These white cosmos were grown in Sheridan, just 2 miles from my studio at Annie’s Farm, and became my favorite part of this hand- tied cascade bouquet. Captured by Aundrea Marie Photography

Sustainability. It’s a hot-button topic and honestly makes me feel anxious. It feels overwhelming, too big, too much for just one person or small design studio to tackle and make an impact. When I break it down into little pieces, small choices, and approachable options, it’s easier.

How does this impact the flowers I choose? As a florist in rural northern Wyoming, my flower sourcing options are limited. I don’t have the luxury of flower fields extending to the horizon or greenhouses bursting with blooms for part of the year, let alone year round. I’m always cheering for those brave souls who attempt to grow cut flowers in our harsh, high plains desert and support them with flower purchases whenever I can. To run a viable business, buying flowers from out-of-state growers and wholesalers is a necessity. I love to buy American grown, in-season products for use in flower work when possible. Often, I utilize the fantastic wealth of creation worldwide to bring a vision to life and import flowers through known growers and reps.

It also means I tend to shy away from painted or bleached products. While they may be trendy or cool, the environmental impacts are amplified with these types of flowers. Any painted flowers or foliage are destined for the landfill rather than the compost pile. The bleaching process for those dreamy white flowers and foliage is incredibly complex, and you can read more here about what it takes to change a fresh product to pure white. I choose to use flowers in their natural or dried state to take small steps for change and generally avoid these altered products in my work.

How does a sustainability mindset impact my design choices? Let’s talk about floral foam - that squishy green stuff you often find at the bottom of an arrangement. It acts as a stem support and water source for the arrangement and makes all sorts of installations possible. It’s also full of chemicals and breaks down into super fine micro-plastics. (Read more here and here) Choosing not to work with foam means planning more and making different design choices if a specific look cannot be achieved without alternate mechanics. I often use an internal frame of chicken wire or twigs stuffed with discarded leaves, moss, or shredded paper as a base and build out my arrangement. The trade-off is worth it to avoid additional pollution or exposure to chemicals. Want to chat about this more? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

In addition to design decisions that attempt to reduce waste, I also choose to pack all of my arrangements in flower shipping (or amazon!) boxes, reusing leftover packing material to secure vases for transit. The majority of smaller personal pieces like boutonnieres and corsages are carefully packed into brown kraft boxes with recycled paper shred. You can recycle or compost nearly everything after your wedding!

Let’s talk about garbage. Flower work creates a lot of waste. All those flowers making the long trip to Wyoming come packed in boxes, wrapped up in packaging and insulation from heat and cold. Processing flowers and creating arrangements produces piles of stems and leaves on the studio floor. After each flower-filled week, all of our cardboard waste is broken down and hauled to our city recycling drop-off locations. We also deliver any package insulation or reusable shipping items to the local UPS store for another trip cross-country. While designing and cleaning up, I collect any cast-off stems, leaves, and other green waste for composting with the City of Sheridan Yard waste collection.

What about at home? While I easily get overwhelmed with the thought of attempting a plastic or waste-free home, we’ve made a few conscious decisions to help reduce both our plastic usage and reduce waste. Here are some of my favorites:

Dropps! we use both their laundry and dishwasher pods. They ship when we need them in recyclable boxes. You’ll get $15 off your order if you use this link (and I’ll get a little bonus too)
Who Gives a Crap - plastic-free packaging and toilet paper that helps build toilets. $10 off with the link!
Poppy & Pout - the best chapstick around and a recent addition to my client welcome gifts. Plastic-free packaging, natural ingredients, and the most luscious lip care I’ve ever enjoyed.

I’d love to know your thoughts, answer questions, or hear what small steps you’ve taken in reducing waste, reusing items, or choosing more sustainable practices. Comment below or drop me an email!