ecotip
Raised Right Organic Flowers Honor Mom and Mother Earth
The Mother’s Day tradition of gifting mom with flow- ers, including such perennial favorites as lilies, orchids, tulips and roses, can be practiced in a sustainable manner. Buying or- ganic varieties protects workers, families and the environment. Flowers grown with
conventional techniques contribute to the contamination of groundwater and streams through fertilizer and pesticide runoff that can also threaten animal species. Many of the cut flowers are grown in South America, where farms continue to use pesticides that are restricted in the U.S. and cited as highly toxic by the World Health Organization. GreenAmer-
ica.org provides several helpful tips on bringing joy to mom on her special day in eco-friendly ways: Grow Your Own. Buy organic bulbs or seeds in con- sumer seed catalogs and retail racks or online from reputable sources that include
SeedsOfChange.com. Children can then grow their own flowers to make them mean even more. Tips for natural weed and pest control, en- vironmentally friendly watering, making raised garden beds and more are posted at
EarthEasy.com/yard-garden. Buy Local and Organic. Support local communities and
save shipping costs and energy by purchasing chemical-free organic flowers from a local farmers’ market or community supported agriculture. Online retailers like OrganicBouquet. com and
LocalHarvest.org/organic-flowers.jsp offer U.S. De- partment of Agriculture-certified organic flowers. Ask Local Florists to Go Organic. Find out if local florists
purchase any organic and local flowers, and if not, request that they do so. Also, eschew plastic wraps and vases for eco-friendly
flowers to avoid toxic ingredients and the carbon manufac- turing footprint. Fun options to hold and showcase the gift include old, recycled Mason and glass jars and bottles or an artistic vase from an estate sale or antique or thrift shop.
natural awakenings
May 2015
15
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