As churches continue to work towards the Church of England’s 2030 net zero carbon target, and to honour the Church’s fifth mark of mission, ‘to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth’, Beth Bruce-Gardner shares practical steps to cut carbon emissions in floristry.
Beth, from St Mary’s, Fairford, is a Deanery Eco Ambassador for Sustainable Church Flowers. Sustainable Church Flowers (SCF) offers practical, achievable ways to align floral traditions with environmental stewardship.
Beth said: “A simple way that churches can take meaningful action towards reducing their carbon footprint is by making sustainable choices with flower arranging.
“Church flowers are an ‘easy win’ when it comes to the commitment to Net Zero Carbon by 2030.
“Every church could stop using Oasis floral foam and use locally grown and garden flowers, instead of imported ones which often carry an astonishingly high carbon footprint. Around 86% of flowers purchased in the UK are imported. A single rose imported from Kenya may carry a carbon load of 2.5kg C02. Ten stems equate to the carbon emissions of over 60 loads of laundry in a standard washing machine.
“It’s one area of church life that could very easily become net zero carbon, or very close to it, given a willingness to embrace change.”
SCF encourages churches to use local, seasonal blooms that are biodegradable, foam-free, and ethically grown. Winter-friendly alternatives include dried flowers, bulbs, or flowers grown in Cornwall and the Scilly Isles.
SCF advises against the use of floral foam as it’s particularly harmful to use; it’s non-recyclable, not compostable, and breaks down into microplastics. New methods such as moss bases, chicken wire, and reusable pin holders replace floral foam without sacrificing beauty.
With support from royal florist Shane Connolly and a growing network of ambassadors, SCF provides workshops, demonstrations, and resources to help churches transition to sustainable floristry.
Bishop Rachel said, “As I worship with different communities around the Diocese, I am often struck by the beauty of the floral displays our volunteer arrangers create. Putting care for creation at the forefront of our thoughts, as we decorate in ways that honour sustainable living, is a wonderful way to give glory to God.”
This SCF leaflet, for example, provides helpful information, including the environmental impact of imported and hot-house flowers, and sustainable methods for choosing and arranging flowers.
Beth said: “As guardians of God’s creation, is it time we took our duty seriously and applied it to our church floral decorations?”
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Really pleased to read this article Beth.
I am a great believer in practising SCF, using greenery from our gardens and church yard, drying flowers and using wild flowers from our church yard with permission etc and to go back to chicken wire, pin holders and moss. We don’t even need as many flowers as we might think, if we use more local greenery.
Thank you so much for flagging this up, so good to see it in print.
moss bases, chicken wire, and reusable pin holders … new methods? 😂