An organic Valentine's Day

[Guest guest]

An organic Valentine's Day

 

" Love, truth, and the courage to do what is right should be our own guide posts

on this lifelong journey, " wrote civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. The

courage to love others drives both romantic relationships and social change.

This year on Valentine's Day, celebrate this spirit in those you love with gifts

of hope that support fair and healthy conditions for workers and independent

businesses.

 

Fair trade chocolates and organic flowers send the message that your love

inspires you to change the world. Although these gifts may cost a bit more than

their conventional counterparts, they offer the priceless gift of creating a

society of greater equity, health, and peace -- the sort of place you want your

friends and family to live in. See below for resources to find fair trade and

organic Valentine's gifts near you.

 

In contrast, behind the facade of " perfect " conventional roses lies an industry

based on labor exploitation and pesticide poisoning of women and children -- a

jarring disconnect from the noble feelings that drive demand for flowers on

Valentine's Day. The United States imports millions of roses every year from

Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico. Because flowers are nonfood commodities, they are

exempt from pesticide testing, allowing flower growers to rely heavily on toxic

chemicals that also poison their workers.

 

As many as 70% of floriculture workers in Ecuador and Colombia are women, and in

Ecuador another 20% are children. Young children and infants, whether exposed

directly to pesticides in the fields and greenhouses or to residues in the home,

are particularly vulnerable to pesticide exposure. A study of Colombian

greenhouses documented the use of 127 different pesticides. The study also

showed that mothers exposed to pesticides at work had higher rates of

spontaneous abortion (2.2 times) and premature birth (1.9 times) than mothers

not occupationally exposed to pesticides. In 2003, a particularly shocking

episode of pesticide poisoning in a Colombian greenhouse sent 348 workers to the

hospital with acute symptoms including fainting, strong headaches, nausea,

swelling, rashes, diarrhea, and sores inside and around the mouth.

 

Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 110, Number 5, May 2002 . Special issue

focusing on pesticides in the flower industry.

 

Caroline Collard

 

World's first fully certified organic skin, body, oral and health care products

www.happyandhealthy.org.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new

Security Centre.