Sustainable Floristry: What’s Green, What’s Not, and How to Do Better with Melanie Stapleton

It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, but before we all rush out and buy flowers for the special people in our lives, it’s worth thinking about the environmental impact of the flowers we buy.I’m not saying don’t go and buy them, but it’s worth being educated about the industry so we can make informed decisions.I personally love wildflowers and would just have us all buy those, but it’s not always an option.Joining me today is Melanie Stapleton, founder of Cecilia Fox, a floral design studio. She’s not your typical florist, but her designs are absolutely beautiful.She is constantly educating herself about sustainable practices in the industry, so I’ve asked her to join me so we can have all the information before we rush out and buy flowers this year.In this episode, she shares:How she became a floristThe sustainable ways she runs her businessThe different environmental issues in the floristry industryWhat floral foam is and why it’s badThe big environmental impact of importing flowersThe green waste impact of floristry and why it’s the biggest issueThe first thing a florist should do if they want to start being more sustainableKey Quotes:“Floral foam is the green squishy stuff. It is essentially just a block of microplastics.”“Imported flowers have this very nasty name behind them, but it’s not necessarily fair.”More MelanieFollow Melanie onInstagram, on herwebsite and listen to herpodcast.You can get involved with the podcast online:Find our full podcast via the website: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/now-that-s-what-i-call-podcastsFollow me on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: http://www.incrediballs.com/