It depends on the bouquet but often gifting flowers is not environmental friendly....
BITS ‘N’ PIECES
It depends on the bouquet but often gifting flowers is not environmental friendly.
Here’s why:
* Growing flowers requires a lot of water.
* Shipping flowers has a huge carbon footprint.
* Harmful pesticides are used to treat flowers.
But if you really think flowers make a great gift, consider these tips.
Tip 1: Buy flowers in season
Similarly to buying food, it’s more sustainable to purchase flowers that are in bloom in your country, at that time of year.
This way you’re limiting the amount of energy that’s being used to ship and store the flowers.
Tip 2: Research your florist
Check out your florist’s ethical credentials to see whether they are offsetting emissions and sourcing their flowers ethically.
Tip 3: Buy dried flowers
Try gifting dried flowers instead, they last longer than your regular bouquet, produce less waste and they are pretty!
Tip 4: Don’t bin your flowers
Pop your old flowers in the compost or garden waste bin, rather than in your normal bin, otherwise, they end up in the landfill.
When flowers break down in landfill they produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas which contributes to the climate crisis.
Tip 5: Avoid plastic wrapping
It’s important to think about the packaging of your bouquet, as lots are wrapped in single-use plastics.
Look out for flowers packaged in paper and 100% recyclable wrapping instead.
It is the fourth time in six years that such severe and widespread damage - caused by warm sea temperatures - has been detected.
Only two mass bleaching events had ever been recorded until 2016. Scientists say urgent action on climate change is needed if the world’s largest reef system is to survive.
There are particular concerns that this bleaching event has occurred in the same year as a La Niña weather phenomenon. Typically in Australia, a La Niña brings cooler temperatures. Scientists are now fearful of the damage that could be caused by the next El Niño. The declaration was made by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority which has been conducting aerial surveys. Recently it warned that water temperatures in parts of the reef had been up to 4C above the March average.
Stretching over 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia’s north-east coast, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world.
Bleaching occurs when under-stress corals expel the algae living within them that gives them colour and life. They can recover but only if conditions allow it.
Compiled by SG
