While flowers are pretty, the flower industry is not. Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouses where underpaid, non-unionized workers spray them heavily with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides, including those that are banned in the US, like DDT and methyl-bromide. These nasty performance-enhancers and bug-chasers wreak havoc on the health of flower industry workers and on the planet. If you’re going to buy flowers, consider buying organic, or at least locally grown varieties (think of the fuel used to ship flowers from their homeland!). Organic flowers are certified as such when their growing practices aims to improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and enhance environmental quality for future generations. Today it’s easy to buy organic stems. Check out organicbouquet.com for more info.