Privilege and Fragility in Floristry

Oh snap! There’s been a lot of drama in the floristry instagram sphere these days about sustainability. As a zero waste florist, and the founder of a compost company, I have some Big Feelings about this.

The drama: some florist influencers are being called out by some other florists for not making sustainable choices. The florists under question are using floral foam, and dyed/treated everlasting botanicals.

What’s the problem with those? To start, floral foam is a single use plastic that can not be reused. It breaks down quickly into micro plastics and those micro plastics pollute the environment. It does not break down in a landfill, so it’s making lots of waste in a field that purports to celebrate nature. Plus, some of its ingredients are carcinogenic, though apparently they’re at low doses. I do wonder about exposure for florists who use it every day. As for the dyed and bleached everlasting flowers and foliage… they’re dyed with paints that contain harsh chemicals that are often disposed of at great harm to the environment. The workers who create these dyed materials at great risk to their health, not to mention the dyed and bleached everlastings can not be composted. So on top of the human cost, you’ve made more trash.

Okay, so what’s the drama? People are taking sides about whether or not it’s *good* to call people out. Some argue that we don’t change when we’re feeling attacked. While those caller-outers believe they’re just stating facts.

I have to say I think shame is a powerful, but uncomfortable tool. I know first hand that it sucks to be blasted, and can hurt for days or years. But I also think sometimes it’s needed to fast track change. If you don’t think so, maybe you need to check your privilege.

There are definite parallels between social justice and environmental justice. There’s white fragility and there’s a kind of privileged fragility. The problem with both, is it centers you rather than those being oppressed or exploited. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this essay from Rev. Lindsey Franklin “Am I good?”, and her reflections “from a virtuous white woman”. Basically she explains that when we ask that question “am I good?” it’s not really the right question. It centers ourselves in the issue of racial justice. And what I’m getting at here, is that I think there is this fragility in floristry. This privilege we have living in the United States, with decent water, land, and air protections. Where we import so much of what we consume, and export so much of what we throw away. The urgency isn’t there because we’re not the ones facing the direct environmental impact.

So are there other more gentle ways to create change? Absolutely. But what about those who can’t afford to wait? How do we create urgency in this climate crisis? It’s not about you, it’s about everything.

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