Sustainability
The key difference between a flower arrangement and a bundle of gathered flowers is its shape. Have you ever thought about what florists use to hold an arrangement together? (Hint: rubber bands, glues, plastic bags, zip ties, “floral foam,” even toxic sprays, and the list goes on…).
Bringing home a flowers shouldn’t mean bringing home environmental/health hazards. That’s why we are committed to ecologically sustainable design. Here are some of our efforts!
No compostable ring? No problem. Inside our vases: upcycled branches & hemp twine does the job holding together our arrangements.
Design:
Floral foam, a plastic and therefore petroleum based product, has been used widely by florists for decades. It’s been linked to water pollution and degradation of marine animal health. That’s why we DO NOT use it.
We are currently switching our fabrics & ribbons away from synthetic blends.
Packaging:
We encourage using reusable vases like ceramic and glass, as well as compostable vases. We have a variety of rentable vases.
We do not use cellophane or plastic based wrapping.
Hemp twine is used as a tie, not rubber bands.
Waste:
We are aware of the supply/demand problems as well as the “fake recycling” plaguing the recycling industry and advocate for proper policy solutions to the issue.
Supply Chain:
We aim to support local floral farmers and provide our expertise to provide in-season floral alternatives. We recognize that many floral varieties that our clients request must be flown in (i.e. roses), and we are working on ways to offset the carbon footprint of our supply chain.
Energy & Going “Carbon Negative”:
Although we do not travel often, we aim to, at minimum, offset our carbon footprint whenever we do.
We are currently looking into electrifying our vehicles.
Social Responsibility
We regularly impart our knowledge to, usually but not limited to immigrant, low income, & single-parent, members of the community to further their futures as florists.
We strive to pay our workers a living wage and pay beyond Hawaii’s $10/hr minimum.
We are researching our supply chain to engage with fair trade farmers.
Ok great, so what can I do?
Whichever florist you frequent, consider asking them to stop using floral foam for the sake of our environment.
If you find yourself with flower foam, DO NOT flush it down drains. It is a microplastic. It does not biodegrade. It has even been found in the digestive tract of marine microorganisms.
Ask yourself: by the time your flowers have reached its shelf life, what’s left? Plastic wrapping? Rubber bands? What value did that add to your purchase?
Whether a local or visitor, consider signing the Island of Hawaiʻi’s PONO PLEDGE & Island of Kauaʻi’s ALOHA PLEDGE to elevate your experience on the islands.