'Green' flowers good choice for Valentine's Day, florists say

Going green on Valentine's Day can mean buying freshly cut flowers that carry a fair-trade stamp — indicating they're easier on the environment and workers, say florists.

Scott Graham, owner of Toronto-based Eco Flora, an online shop that specializes in flowers grown in an ecological way, says buying "green" flowers in an array of colours for a loved one on Feb. 14 can be an environmentally friendly move.

"It all starts with the customers asking their florists. The consumer needs to ask: 'Where do these flowers come from?'" Graham says.

Other relevant questions include:

• Was child labour involved?
• Were pesticides used in the growing of the flowers?
• Did the workers involved receive a fair wage under good working conditions?

"It awakens the florist. They think, 'Wow, I have five people asking for fair- trade flowers, and what am I going to do about that?'" he says.

"Customers can ask for flowers that have been certified by a third party and that means they have been grown according to certain standards."

Graham says it does limit the range of flowers available, but environmentally friendly flowers do not limit the florist in any creative way.

He carries freshly cut fair trade flowers such as roses, spider mums, capanula, Chinese asters and daisies.

Fair-trade flowers in Canada carry labels from third-party certifiers. He says the main labels in Canada are Sierra Eco and Fair Trade Certified. The label is said to be a guarantee that the producers have adhered to certain standards in the growing of the flowers.

The Sierra Eco label comes from the VeriFlora certification program, which is carried out by Scientific Certification Systems, an independent third-party certifier in the U.S., while the Fair Trade Certified trademark comes from Transfair Canada based in Ottawa.

According to TransFair Canada, a non-profit certification and public education organization promoting Fair Trade Certified, fair trade is "an international system of doing business based on dialogue, transparency and respect. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions for producers and workers in developing countries."

Flower trade puts workers, environment: TransFair Canada 

A "rigorous" international system of monitoring, auditing and certification upholds the principles of fair trade, and the system is structured to allow farmers and workers to have the following: "Fair compensation for products and labour; sustainable environmental practices; improved social services; and investment in local economic infrastructure."

The TransFair Canada website says: "A present of flowers is a beautiful and popular way to celebrate special occasions like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, graduation, a birthday, a wedding or 'just because I love you.'

"Many people admire the beauty of a red rose without thinking about where the cut flower was produced or under what conditions. In fact, flower production is a labour- and chemical-intensive process that often puts workers and the environment at high risk."

Tom Leckman, president of Sierra Flower Trading with offices in Montreal and Toronto, said 40 florists in Canada carry the Sierra Eco label. The florists are located in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Graham says "green" flowers make sense from an environmental point of view.

"It's about nurturing the planet and its people," he says. "You are actually sustaining somebody's life instead of exploiting them. It's really about the worker involved."

'Giving 2 gifts in 1'

In summer, he says, socially responsible customers can buy locally grown freshly cut flowers, injecting money into the local economy and resulting in a lighter carbon footprint because there is less transportation involved.

He says he believes a growing number of consumers want to be socially responsible about their purchases.

Graham's business, started in 2003 and with no storefront, has doubled since 2006. He attributes the increase to a growing awareness of fairly traded flowers.

"I don't get people who want a dozen red roses. My customers are more interested in funky flower arrangements."

According to Annie Gardiner, a spokeswoman for Scientific Certified Systems in Emeryville, Calif., freshly cut flowers in Canada mainly come from Colombia and Ecuador.

"If you buy flowers with the VeriFlora label, you are giving two gifts in one," she says. The first gift is to your loved one, while the second is to a family trying to earn a decent living and to provide for their children. At the same, the impact on the environment is minimized, she says.