Buy local or buy Fairtrade, what do you prefer? Locally grown in-season flowers help your community, but Fairtrade flowers help the world's poorest people get a fair chance at life. So what do you do? Now most florists, both online, in supermarkets and on the high street offer locally grown as well as Fairtrade certified flowers so you can alternate between the two.
Many people don't consider the benefits of helping their own communities. We moan of a death in community and thriving high streets, but then don't support it when we can. Through buying locally grown flowers money will stay in your immediate environment and farmers and businesses will directly benefit. It also helps to keep dying trades alive.
It's infinitely more environmentally friendly too. No greenhouses means no energy is required to heat and irrigate them. Furthermore, no plane is needed to fly the flowers in refrigerated conditions, so greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide aren't emitted into the atmosphere. This protects future flower and plant generations.
You will pay less too because less financial investment has been poured into their development. More of your money will be recycled back into your local community as well.
However, there are also many advantages to buying Fairtrade products too. It means we can have tropical and exotic plants in our homes throughout the year. Plus we know they haven't been forced, because they have been grown in their natural environment. We can also rest assured our money is being used to help the poorest people in the world get a fair chance at trade.
Throughout the world consumers spent ?1.6 billion on Fairtrade certified products in 2007. That was a 47% increase on 2006 and it directly benefited seven million disadvantaged people in 58 developing nations.
The Fairtrade flower industry in the UK alone grew from ?4.3 million in 2004 to annual sales of ?33.4 million in 2008. The recession only mildly dampened our appetite for Fairtrade flowers bringing annual sales down by less than ?4 million to ?30 million.
But Fairtrade doesn't just help the farmers growing the flowers and the packers working in factories across the developing world. To be part of the Fairtrade plan, companies must meet certain criteria and this includes investing in the local community.
One of the biggest Fairtrade flower producers in the world is Kenya. Here plans have enabled children to go to school, bore holes have been drilled providing fresh, clean drinking water, medicines have been made available and HIV/AIDS orphans have been looked after.
Whether you choose to help locally or more further afield, just make sure your money goes to the people that really need it and use it to promote community projects.
Maricruz Tennill is a freelance writer and horticulturalist. They recommend Interflora for flower delivery Birmingham.
