buckeye blooms presentation at university of toledo
DESCRIPTION
Buckeye Blooms was invited to speak in Brittney Craig's Wedding Planning course at the University of Toledo in April 2012. The presentation highlighted the environmental and human health impacts of the Ecuadorian rose industry as well as the growing popularity of buying local and organic that risen, in part, due to these concerns. The presentation also includes photos which chronicle the very beginning and evolution of Buckeye Blooms as a small, sustainable flower farm and design studio. Enjoy!TRANSCRIPT
How it all began…
8 0 0 . 4 2 4 . 8 5 8 0peacecorps.gov
The idea to start an organic flower farm began while Susan & Jeremy were serving in the Peace Corps in Ecuador…
Their Peace Corps training took place in Cayambe, a large rose-growing region of Ecuador
Ecuador is one of the largest producers of roses in the world.
Arial views of large rose growing greenhouses “plantations” around Cayambe, Ecuador
“Long the symbol of love, irresistible desire, and ephemeral beauty, the prickliest of flowers has never been so popular, so lucrative–or so toxic for the environment…”-opening sentence in Jan-Feb 2008 Audubon Magazine article
…as well as to
workers,
communities
local food security…
Workers exposed to the many toxic pesticides used in flower-production can experience health problems—from blurred vision to abdominal pain and birth defects or other reproductive risks, including miscarriage, prematurity, and congenital malformations
http://napavalleyregister.com/business/article_1cb2e3a3-5276-50f6-bc48-80d6c5860ef9.html
The Harvard School of Public Health examined 72 children ages 7-8 in a flower-growing region of Ecuador whose mothers were exposed to pesticides during pregnancy and found they had developmental delays of up to four years on aptitude tests.
“Every time we look, we’re finding out these pesticides are more dangerous than we ever thought before and more toxic at lower levels,” said Philippe Grandjean, who led the Harvard study.
This is just one of dozens of studies that examine the health impacts of the flower industry in Ecuador and other lesser developed countries.
Kristjanath/Flickr
Meanwhile, their community often experienced water shortages, which were blamed on the water-thirsty rose plantations in the area.
(Susan & Jeremy with their Ecuadorian host family)
http://www.armellini.com/
Plus, consider the carbon footprint of growing, packaging, importing, flying, warehousing, & trucking flowers from South America to our local grocery store or florist shop.
Around the same time Susan & Jeremy were completing their Peace Corps service, Kay learned that she was being laid off from her job of managing the county Master Gardener program due to budget cuts….
So mother & daughter teamed up to start Buckeye Blooms on the family farm where both spent their childhood. They had a vision of growing flowers without the use of harsh chemicals.
The family already was committed to conserving natural resources.
Aerial view of the farm in different seasons(Pre-Buckeye Blooms).
The family planted hundreds of trees and created riparian buffers and filter strips to provide wildlife habitat and reduce sediment pollution to Pike Run, which is in the Lake Erie watershed basin.
PLANNING THE NEW FLOWER BEDS ON WHAT WAS A CONVENTIONAL
CORN FIELD
BEDS ARE 25’ BY 4’
ROLLING UP THE SOD
REUSING THE SOD
MAKING SOD WALKWAYS
Exhausting work!
Aerial views of “Before & After” flower bed construction
HAULING COMPOSTED MANURE
OOPS, STUCK!
BLACK GOLD!
DOUBLE DIGGING, PLANTING
THE WHOLE FAMILY HELPED WITH PLANTING
FROST WARNING!
THE OLD MILKING PARLOR “BEFORE”
POWER WASH & PAINT
REWIRING THE BARN
ENTRANCE TO SHOP IN BARN
OUR “DESIGN STUDIO” (AFTER)
RAIN BARRELS
“Aerial” views of our flower field during the growing season.
Farm scenes
AGERATUM AND CELOSIA
RUDBECKIA AND LIATRIS
DAHLIA AND LILIES
HYDRANGEA
FARMER’S MARKET
BOUQUETS
WEDDINGS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baAbhKzN0UY&context=C30b4987ADOEgsToPDskLQnodLxRmC0nzkIpi37X00
PHOTO SHOOTS
Learning Lab for students: Denison University PEAS group
FLOWER CLASSES
FARM FLOWER “PARTIES”
New for 2012
•Cooler•High tunnel (hoophouse) •Field expansion•Retail partnerships •Carbon/pollution offsets •seasonal flower arranging workshops
NEW GREEN WEDDING OPTIONS FROM BUCKEYE BLOOMS
Commemorative Treehttp://www.buckeyeblooms.com/weddings/?weddings=26
“Tree Favors”
Carbon/Pollution offsetshttp://www.weddingmuseum.com/tools/wedding-carbon-footprint-tool.php
http://www.buckeyeblooms.com/environment/?environment=27
HTTP://WWW.BUCKEYEBLOOMS.COM/ENVIRONMENT/
Our Commitment to Conservation
BUY LOCAL!
Buy Local!
Educate your friends & clients about the real costs of conventional flowers
Buy direct from local flower farmers or ask your florists to buy local, seasonal, organic and sustainably grown flowers
Consider the environmental & social impacts of your purchases & choose the greenest/most sustainable option
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
http://www.delicious.com/stacks/buckeyeblooms
