Send more carcinogens, via cut flowers, to friends or cancer victims?

Divernan

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Thu Mar-22-07 05:25 PM
Original message

Send more carcinogens, via cut flowers, to friends or cancer victims?

When I saw this brouhaha about some ill-thought out, unauthorized DU flower drive to send uncounted numbers of cut roses to Mrs. Edwards, my first thought was, don't any of these dewy-eyed enthusiasts know ANYTHING about the environmental dangers and impacts of imported flowers? Evidently not. So I'm giving you that information below.

And of course, any cut flowers, even organic ones are a major time-consuming gift to receive and care for, and even more so if one has to organize the redelivery of same to some hospital, etc., where the flowers are also a time-consuming gift. Every single stem should be cut at an angle and immediately placed in a vase of hot water into which flower preservative has been dissolved (great, more chemicals). If you do that, AND change the water after 3 days, the flowers may last a week. The petals fall off, the water stinks, and you have to clean up and dispose of dead flowers. If you want to send flowers, send locally, organically grown ones. That will eliminate ANY roses, because they are not seasonal at the moment. Even when they ARE seasonal, they will not be available at your local florists because organic roses don't have those long straight stems and are not uniformly shaped, and just plain are not price competitive. There are many thoughtful actions which can be taken and/or gifts made in the name of Mrs. Edwards. Imported, cut flowers, are not among them.

www.wisegeek.com/are-cut-flowers-bad-for-the-environment.htm

Many people like to celebrate major holidays with lavish bouquets of cut flowers. As a result, the flower industry is booming, shipping hundreds of tons of cut flowers all over the world for sale in supermarkets and at florists. Consumers spend millions every year purchasing cut flowers and bringing them into their homes: and most consumers do not think about the environmental and social aspects of the cut flower industry. Several studies conducted in the late 1990s suggested that cut flowers had a serious environmental impact, and some advocacy organizations have attempted to raise consumer awareness about the hidden costs of cut flowers.

Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouse environments staffed by underpaid, non-unionized workers. The greenhouses are carefully climate controlled to yield the best cut flowers, and they are also heavily sprayed with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Because cut flowers are grown in nations with more lax environmental laws, many banned substances including DDT and methyl-bromide are used in flower production. These substances have a profound impact on the health of the workers: many suffer from health problems such as skin conditions, respiratory problems, impaired vision, and birth defects thanks to their exposure to these chemicals.

In addition to hurting the workers, these chemicals are also extremely harmful for the environment. Methyl-bromide has been linked with destruction of the ozone layer, for example, while DDT usage worldwide led to serious problems for many animal and bird populations. Most greenhouses which produce cut flowers dump chemicals on their crops in large amounts. These chemicals later enter the bodies of workers, the flowers, and the ground water. Water pollution around commercial greenhouses hurts animal and fish populations and also has an impact on human life as well, by reducing the amount of drinkable water.

Once the flowers are grown, they still must be shipped to a final destination, greatly contributing to global pollution. Some cut flowers may be shipped thousands of miles, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at every step of the way. At the florist, the flowers are arranged and prepared for sale, and some florists have complained of skin and other health problems as a result of prolonged contact with cut flowers. Finally, the consumer brings the flowers home, perhaps tossing them carelessly into a shopping cart laden with organic, fair trade produce and other food stuffs.