Like the old saying goes, “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.” This is especially true when it comes to improving our environment through initiatives aimed at reducing the use and consumption of materials in our everyday life. Whether it’s gasoline, aluminum cans, or yard waste, each little bit we do as individuals adds up to have an aggregated impact. The great news is more and more businesses are now doing their part to help as well. And the truth is, for most businesses the cost of collection and removal exceeds the value of the materials. So, they are doing it because it’s the right thing to do.
In this spirit, we are very proud of Amore Fiori’s program designed to reduce one of the most used components in the floral industry— the vase. According to the Society of American Florists, there are an estimated 45,000 retail florists (including supermarkets) generating over $19 billion in sales each year. Doing a little back-of-the-envelope math, I estimate each year the U.S., the floral industry sells 225 million vases representing about $1.7 billion in revenue. Not quite a vase for each person in the country, but still quite a few by most measures.
So to do our part in reducing the number of flower vases that end up in landfills, we ask our customers to join us in participating in our Vase Recycling Program. It’s as easy as following the three R’s:
Reduce – Bring a clean vase into Amore Fiori and we will gladly sanitize it and refill it with fresh flowers. You only pay for the flowers.
Reuse – Bring in a clean vase from any previous arrangement and we will give you a $1 – $3 credit against your purchase depending on the size and quality of the vase (limit three vases per visit).
Recycle – If you have any unused vases or ones of poor quality and condition, donate them to your local recycling program so they may be used to make other glass products.
Please join me in “taking a bite” out of the 225 million used vases that can end up in landfills each year and we’ll all benefit in the long run. And who knows, maybe other florists will like the idea and it will become the industry standard! And at the same time, let’s all take a critical look at our day-to-day activities to find some additional “small bites” where we can make a difference. I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions for what each of us can do at home, at work, and at play to reduce our impact to the environment.