Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

From Bloom To Bouquet: Unearthing The Toxic Cut Flower Industry, Addie Wasikonis

Pitzer Senior Theses

The commercial cut flower industry is an expansive network of growers, laborers, airlines, government workers, wholesalers, retailers, supermarkets, and florists, which deliver a crafted bouquet to the consumer for those special occasions. We often buy flowers during our weekly trip to the supermarket, call our local florist for an arrangement, or make a last-minute order online to be shipped within hours. For this demand to be supplied, the cut flower industry has spread to equator-localized countries where the labor is cheap, the land is plentiful, and the sun shines all year round in order to grow any type of flower …