SUSTAINABILITY: THE FULL PICTURE
At Blossom and Bone Florals, sustainability is at the forefront of our designs. What exactly does sustainability mean to us? The focus is on our impact on the environment and people (consumers, employees, and owners).
Regarding the environmental element, we strive towards sustainable practices like sourcing 100% local during the growing season (mid-March to early November). During the growing season, we are lucky enough to receive most of our product from within a 30-mile radius (some flowers end up coming from further away in North Carolina from the shop thanks to local wholesalers like Stemz!). Additionally, we avoid using single use plastics as much as possible. We essentially want all materials used to have the ability to be recycled, re-used, or composted. Because of this, plastic sleeves, and dyed and bleached flowers are no longer used in our designs.
Floral foam has become a mainstay in this industry since its inception in 1954. However, floristry is a practice that has existed for centuries- long before the dusty green foam coated our lungs with horrifying chemicals. At Blossom and Bone Florals, floral foam has never entered the shop doors, and we plan to keep it that way. Luckily, our designers are far more comfortable using older practices like chicken wire and pin-frogs to create with. These materials not only allow more flexibility and interesting architecture, but they are also re-used indefinitely. Contrary to what big named floral foam brands will boast, flowers actually (and obviously) last far longer outside of florist foam. Avoiding the dusty foam not only benefits the health of the floral designer and recipient, but also improves the longevity of the flowers.
Sustainability isn’t just about the environment, though! In order for this job to remain a possibility (for all florists everywhere!), people must be valued; we are incredibly proud that we pay every employee a living wage (at a minimum) and our full-time employees receive unlimited paid holidays and vacations. We also donate 5% of proceeds from every wedding to a local charity of the couple’s choosing to help provide further economic support to our community.