April showers bring May flowers….
We’ve all heard that old-school nursery rhyme about the joys of Spring; and what a wonderful time it is! The weather gets warmer, the sun starts to shine, beautiful rainbows run across the sky, and the landscape starts to look a lot greener.
One thing so commonly related to the Springtime is the blossoming of flowers.
Flowers are perfect for Spring because they symbolize life and happiness.
We commonly use flowers in a number of celebrations, like weddings and birthdays. They are also used at funerals as expressions of sympathy, as well as, romantic gestures for loved ones. These floral blessings also serve as great décor for our homes and offices.
Aside from bringing smiles to our faces, flowers also have environmental benefits.
Flowers contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide in our environment. They take in this carbon and produce oxygen.
They also help with water purification and prevention of erosion by holding soil in their place with their roots.
Plants like flowers also help continue the water cycle: they give moisture back to the atmosphere, and in return, pollinators help them to reproduce.
Not only are flowers great for the planet, they are good for animals and humans too.
Many species of animals and insects feed off of plants as a means of survival. Humans also use flowers for medicinal purposes and to reduce stress.
However, with the positives comes the negatives.
Cut flowers (generally found in stores and flower shops), also pose a great risk to the environment as there is a lot of wasted energy used when keeping them fresh.
Cut flowers are often mishandled and sprayed with harmful pesticides that are damaging to the atmosphere and the people that work to keep them fresh. They are also often produced in other countries in energy-sucking facilities. These are then sent to other harmful facilities that are arguably more energy wasting than Hummer trucks.
To add to that, flowers often die within a week or less and are commonly subjected to the trash where they reach a local landfill and emit harmful methane gas.
Not so pretty now, huh?
With all of these positives and negatives, we should each do our parts to protect the plants, trees, and flowers that provide so much to our planet.
This Earth Day, protect our flowers and plants by going out and planting new ones.
You can also help by switching to local markets, which often sell bouquets that are not treated with such harmful chemicals. Many companies have recently taken several measures in the treatment of these flowers. Just look out for labels that appear as ‘American Grown’ as these companies implement some of these new changes.
Not only does it benefit us, but it benefits the planet also!
Happy Earth Day!