Valentine’s Day. The cost to the environment.
This week cupid’s arrow will be touching the hearts of our loved ones.
Traditionally cards are sent and flowers given.
As with most commercial ventures there is a huge cost involved, usually to us the buyers, but what is it costing the environment? As purchasers we expect to pay over the top for flowers that would normally cost half the price that they do in the build up to Valentine’s Day, that is the price we pay for love! The cost to the environment is a different matter.
Many greeting cards are now made from recycled sources, usually timber from sustainable forests, so perhaps we should not worry too much about the effects on the planet of buying a Valentine card, the flowers are grown especially for the event so pose no threat to the environment infact the increase in greenery should be helping the planet. True enough until you start looking into where the flowers come from.
A study has recently shown that the average bouquet bought in the UK for St. Valentine’s Day has travelled a staggering 27,000 miles, mostly by air. The study took each flower in the average bouquet and mapped where the flower had come from, distant countries included South Africa and South America. Combining the mileage from the various countries to the UK the study came to the result shown above. What was not shown in the study was the amount of harmful emissions produced by flying these flowers from their respective countries into the UK so that many thousands of us could utter the words ‘I love you’
When you visit the florist or flower seller this week I suggest buying more locally grown flowers such as Daffodils or Tulips, they may not look as exotic as some of those from foreign climes but at least they will not cost the earth!
Technorati Tags: Valentine Valentine’s+Day cupid’s+arrow greeting+cards flowers love environment recycled timber sustainable+forests bouquet emissions daffodil tulip