What’s Going On Here?
It’s Mothers’ Day this weekend and we are about to, once again, buy more flowers than at any other time of the year. As well as giving you 3 days notice (you’re welcome!) we wanted to check out what all these flowers mean for our planet.
How much do we love our mums?
Well a ‘whole bunch’ according to a recent study that found about two-thirds of the UK made the commendable effort to buy their mums a Mother’s Day gift last year.
Mother’s Day sees around a quarter of all flowers purchased throughout the year falling on this holiday. But did you know that around 90% of flowers sold in the UK are actually grown overseas? Yep, the country we import the most from is Holland, with Kenya and Colombia taking the second and third spots.
We’re not pollen your leg
So what impact do flowers actually have? As you hopefully know, flowers are no different from food crops meaning they require energy to grow and rack up carbon footprints as they’re hauled from farm to florist.
A study conducted by Cranfield University found that 12,000 rose stems grown in Holland generated a carbon footprint of 35,000kg CO2. Blimey!
What do mums really want (all year long)?
According to a new survey by coupon site RetailMeNot, only 8% of mothers surveyed said they would like flowers.
Nearly 30% of moms feel that Mothers’ Day is a day to go out and be pampered regardless of what gift they receive. Offering to help never goes out of style. 33% of mothers would like help cleaning, 20% would like a home-cooked meal and 14% would like help with child care. Read the full study here.
Be Curious!
So come March 31 let’s stop the madness once and floral. Why not just send a text message? – they’re always low-carbon! (Just kidding ????, you can do better than that).
Ditch the carbon-heavy dutch blooms and spend some quality time with your mum (or aunty, grandma or sister) or any of the fantastic women in your life.
Here is our happy mother pampering starter pack:
1) Cook her a meal – Check out some veggie recipes here for when she comes through the door after a hard day at the office
2) Why not make her a DIY body scrub – here’s a great recipe
3) Write her a list of things you’re grateful for
4) Pop over with her favourite bottle of locally made vino
If you are still set on opting for flowers this weekend:
5) Grow your own – Daffodils and tulips are a good bet for spring in the UK. Will your neighbour notice a few missing daffs?
6) Adopt the same approach to flowers as to food – aim to buy locally produced, seasonal varieties as much as possible. The website Online Florists has a list of what’s in season. British flowers won’t just last longer but they’ll help look after the birds and the bees too!
