Today's Green Tip: Mother's Day your Flowers - Go Pesticide Free!

Fresh flowers are one of life's little luxuries. We love having something colorful and living in our home. And with Mother's Day just around the corner, the season of Flower Giving is upon us. 


But, before you order that online bouquet consider this: the floriculture industry is one of the heaviest pesticide users of all the agricultural sectors!!


This barrage of toxic chemicals is a serious threat to the workers and the environment where these flowers originate. Colombia is the world's 2nd largest producer of cut flowers (after Holland), producing close to 62% of all the flowers sold in the United States. Colombia's export business employs over 75,000 people growing more than 50 varieties of cut flowers. As an imported agricultural product, flowers from foreign countries must be pest-free, so many trade regulators in the United States actively promote the use of a highly toxic fumigant, methyl bromide, for some flower exports.

What You Can Do:

1. Buy fresh flowers from your local market or farmer. Commit to knowing where your flowers come from and under what conditions they're grown.

2. Look for flowers that have been certified by "VeriFlora," a certification and labeling program launched by U.S. consumers, growers and retailers, including Whole Foods Market. There are an increasing number of farms in Colombia and Ecuador that have earned the VeriFlora label, which requires a transition to organic production and bans more than 100 chemicals outright.

3. Grow your own! If you're fortunate enough to have some outdoor green space, growing and maintaining a flower garden can be a wonderful outdoor activity. Click here for tips on how to get started.

Thanks to re-nest.com