Earth Friendly Floral Design
As someone who has become more and more aware of the environment I have wanted to reduce my carbon footprint both personally and in my business. Unfortunately, flowers can produce a lot of waste and carbon emissions when they are flown in from around the world (South America, Dutch market, even Japan!). Here are my most frequently used Earth Friendly tips for your wedding floral;
Compost: Any leaves, flower heads or petals that are scrapped I compost. It's easy to do with a compost bin or pile. Add them to your food scraps to make rich soil for your garden. I don't compost hard stems because they take too long to break down. Usually, I add them to a branch pile I have in my side yard.
Go Seasonal: To reduce carbon emissions of flying flowers out of season try to pick designs that include seasonal flowers for your area. Sunflowers have a very long season on Long Island from late summer to late fall. Peonies are best in June and Dahlias are gorgeous in September-October.
Go Local: Related to the above suggestion, local is best. Obviously, this is not always possible, but in summer and fall months there are plenty local options in the North East. If you are looking to DIY search for local floral farms in your area. There are at least 3 Dahlia farms on the east end of Long Island.
Donate: Instead of throwing out any flowers left behind from the wedding night take them home and re-purpose them into small arrangements to donate to a local hospital or nursing home. If your florist does not provide this service invite some friends over to talk about the wedding and make some arrangements! It's an amazing way to give back to your community and to get more use from the flwoers.
