Please, Don't Buy Flowers for Valentine's Day

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Please, Don't Buy Flowers for Valentine's Day"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Opinions
• Host/Author: The New York Times Opinion
• Description: You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.
• Episode: Please, Don't Buy Flowers for Valentine's Day
• Release Date: February 14, 2025

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Introduction

On Valentine's Day 2025, The Opinions delves into the environmental ramifications of the traditional practice of gifting cut flowers. Hosted by voices from The New York Times Opinion, the episode seeks to reshape listeners' perspectives on this widely celebrated gesture.

Guest Speaker: Margaret Wrinkle

Margaret Wrinkle, an esteemed writer focused on the flora, fauna, politics, and culture of the American South, leads the discussion. With over 35 years of marriage experience, Wrinkle shares her personal and environmental concerns regarding Valentine's Day traditions.

Valentine's Day and the Cut Flower Industry

Wrinkle opens by expressing her mixed feelings about Valentine's Day:

"Valentine's is problematic for me because of the flowers." [01:20]

She challenges the conventional view of flowers as mere symbols of beauty for human enjoyment. Instead, she emphasizes their ecological role:

"Flowers exist because they attract bees and butterflies, and it's the way the plant ensures its future." [02:15]

Wrinkle highlights that Valentine's Day significantly drives the cut flower industry, accounting for approximately 30% of annual sales—surpassing even the holiday season and Mother's Day combined. She warns that last-minute flower purchases often lead to subpar choices, such as plastic-wrapped bouquets from big-box stores like Target, which fail to convey genuine sentiment.

Environmental Impact of the Cut Flower Industry

Wrinkle provides a comprehensive overview of the environmental costs associated with the cut flower trade:

1. Agricultural Practices:

   • Chemical Use: The cultivation of pristine flowers necessitates extensive use of insecticides and herbicides. These chemicals not only contaminate water systems but also pose health risks to agricultural workers.
   • Floral Foam: Commonly used in arrangements, floral foam introduces toxic substances into waterways and contributes to microplastic pollution.

2. Transportation:

   • Global Supply Chain: Approximately 80% of cut flowers sold in the United States are grown in the Global South. Due to their fragility and perishability, these flowers are transported via refrigerated jets and trucks rather than more sustainable methods like container ships.

Wrinkle underscores the massive scale of the industry, citing its 2022 valuation at around $36 billion. While not the most environmentally destructive commercial sector, its practices are far from sustainable.

Alternatives to Cut Flowers

In response to the environmental concerns, Wrinkle offers several eco-friendly alternatives for expressing love on Valentine's Day:

1. Love Letters and Personal Gestures:

   • Heartfelt Communication: She advocates for writing love letters or enjoying walks under the moonlight as meaningful, low-impact ways to celebrate.

2. Paper Flowers:

   • Handmade Options: Wrinkle has encountered beautifully crafted paper peonies indistinguishable from real ones, presenting a sustainable alternative that avoids the ecological footprint of cut flowers.

3. Houseplants:

   • Long-lasting Gifts: Opting for houseplants provides enduring beauty and reduces waste, as plants like her ficus tree can adapt to various living spaces over decades.

4. Local and Sustainable Flower Farms:

   • Regenerative Practices: Supporting local flower farms that adhere to regenerative farming principles ensures that the floral gifts are environmentally responsible. Options include purchasing gift cards, subscribing to farmers markets, or joining community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs specifically for flowers.

   "If you want to give your beloved a botanical gift, why not make it a gift to the planet, too?" [06:50]

Wrinkle acknowledges that these alternatives may require more planning and potentially higher costs but emphasizes the long-term benefits for the environment and the authenticity of the gesture.

Conclusion

Margaret Wrinkle's insightful discourse on The Opinions challenges listeners to reconsider the traditional act of gifting cut flowers on Valentine's Day. By highlighting the substantial environmental impacts and proposing sustainable alternatives, Wrinkle encourages a shift towards more meaningful and eco-conscious expressions of love.

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Notable Quotes:

• "Valentine's is problematic for me because of the flowers." – Margaret Wrinkle [01:20]
• "Flowers exist because they attract bees and butterflies, and it's the way the plant ensures its future." – Margaret Wrinkle [02:15]
• "Nothing says I forgot Valentine's Day quite like a plastic wrapped bouquet from a bucket by the checkout line at Target." – Margaret Wrinkle [04:10]
• "If you really need to save money or time. It's a lot faster and a lot cheaper to write a heartfelt letter and go for a walk in the moonlight." – Margaret Wrinkle [06:20]
• "Why not make it a gift to the planet, too?" – Margaret Wrinkle [06:50]

Additional Information

Production Team: The episode was produced by Derek Arthur, Sofia Alvarez Boyd, Vishaka Durba, Phoebe Lett, Christina Samulewski, and Gillian Weinberger, with editing by Kari Pitkin, Allison Bruzek, and Annie Rose Strasser. The engineering, mixing, and original music were crafted by Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carol Saburo, and Afim Shapiro, with additional music by Amin Sahota. The Fact Check team included Kate Sinclair, Mary, Marge Locker, and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy was managed by Shannon Busta, Christina Samulewski, and Adrian Rivera. The executive producer of Times Opinion Audio is Annie Rose Dresser.

