Are cut flowers bad for the environment?
Many people like to celebrate great holidays with rich bouquets of cut flowers. As a result, the flower industry flourishes and transports hundreds of tons of cut flowers around the world for sale in supermarkets and flower shops. Consumers spend millions of flowers and bring them to their homes every year: and most consumers do not think of the environmental and social aspects of the cut flower industry. Several studies conducted at the end of the 90s indicated that cut flowers had a serious environmental impact, and some defense organizations tried to raise consumer awareness of hidden costs on cut flowers.
Most of the cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia in a large ecological environment that are operated by undervalued, non -involved workers. Greenhouses are carefully controlled by climate to provide the best cut flowers, and are also strongly sprayed with pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Because the cut flow of nations are grown withMore lax environmental laws, many forbidden substances including DDT and methyl-bromide are used in flower production. These substances have a profound impact on workers' health: many suffer from health problems such as skin conditions, respiratory problems, impaired vision and congenital defects due to their exposure to these chemicals.
In addition to injuries of workers, these chemicals are also very harmful to the environment. For example, methylbomide was associated with the destruction of the ozone layer, while the use of DDT around the world has led to serious problems for many animal populations and birds. Most greenhouses that produce cut flowers consist of chemicals on their crops in large quantities. These chemicals later enter the bodies of workers, flowers and groundwater. Water pollution around commercial greenhouses hurts animal populations and fish AMA also impact on human life by reducing the amount of drinking water.
The flowers are grown, they must still be delivered to the final goal, which significantly contributes to global pollution. Some cut flowers can be delivered thousands of kilometers and add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in every step of the way. In the florist, flowers are arranged and ready for sale and some flower shop complained about the skin and other health problems due to long -term contact with cut flowers. Finally, the consumer brings flowers houses and perhaps carelessly throws them into a shopping trolley with ecological, fair business products and other foods.
The serious impact on the environment caused by the industry of cut flowers began to increase the eyebrows at the beginning of the twentieth first century, when the consumer defense organization began to educate people about problems with cut flowers. Usually stories about cut flowers culminate around Valentine's Day, in an effort to persuade the buyers of the purchase of organic, locally raised flowers that do not carry a heavy impact on aliveOperate environment. Local seasonal flowers can be equally nice and even more unusual, especially in combination with other thoughtful gifts.