Cut flowers are kind of like crushes: they’re fun, fleeting and usually end up nowhere. 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!). Better yet? Buy a plant! A plant is a lovely alternative to flowers and lasts much longer – it also sucks up CO2, acting as a mini air filter. Your mom might love a raspberry bush for her birthday, and who wouldn’t love a potted tree as a house-warming present? Your girlfriend might think of you fondly when she dumps your rotted roses into the trash, but wouldn’t you rather have her think of you each time she lovingly waters the pot of African Violets you gave her? Make a lasting impression by giving vegetation that lasts.