tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255949970787463496.post4245794779681563890..comments2023-09-25T07:06:20.659-04:00Comments on Bluebird Meadows: Flower Confidential notesAlice and Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561905099532126881noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255949970787463496.post-69842957099257825702008-06-30T17:44:00.000-04:002008-06-30T17:44:00.000-04:00Eva-- Thanks so much for your very informative com...Eva-- Thanks so much for your very informative comment regarding the flower trade. We visited the labor rights website and have since added the link to it from our blog. In the Flower Confidential Amy Stewart does touch upon labor issues and I regret to not have included any of these facts in our blog. She goes over child labor, sexual harrassment, environmental degradation due to toxic pesticides and herbicides, and health related issues workers in Ecuador and Columbia must face working around all the chemicals. Horrible stuff. She also details a few flip side arguments such as these people are better off with jobs so they don't have to migrate to Peru, buying California roses doesn't support American workers but supports a Mexican person working away from his/her family, etc. Stewart also details the new certification processes that are coming about, such as Veriflora and Organic Bouquet. Of course in my opinion, buying local is the way to go. Again, thanks for your great comment Eva; we're always up for some food for thought!Alice and Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08561905099532126881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255949970787463496.post-17208368136233301742008-06-27T14:55:00.000-04:002008-06-27T14:55:00.000-04:00Indeed, nothing says romance like black knight sca...Indeed, nothing says romance like black knight scabiosas. I didn't want to say anything, but I did notice a lot of hanky panky going on under that big, long table at Panciuto. But seriously... what a great event! Aaron did a nice job of letting the the amazing quality of your produce do all the talking.markohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00419867230472845752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255949970787463496.post-53633469907820283302008-06-27T10:50:00.000-04:002008-06-27T10:50:00.000-04:00Though I haven't read Flower Confidential, I'm gla...Though I haven't read Flower Confidential, I'm glad we agree that when talking about flowers, we need to be aware of the flower trade system and the conditions under which our flowers are grown.<BR/><BR/>If you think all these pesticide and fungicide drenched flowers are unhealthy for us as consumers, think how dangerous conditions are for the workers who handle our flowers. In Ecuador and Colombia, where most of our flowers originate, work related health conditions caused by heavy pesticides-including skin rashes, respiratory problems, eye problems, and miscarriages affect over half of Ecuadorian and Colombian flower workers. Safety and health laws go largely unenforced. An International Labor Organization survey found that only 22% of Ecuadorian flower companies trained their workers in the use of chemicals.<BR/><BR/>As most of the workers in these countries are women, sexual harassment and forced pregnancy tests are common problems. Workers attempts to organize independent unions to negotiate for better pay and conditions have been clamped down by illegal firings and intimidation tactics. Dole Fresh Flowers, the only multinational company that owns farms in Colombia has been notorious for employing such tactics. <BR/><BR/>To learn more about the International Labor Rights Forum's Fairness in Flowers Campaign visit our website. <BR/>http://www.laborrights.org/creating-a-sweatfree-world/fairness-in-flowers-0<BR/><BR/>To find out what you can do, sign up for our action alerts and newsletter and view our campaign toolkit!<BR/>http://www.laborrights.org/files/Flowerstoolkit08.pdf<BR/><BR/>Hope to keep in touch!<BR/><BR/>Eva Seidelman<BR/>eva@ilrf.org<BR/>International Labor Rights ForumEva Seidelmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524939806305261078noreply@blogger.com