Article One – The Sustainable Florist – By Lisa Belisle AIFD, ICPF

ustainable. How many of you have heard this word on repeat for the last few years? And what does it actually mean to us as florists? Today we have so many hats to wear as business owners, so many rules to follow. Our cities are putting more restrictions upon business owners to ensure that we are responsible.

When I asked Google about sustainable business practices, here is the response I received: The term “sustainable business practices” generally means considering the environmental, economic, and social impact of a company’s business practices—both internally and externally—when making business decisions.

Well, that is a lot of words that can be twisted, misrepresented, and tossed aside if you are in the wrong headspace. It’s time for us to have conversations about being sustainable florists to understand the term with clarity.

We as florists are probably one of the most significant contributors to the rubbish pile, so we need to understand sustainable business practices in a floral shop scenario. An industry that works with living and breathing material creates so much waste. It’s kind of ridiculous.

Can we find a way to reduce waste and make our industry more sustainable? Well, this is my mission! Over the course of the next year, let’s find ways to reuse, recycle, or upcycle things to love the environment and make some extra profit. I think we could all use some extra zero’s attached to the bottom line.

Let us start with some of the more obvious items right off the bat. Boxes and paper galore! Whether you get deliveries or buy direct, boxes are always an issue. Did you know that most wholesalers will take their boxes back? Next time you receive a delivery, have previous boxes stacked and ready to go back with the driver.

If you buy Holland Direct product, the boxes are white, clean, and come in great sizes for re-use. I use these a lot for party work delivery. I simply put a piece of cellophane on the bottom of the box and up the sides to prevent the box from leaking or collapsing.

You may also flip them over for a clean slate and cut holes for cylinders or cube arrangement deliveries. If storage is an issue, look into the following options: a recycle only waste bin collection (now mandatory in some cities), or taking the waste to a collection site weekly or monthly to receive cash for your cardboard! I would highly recommend keeping all of the paper, foam, and plastic pillows that come with your boxes.

Have a packing station near your wrapping area with a clean garbage can that your processors can keep stuffing the wrap in. All of this can be used to pack boxes and keep items from shifting. This is especially useful for corporate events, work parties, and weddings.

Part of being a sustainable florist is to be creative in the design department. For this round of design, I took a box and traced a circle, about 12” in diameter, and then traced another circle in the middle, about 4” in diameter. Then I cut around the 12” diameter circle and then cut out the smaller circle inside it.

Once I had my circle finished, I adhered to the silver tree fern using U-Glue dashes around the circumference. (Another idea is to use wool and just wrap it around the circle.) I then used Banyan Root and did a few wraps over the silver tree layer to give the piece more texture.

You may use three 18 gauge taped (to prevent sliding) wires. Pick three balanced insertion points (a triangle shape is a great idea). Afterward, put some oasis glue to ensure that the wire fits snug. Fold the wires down to form a handle. After you have completed the handle, start using it as an armature, and create a spiral hand tie with flowers, colors, and textures to match.

You will be surprised by when the viewers of your work ask about how you created something so beautiful out of a box you probably were going to throw into the recycle bin!