Earth Day Iris

This Friday is Earth Day 2016—a day allocated for collective appreciation and celebration of this Blue Planet on which we all reside.  

It all began in 1970, when 22 million Americans came together to raise awareness about the importance of clean land, air, and water, which eventually led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.  Now, 193 countries join in celebrating the planet, with the aim to protect and preserve it to the best of our abilities.

Lisa Waud and the Detroit Flower House

 Symbols used for Earth Day typically involve images of trees, flowers, or leaves depicting growth and a healthy environment.  Last year began the trend of using Iris as the Earth Day Flower, a fitting symbol of a Blue Flower for a Blue Planet. 

Recently, this Blue Flower for a Blue Planet concept was beautifully captured by our friend and renowned floral designer, Wil Gonzalez.  His floral installment for the annual Bouquets to Art exhibition in San Francisco featured our Telstar iris, and his commentary on the piece was just as gorgeous as the floral art itself:

 "Cool, wet and inviting, the tranquil, watery blue, the continually changing textures of these slowly maturing blossoms over the pass of the next week allow this flower arrangement to evolve...A flower arrangement reminds us to enjoy this moment in time. It will never look the same again."

Wil Gonzalez's living exhibition

Like this ever-evolving floral arrangement, so grows and changes our Blue Planet (and us along with it).  This is why Sun Valley strives to change and evolve with the Earth, rather than fight against it.  We do this by continually improving and innovating our sustainable farming practices as time goes on.

For example, we sustain our blue planet through recycling and reusing our greenhouse drain water, practicing crop rotation, integrated waste and compost management, and steam-sterilization techniques (an environmentally-friendly way to reuse soil).  We have energy-efficient greenhouses, Snap Fans in our hoop houses (see video below), and we, the people, use bicycles to get from place to place, which is friendly for the land and for our bodies.

All of these practices are guaranteed and verified by Bloom Check, a strict certification program for flower farmers in the United States.  It is through these "best practices" that we can achieve a healthy, symbiotic relationship with the planet that gives us (and you!) its gorgeous flowers. We strive to be as refreshing and pure as the most fitting Earth Day symbol, the Telstar Iris.  This Blue Flower for a Blue Planet shows the beauty that clean air, land, and water can achieve.

It's no small thing, Earth Day.  After all, this blue planet is the setting for our entire existence; and truly, the one thing that all of humanity shares, no matter what our beliefs, location, or history.  Let's celebrate it!