Cheap Valentine’s Day Roses Harm the Earth
The UK imports cheap roses grown in Kenya for Valentine’s Day that are “bleeding that country dry,” says Dr. David Harper, an ecology and conservation biologist at the University of Leicester.
Of particular concern is the region around Lake Naivasha, where cheap rose growers have no concern for the environment.
Roses that come cheap are grown by companies that have no concern for the environment, who cut corners and avoid legislation, who sell their flowers into the auction in Amsterdam so that all the buyer knows is the flowers “come from Holland.” In reality, they have come from Kenya where the industry is, literally, draining that country dry.
The good news is at least half of the rose growers in Lake Naivasha follow sustainable practices and many are fair trade certified.
Image: suchitra prints on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
