Well, we all know that Valentines day is this weekend because thats all we are hearing about on the Tv at the moment! I hope you are doing something nice for it, even if single I think its
a day to celebrate you! You only need yourself to love you!
Personally, I think Valentines day is so over rated and I feel that its a day that is quite depressing for some people!
But, if you do have a partner that spoils you and gets you little presents and some flowers, then you can make it ethical!
I had no idea that many flowers come from slave labour conditions! In 2002 the world really became quite aware at what was going on in Kenya, where most of the commercial flowers we buy come from. The workers (of which there are about 2 million) were paid next to nothing and worked incredibly long hours under terrible conditions. They also had poor health and safety (particularly in pesticide handling), poor housing, excessive overtime, abusive supervisors, sexual harassment, and barriers to freedom of association.
Today, things are getting better for some flower workers in Kenya, but only in certain areas. You have to make sure you know where your flowers are coming from.
I wonder if because flowers are so beautiful, no one stops to think that perhaps there is something horrible behind this beauty?
Facts about flowers:
$250 million: the value of the Kenyan cut flower industry
55,000 Kenyans, mainly young women, are directly employed in the industry
2 million Kenyans indirectly depend on the flower industry for their livelihood
One third of all flowers from Kenya are exported to the UK
There is a way you can avoid buying these unethical flowers.
Thankfully, Interflora have a section on their website that is for Fair Trade Flowers so you can drop a hint to your loved one to buy these instead of ones that dont tell him (or her!) where they come from.
Fair Trade Flowers make sure that the workers are paid fairly and that money also goes back into their communities to help not only them but their families.
I love this bunch of Pink Roses & Lisianthus – they looked exactly like the image but without the vase.
They are delivered in a cardboard box which is the only thing I can fault about it but, they must be protected during transit so there perhaps is no other way. Just make sure you put the cardboard about to be recycled.
This stunning bunch of Fair Trade Flowers costs £34.99. There are other different sorts of bouquets as well to choose from.
I am really glad that when I want to send flowers, I can make sure that they are coming from much more ethical means.
For more info please go to: