Carol, Carol's Garden
What is Sustainability?
Here are a few definitions:
Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance
The ability to be maintained at a certain level or rate.
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
It’s about creating a balance within environment, economic and social factors. It’s easy to focus on just the environmental considerations, but economic and social sustainability are also critical for long term balance, on whatever scale we are looking. We can consider sustainability as just our own business, but we could also look a bit wider at our own local community, our nation. Solving world problems may be beyond us, but in the absence of top-down change, we need to start from where we can.
Environmental sustainability - Is about the use of natural resources, care for the environment, biodiversity, management of waste. All the stuff which is quite well publicised and easy to get started on - plastics, pesticides, water, peat, etc.
Economic sustainability - is about creating an economic balance where systems can continue without exploiting any parties - can your business make enough to provide an income, pay for the best environmental options, pay taxes and start to put something back into the local economy.
Social sustainability - is where we can start to work with our local community - through providing work, personal development, education, supporting local community groups, businesses, charities, etc. Providing access for your community to your flowers, even those on lower incomes. You may not consider this to be part of sustainability - but if everyone just looks to their own business, then communities and society will peter out.
What is the ‘Gold Standard’ for flower growers? There isn't really a One Size Fits All answer to this. We know it would be great to have a closed system - being totally self-sustaining, bringing in zero resources, producing zero waste. But this is simply not achievable for most of us. It is better to think of a continual process of improvement than to have an unrealistic ideal which we will never reach.
Absolute terms can sometimes be damaging to progress. Take the use of floral foam as an example. Zero foam, or never using foam, is an admirable target. Easily achievable for a few who probably don't use much anyway. But an emphasis on reducing rather than eliminating floral foam might have greater impact on total foam use. It might be better if, say, 50% of all florists reduced their use of floral foam by 50% than if, say, 10% committed to never using any and the 90% carried on the same because they think zero foam is unachievable for them.
Creating a seasonal foam free urn in the middle of winter.
So what is the reality? We are where we are. We are not talking about campaigning to change what other people do, that’s a different conversation. We are looking at what we do. We can all do more to improve our sustainability. This process will never be finished. We have to make a start and to get sustainability in all its forms onto our agenda, into our business plans and make it happen. It’s about having a long term, considered approach to the sustainability of our businesses and their place in the local environment, economy and society.
So what is a Sustainable Approach?
If there is no blueprint, we need to develop our own sustainable approaches:
Define your attitude to sustainability. Call it a policy if you like. Just define it and write it down. This might include long term goals or ideals, or you might want to focus on one thing at a time. Build in some of your values and context for your business - whether it is for environment, family, community, etc.
Set some targets, which might be in the following areas:
Reduce your carbon footprint - through reducing use of plastics, imports, chemical fertilisers
Steps to protect your own environment - soil, biodiversity
Monitor and record what you are doing and achieving - including biodiversity
Outreach into your community - spreading and sharing the message, setting an example
Spreading the message with the flower-growing community - reducing waste, reducing plastic.
Remember that targets need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed) - eg., I will do 3 talks to local groups, explaining why British Flowers are the best choice for people buying flowers, by the end of the year. Achievable is better than failing.
You will need to measure some of the elements of your plans - e.g. amount of fertiliser per square meter, water useage, % of imported flowers used. If you don't measure and monitor it, you can’t manage it!
Review your progress and learn from what you have done. If you have not met a target, or had to resort to something you didn't feel happy about (eg using a pesticide) then review why that happened and what you can do to prevent it happening again. Set new targets. Do this as you go through the year, but definitely when you revisit your plans. This long term, considered process is much more sustainable and valuable than reacting to short term trends.
Make it a habit - it’s all about mindset. If you start to notice and investigate, you will develop the instinct to reduce : re-use : recycle - before you buy or throw away.
Don’t be over ambitious, but remember that some progress is better than none.
The Hierarchy of Choices.
Almost all of these decisions have many options. Some are better than others, and there is often a ‘hierarchy’ from the best to the worst decisions for the environmental impact.
For example: The decisions around sourcing of flowers for anyone in the UK - eg a florist or a grower who may need to buy in flowers. There have been various studies on this notably by Rebecca Swinn at Lancaster University and ongoing research by Coventry University in conjunction with Angela Coulton of Flowers From The Farm.
They have concluded that outdoor-grown, seasonal, locally grown & sold flowers will have the lowest carbon footprint of any flowers, anywhere. As with any sustainability decision, there is a ‘hierarchy of choices’:
Grow your own flowers - the lowest carbon cost of any flowers.
Buy from a local grower - next best option.
Buy British direct from a grower from outside the region.
Buy British grown via a wholesaler (lower than no 4 because they will probably
have travelled further and used more resources along the way).
Buy imported - wherever they are from, the carbon cost will be higher than UK sourced. It is then better to source flowers which have been certified under a sustainability scheme of some kind.
All these kind of choices will apply to other countries, and to other products. It is the hierarchy which matters. If you can’t do 1, try 2 next and so on.
Note on Certification - there are various flower certification schemes in place in Europe and internationally. There are currently none specific to the UK because, simply, there hasn't been much of an industry to need certification. There are some plans to address this, but it’s likely to be a long way off.
Making a Difference...
Look at everything that comes into your business and all the waste that leaves it - all the items you buy or throw away. Ask yourself:
Reduce - Do I need to buy it? What if I didn't buy that? Can I reduce the quantity I buy? Can I reduce the waste?
Re-use - Can I use that item again, rather than throwing it away, chucking on the compost. Can I use something else, maybe something I’ve already got to do that? Can I mend it?
Recycle - The last resort for most waste we generate - good composting systems, but also can you support recycling by buying recycled waste products?
Monitor what you throw away or burn - how can you avoid doing that again? Is it a symptom of a deeper problem?
Look again at lean systems, which focus on reducing waste of all kinds. A lot of the time, there are no clear-cut answers. You can only make decisions based on the best knowledge at the time. This knowledge might change, we have to try to keep up to date and aware e.g. I use plastic pea netting to support my flowers. I’ve been re-using the same netting for about 4 years now. At the time I bought it, it was the only option I could find. Jute netting is now available to buy, Should I switch to jute?
My decision-making process is:
To carry on using what I've already got. Not buying anything new is the best option at all.
I will continue to mend it as it needs, and to take care of it to extend its life as long as possible.
When I need to replace it, I will consider alternatives, including jute. I will need to try to find out and weigh up the environmental cost:benefit. Jute may have a lower carbon footprint to produce, and dispose of. But is still has to be transported to UK and will need to be replaced every season. Plastic lasts many seasons, but the production and disposal is damaging. The options might be different by the time I need to source a replacement
I might also have to consider if my business can stand the increased cost of using jute. Perhaps I need to increase the cost of the flowers slightly to cover that. How can I persuade my customers that they are still getting best value?
I’m not going to suggest which way we need to go, but this is the process we should be going through.
Turning all the work into a marketing opportunity
Make the most of your sustainability and promote it. Be transparent and accurate. If you’re growing and using all your own flowers, then say so. But, don't over-claim, as this undermines credibility. If you are not registered organic under a recognised certification scheme, do not claim to be organic. You can state if you do not use pesticides or herbicides, but don't then use unofficial remedies which are not recognised in the UK.
Download the Checklist and use it as a prompt to write your own sustainability policy and targets