Op-ed: Save the Planet – Support Local Floriculture

The next time you head out and are tempted to purchase a flower bouquet out of season, please rethink this. That bouquet may be inexpensive to purchase, but it comes at a high price to the environment. About 80% of the flowers sold in the US are imported from Columbia, Kenya and Ecuador. 

These flowers are transported in refrigerated planes to Miami and then flown and trucked to flower markets across the United States. The carbon emission impact from transportation and refrigeration is impressive, having as much as 10 times the negative impact vs locally grown flowers. Those Valentine’s or Mother’s Day flowers have been grown in chemicals, flown into the country, likely fumigated for pests upon arrival and trucked to the final destination. Depressing.

There is an alternative. The #grownnotflown flower market in states like New Hampshire is growing as customers discover the difference in variety and quality that flower farms like mine provide. We grow varieties that will not be available elsewhere giving consumers more choice and excellent quality, without the chemicals.You can find us at farmer’s markets and at roadside stands.

Get to know your local flower farmer and next time you consider buying flowers during the off season, think about giving the gift of a flower subscription or a trip to a U-Pick when they open. Support the environment and local agriculture. Buy New Hampshire #grownnotflown.