{"id":11137,"date":"2024-02-27T12:36:39","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T17:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uumfe.org\/?p=11137"},"modified":"2024-02-28T23:38:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T04:38:53","slug":"the-greening-of-a-sanctuarythoughts-on-flowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uumfe.org\/the-greening-of-a-sanctuarythoughts-on-flowers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Greening of a Sanctuary: Thoughts on Flowers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Greening of a Sanctuary: Some Thoughts on Flowers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
By Laura Emerson<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Flowers and greens are an integral part of worship services, marriages and funerals in all religions.  Have you ever wondered where these floral gifts and decorations in our homes, offices, and sanctuaries come from?  It is so easy to take something for granted until we ask simple questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For UU\u2019s concerned about carbon footprints and social justice, the international floral industry warrants our consideration.\u00a0 Did you know that 80%<\/strong> of all flowers sold in the US are imported, primarily from South American industrial flower farms?\u00a0 For decades, these farms have been the subject of expos\u00e9 about toxic chemicals and pesticides that poison the land and the workers, as well as onerous labor practices.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The world\u2019s biggest producers of familiar flowers are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roses:  Ecuador<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tulips and Peonies:  The Netherlands<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carnations:  Colombia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orchids:  Thailand<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internationally, the top producers of cut flowers in the world are the Netherlands (52%), Colombia (15%) and Ecuador (9%) as of 2023. Kenya and Ethiopia are #4 and #5.  The USA is not even in the top ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the chemicals and labor issues,  we can quantify the carbon footprint of transporting those lovely flowers to the chancel or dining room table. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), in the three weeks preceding Valentine\u2019s Day in 2018, 30 freight planes carried loads entirely comprised of flowers into the US EVERY SINGLE DAY.  The environmental impact of delivering those 15,000 tons of flowers was 360,000 metric tons of CO2 and 115 million liters of airplane fuel.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this information prompts you to reconsider your purchases of bouquets, what might you do instead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n