoFlora describes dramatically rising sales in the four years since he opened.

"I think it's where organic vegetables were 25 years ago," Mr. Graham said from his Toronto business. "The demand almost exceeds the supply."

It's a similar story from Cynthia Feldman, the flower buyer for the city's downtown Whole Foods location. They are selling "more and more" flowers to consumers who are increasingly ecologically aware, she said at the store.

Environmentalists and human-rights activists have long criticized the floral industry. Flowers arrive drenched with pesticides, they say, and some companies are accused of having poor labour practices.

People seeking alternatives have until recently had few choices.

This Valentine's Day, however, Ms. Feldman estimates that 70 per cent of the flowers sold at her store are sustainably grown and/or organic. And the U.S.-based company Organic Bouquet supplies vendors like Mr. Graham and sells direct through its website.

Flowers certified organic are not as cheap as those at the convenience store, but are priced roughly in line with bouquets from good-quality florists. And those selling them say they should last just as long as regular flowers.

This is a product whose time has clearly come. According to Gerald Prolman, founder of Organic Bouquet, the company's growth has been dramatic since he started the business six years ago.

"It's been doubling in size every two years," he said in an interview from Miami. "And this year our revenues are projected to increase 10 times over last year."

In spite of its name, only about half of the flowers currently sold by Mr. Prolman's company are certified organic under the United States Department of Agriculture definition, while the remainder meet a different standard that indicates sustainable growing practices. The company's goal is to be fully organic by the end of next year.

Although hard data on organic flowers are not available for Canada, a substantial proportion of flowers sold here are sustainably grown, said Amy Stewart, whose book Flower Confidential was published last week.

"Sierra [Flower Trading] is the largest supplier of cut flowers in Canada," she said from Portland, where she was promoting her book. "You'd have to work hard not to buy Sierra flowers. And they decided to demand sustainable growing practices, which is great."

The emphasis on fair trade by their sub-brand, Sierra Eco, was applauded by one labour activist, who said focusing on organic can risk obscuring the bigger picture."

The organic discussion sometimes takes attention away from the labour issues; something labelled organic doesn't necessarily mean it's fair trade," said Nora Ferm, project director of the Fairness in Flowers campaign at the International Labor Rights Fund.

"The most important thing is to use [the least toxic] chemicals as possible, while also doing other things at the plantation to help the environment."

Other activists, though, say the industry is inherently damaging.

"Flowers are a classic, romantic gesture, but unfortunately they have a really devastating impact," said Greenpeace forest campaigner Kim Fry. "Grow flowers in your yard when the weather permits. Ditch the idea that we need to have flowers on Valentine's Day."

With a report from Nick Patch*****

How to romance your sweetheart - and the planet

The colour associated with Valentine's Day is red, not green, for good reason. Most traditional gifts leave a big environmental footprint, but here are some alternatives.

FLOWERS

What to watch out for:

Most cut flowers sold in Canada come from Colombia and Ecuador. Environmentalists say the industry relies too heavily on pesticides, not to mention the jet fuel burned bringing flowers to market. And the International Labor Rights Fund says the threat of firing is held over the (mostly female) work force to prevent complaints about conditions.

What you can do:

Whole Foods carries some locally grown flowers and also works with organic farms in South America. At the downtown Toronto store this week, organic roses cost about 2½ times as much as their conventional roses. Another choice is EcoFlora, above, which offers organic and local flowers but no conventional ones. The wrappers used to package flowers are compostable.

CHOCOLATE

What to watch out for:

Chocolate industry watchers have cited child labour and tiny wages as problems with cocoa production, while pesticide use and deforestation turn off the green-leaning. For those conscious on both fronts, it's important to keep in mind that "organic" and "fair trade" are two completely different designations.

What you can do:

Look for Cocoa Camino's line of premium fair-trade and organic chocolate. Toronto-based Green Earth Organics delivers the chocolate across the city (as well as other foods), limiting the environmental effects of the transportation.

CHAMPAGNE

What to watch out for:

For champagne to be champagne, it has to be bottled in France, meaning transportation can contribute to an ecological footprint. In addition, pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizer can be a concern.

What you can do:

Organic champagne is produced without pesticides, and further measures can be taken to increase the soil's vitality. The LCBO carries an organic sparkling wine, but it has to be ordered specially. Otherwise, buying an Ontario sparkling wine would reduce the effects of transportation.

GOLD JEWELLERY

What to watch out for:

The world's smelters, those responsible for removing the gold's impurities, add 142 million tons of sulphur dioxide to the atmosphere every year, or 13 per cent of global emissions. Meanwhile, metals mining is the No. 1 toxic polluter in the United States, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

What you can do:

Buy recycled or vintage gold, which is available at used-clothing shops and jewellery stores across the city. You can also ask jewellers about the source of the gold they're selling, which may encourage the sale of more environmentally sound jewellery in the future.