Cirencester and Stroud Deaneries are inviting churches to a ‘Pedestal and porches’ themed Sustainable Church Flowers workshop in May, teaching participants how to how to create large-scale floral arrangements without harming the environment.
The event aligns with the updated Eco Church survey, which now includes the use of sustainable flowers in the worship section:
‘Our church recognises that worship resources have an impact on the climate and nature, and chooses those that are as sustainable as possible, for example local/seasonal flowers, foam-free arrangements, non-fossil fuel wax candles and organic wine.’
Rosemary said: “Flowers are a really large presence in the Church – on Sundays, during the week, and for big events like weddings and funerals. Flowers also play a large presence over events like birthdays, Valentine’s day, Mother’s Day, and during Easter. But traditional floral practices often come with an environmental cost.
“The fifth mark of mission is to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. This is integral to our sustainable church flowers work. With the Church of England aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030, making sustainable choices with tasks like flower arranging play a big role.”
One of the biggest issues with flower arranging is the use of floral foam, commonly used to support large displays. While once seen as a breakthrough, it is now known to release microplastics into the environment, which takes 500 years to decompose. New biofloral foams also have energy and pollution issues. So, the workshop will demonstrate how to arrange flowers foam-free, using alternatives like chicken wire, sticks, and jam jars.
“Another problem is the flower supply chain, where many flowers sold in supermarkets are wrapped in plastic and are imported from abroad, making them carbon-intensive,” Rosemary said. “I’m sure many people received roses on Valentine’s Day, they are likely to have been imported from Kenya.
“Many people feel it’s customary to have lilies during Easter. Easter lilies grow up at a time when they aren’t available in British gardens, so they’re imported, or hot housed. A single Easter lily stem has a carbon footprint of 3kg – this is the equivalent of eight loads of laundry,” Rosemary said.
The workshop will have speakers from Flowers from the Farm, a group promoting locally and seasonally grown flowers. They will offer guidance on setting up a sustainable garden, even for those who don’t have a garden, but have a patio or an indoor space.
The workshop is also to connect church flower arrangers together, many of whom come from churches located in small, rural villages.
Rosemary said: “Flower arranging can be a lonely job, and some churches are quite isolated. This is about bringing people together to help each other.”
For churches looking to make their worship more eco-conscious, or for those who are looking to make steps towards Eco Church, this workshop provides practical solutions, and a chance to connect with other flower arrangers across the diocese.
The workshop takes place on Friday 2 May at Daglingworth Village Hall. If you would like to attend, email Rosemary Bailey at moc.l1747829955oa@br1747829955jaem1747829955.
Find out more about Eco Church and how your worshipping community can help to care for creation and invest in our shared future.
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Just to say the Kenyan flowers are sold under the ‘Fair Trade ‘ label , also without UK and other European countries the growers would have no income., there are two sides to every point of view.
Hello Jennifer
You are absolutely right that some of the flowers grown in Kenya are certainly sold under the Fairtrade label. Fairtrade cooperatives should quite rightly be supported.
Sadly the majority of flowers grown in African and South American countries are not Fairtrade and are run by large corporations and involve high pesticide use resulting in pollution of the surrounding area, water supplies in particular. Many of the chemicals used are banned in this country. Poor working conditions for the mostly female workforce are also a real issue at many large scale flower farms. The thousands of miles of air freight remains whether the flowers are Fairtrade or otherwise, producing high carbon emissions.
Thank you for highlighting the issue and as you so rightly say, there are two sides to every point of view. I think that balanced discussion of difficult topics can be really helpful.