Dedication to Sustainability

TLDR: Our Sustainability Actions

• Fill our shop with flowers from local flower farmers during the growing season
• Replaced single-use plastic card holders with compostable dried rose stems
• Compost all of our plant and flower waste
• Avoid single-use plastics whenever possible
• Replace floral foam with other products such as chicken wire whenever possible
• Recycle cardboard, paper, plastic, and metal according to local guidelines
• Vase Recycling Program
• Use vases made from recycled glass
• Replaced plastic clam shell boxes with paper boxes for corsages and boutonnieres
• Phasing out balloons from our product line
• Partnering with local family businesses committed to sustainability for our “add on” products
• Purchase from local, B-Corporations, or small businesses with a commitment to sustainability
• We promote sustainability as we interact with others in the floral industry
• We are constantly researching sustainable products and practices that we can implement

The Floral Industry

The floral industry is not known for its sustainability, but thanks to the growing global awareness of climate change, that is starting to change.

The biggest contributor to the U.S. floral industry’s huge carbon footprint is the fact that 80% of the flowers used in our arrangements are flown in from overseas. The more we can source our flowers from local flower farmers, the more sustainable our industry becomes.

Another aspect of the floral industry that contributes to its lack of sustainability is the huge amount of single-use products that end up in landfills and/or the ocean. Things like plastic card message holders, floral foam, and vases, are all necessary components of arrangements, but they are horrible for the environment.

At Fantasy Florist, we are taking steps to tackle all these items in our commitment to sustainability.

Local Flower Farmers

Several years ago, we partnered with Grateful Gardeners, a local family-owned flower farm. Although their flowers are sometimes more expensive, they are more robust, colorful, and unique than most flowers that are imported. As an added bonus, Sarah and Tom are committed to organic, regenerative farming, which is more sustainable with less carbon emissions than traditional farming. They recently installed an Aquaponics system that uses 90% less water than traditional farming and will allow them to grow year-round.

We are totally on board! The only way for local flower farmers to get to a point where they are able to meet the demand of local florists is for all of us to support them in their effort to grow. That means being willing to purchase their flowers, even if there are less-expensive options available from overseas. And it’s working!

Local flower farmers are learning from each other, expanding their acreage, and investing in greenhouses and aquaponics to extend the growing season with an eye towards year-round offerings. We aren’t 100% local, but each year the ratio in our shop of local to overseas flowers is improving, and we are excited to be at the ground-level of this awesome endeavor!

Single-Use Plastics

We recently switched from plastic card message holders to rose stems. A dried rose stem is as sturdy or sturdier than plastic, but it can be composted along with the rest of the arrangement. Instead of throwing our long rose stems away, we dry them out and slit the ends to hold envelopes and message cards.

As for floral foam, we still have not found a good alternative. The floral industry uses floral foam as the base for sprays, wreaths, hearts, crosses, etc. that you often see at funeral services. It’s also used as inserts in baskets and other vessels that are too shallow to maintain the shape of an arrangement. Floral foam, like polystyrene foam (think Styrofoam), is just plastic that breaks down into microscopic bits but never disappears. Companies continue to invent alternatives, and we continue to test out those alternatives. The most recent alternative we tested was Agra-Wool made from all-natural ingredients that are biodegradable. This is a good alternative for shallow vessels that remain horizontal, but it leaks too much water to be a good alternative for vertical designs such as sympathy wreaths. Each year, new inventions come to market so we are hopeful of having a sustainable alternative in the future.

Vases

We recycle vases! Instead of throwing your vases away where they end up in a land fill, bring them to the shop. You don’t even have to clean them. We love sending our recyclers home with a flower—our way of thanking you for helping our planet!

If you are scheduling a delivery to your home, you can give the vases to our driver. Just let us know when you place the order over the phone or in the “Order Notes” field on the website that you have vases to be picked up.

Even if we are not delivering flowers to your home, we are happy to pick up your vases when we are in your neighborhood. We’ll give you a call that morning, and you can leave the vases outside your front door.

When we purchase vases, we choose vases made from recycled glass as much as possible.

Our tagline is imaginative. local. sustainable. Sustainability is a huge part of every decision we make at Fantasy Florist!