Get Her “Green” Roses for Valentines Day

A Safe Bet No Matter Where You Are in the Love Cycle

Valentines Day can have very different meanings depending upon where you are in the “love cycle.”  The present may be carefully chosen to demonstrate the depth of one’s love and devotion, or alternatively, to avoid an argument.  Roses grown to prevent harm to the planet and the workers that grow them stand a good chance of being well received in either case.

About 214 million roses were grown for the U.S. market during Valentines Day 2008, and a substantial majority of those came from Columbia, South America where the environmentally responsible “Florverde-Certified Farms program” ensures minimal impact on the environment and better working conditions for employees.

Shakespeare was wrong - a rose with a name that ensures fair treatment of the planet and workers is just a little sweeter. Photo courtesy of Florverde

The program, which is further validated by the Global Partnership for Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalG.A.P.), specifically follows the practices below to have a negligible influence on the ecosystem:

• Reduced pesticide use by way of the Integrated Pest Management System
• Controlling soil nitrates to reduce or prevent water contamination
• Reduction of water loss in crops and soils
• Recycling waste products

The Floreverde certification program is monitored by the Swiss auditing company, Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS).  The SGS Group is the world’s largest control and inspection company with outlets in more than 140 countries.  The company was founded 1878 to provide confidence in the commercial supply chain and enjoys substantial respect among those with environmental concerns.

The program also has a number of laudable social practices for their employees.  The following procedures are required to attain the certifications of both Florverde and GlobalG.A.P.:

• Analysis of occupational health and work risks
• Development of worker-friendly programs
• Implementation of social programs to improve the quality of workers’ lives in the areas of education, health care and child services
• Continual training to update floriculture skills among workers
• Establishment of social, athletic and recreational programs for workers

All in all, these are flowers anyone can feel pretty good about.

And if you get the wrong color, you can always say you had to get these to help the noble Columbian growers and to promote the sustainability of the planet.

Pretty sweet.