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Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform to gain deeper insights into the environmental impacts of Valentine's Day traditions and explore sustainable alternatives.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it.

[C]

I'm Margaret Wrinkle. I write about the flora, fauna, politics and culture of the American South. I have written about nature, not specifically about the environment, for most of my life, but I started focusing more and more on the environment as the news about the environment got grimmer and grimmer. I have mixed feelings about Valentine's Day, but it is sweet. I've been married for 35 years, so the surprise Valentine's are a dim memory for me. But my husband and I do celebrate. We go out to dinner or we write a sweet note or a card, but we don't have roses in the house. Valentine's is problematic for me because of the flowers. From an environmental standpoint, cut flowers are an environmental crime if we think about the real purpose of flowers. Flowers aren't beautiful for our delight, although we take great delight in their beauty. Flowers exist because they attract bees and butterflies, and it's the way the plant ensures its future. So I think if we move on from flowers as a gift and think instead about flowers in their role in this deeply interconnected environment we share. And so I wrote an essay about what I think about the cut flower industry. If you haven't yet ordered flowers, you've likely waited too long. Valentine's Day accounts for some 30% of annual cut flower sales, more than the holiday season does, more than even Mother's Day. So it's very likely that all the florists in town are already booked. You'll have better luck at your local grocery or big box store. But you're kidding yourself if you think this gesture won't be recognized for what it is. Nothing says I forgot Valentine's Day quite like a plastic wrapped bouquet from a bucket by the checkout line at Target. Really, it's just as well. The cut flower industry is massive in 2022, it was valued around $36 Billion. And while it isn't the most environmentally criminal of all commercial enterprises, it's far from benign. Cultivating unblemished flowers requires liberal applications of insecticides and herbicides, and many of those poisons enter the water system, not to mention the skin and lungs of agricultural workers. The floral foam commonly used in cut flower arrangements is yet another contaminant, leaching toxic chemicals into the water supply and creating microplastic pollution in waterways. Then there's transportation. Most commodity flowers, including 80% of the cut flowers sold in the United States, are grown in the global south and transported to customers in Europe in North America, but not by container ship. Flowers are fragile and highly perishable and must be transferred by refrigerated jets and then by refrigerated trucks. If all this is news to you, you may be feeling a certain amount of despair. Isn't there anything left that we're allowed to view with unalloyed joy? If not a bouquet of bright flowers in the dead of February, then what? Fortunately, there are many ways to say I love you that don't also say Eh, I don't really care that much about the planet. I'm a big fan of love letters and walks in the moonlight myself. If you have your heart set on giving flowers or flower adjacent gifts, you could consider paper flowers. I've seen gorgeous handmade peonies that I couldn't tell from the real thing. Or a nice houseplant might work. The environmental impact of the domestic houseplant market isn't benign either. But there's still a big difference between domestically grown houseplants and imported flowers, and not just in the relative carbon costs of transportation. Houseplants aren't discarded two days after Valentine's Day. I have a ficus tree that I bought for my first college apartment. Over the 40 years since I brought it home, it has moved with me to Philadelphia, South Carolina, and four Nashville homes Burnham Wood to Dunsinane to Nashville. But the best alternative, I would argue is is a local flower farm, ideally one that operates according to regenerative farming principles. It's possible to support sustainable flowers through gift cards, farmers markets, or a community supported agriculture subscription, also known as a csa. A flower CSA works much like a produce csa. Often the flowers are fragile heirloom varieties that would never survive a trip from South America. It takes a little more thought and a little more planning to send flowers or plants and paper flowers another way. It might cost a little more, too. Think about it, though. If you really need to save money or time. It's a lot faster and a lot cheaper to write a heartfelt letter and go for a walk in the moonlight. But if you want to give your beloved a botanical gift, why not make it a gift to the planet, too?

[B]

If you like this show, follow it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show is produced by Derek Arthur, Sofia Alvarez Boyd, Vishaka Durba, Phoebe Lett, Christina Samulewski, and Gillian Weinberger. It's edited by Kari Pitkin, Allison Bruzek, and Annie Rose Strasser. Engineering, mixing and original music by Isaac Jones, sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carol Saburo, and Afim Shapiro. Additional music by Amin Sahota. The Fact Check team is Kate Sinclair, Mary, Marge Locker, and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Christina Samulewski, and Adrian Rivera. The executive producer of Times Opinion Audio is Annie Rose Dresser.