Giving Event Flowers A second Life
Every day, millions of flowers are discarded from stores, events, weddings, and funerals. Bluebirds & Blooms, a nonprofit organization serving the Twin Cities, seeks to mitigate some of that waste and turn it into something beautiful.
Bluebirds & Blooms was developed in 2018 with the ultimate goal of sharing a moment of joy with those living with memory loss or long-term illness through the gift of repurposed flowers.
The project, which has delivered 45,000+ bouquets and counting, takes a village. From the florists, wedding couples, and grocery stores which donate their gently used florals to a team of volunteers who redesign and deliver the bedside bouquets, the project not only offers a working model for waste reduction, but also a community-centric approach to caregiving. Along with each arrangement delivered to memory care residents, is a friendly conversation with a Bluebirds & Blooms volunteer to brighten their day.
Sarah Kugel is a certified master gardener, florist, and the former volunteer coordinator for Bluebirds & Blooms in Edina, Minnesota. I asked Sarah to share more about this fantastic organization.
How did you get involved with Bluebirds & Blooms?
My background is in natural resources and I have spent my career working towards building healthy communities and landscapes in the environmental non-profit sector. On the side, I always enjoyed dabbling in floral design (often cutting from my mom’s gardens) for friends and family. I loved using flowers to help brighten ordinary days and mark special occasions. Shortly after getting married and leaving our home in Boston for the midwest, I decided to pursue floral design professionally. I kicked off my training with the talented Holly Rutt of Sweet Pea Floral Design in Chelsea, Michigan and continued training with every chance I got. I started taking on more projects of my own and had the privilege of growing alongside the talented team at University Flower Shop in Ann Arbor, MI. After another move, this time to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and taking some time to start a family and reflect - I knew I wanted to go back to flowers and was psyched to land at Bluebirds & Blooms. I always describe this organization as one at the intersection of environmental and social impact, reducing waste and spreading joy through the gift of repurposed flowers. A win-win in my book!
What are some other services Bluebirds & Blooms offers?
In addition to repurposing flowers, Bluebirds & Blooms tries to reuse/recycle everything from vases to floral buckets and everything in between. The organization is also starting to offer group volunteer opportunities where corporate teams, college clubs, and community organizations can learn and connect while giving back to their community,
What kind of impact(s) did you observe in the volunteers and the flower recipients?
Working with flowers is equally fun and therapeutic for all involved! Volunteers could come in after a bad day and after working with flowers for 20 minutes you’d see a smile come across their face as they found a bucket filled with their favorite blooms. The volunteers also have great camaraderie with one another, enjoying conversation with others while designing. Many volunteers came to us after their own parents received flowers at one of our partner communities and decided they wanted to help do the same for others. And volunteers love knowing that thanks to their efforts flowers are skipping the landfill and heading to spread cheer to someone nearby in their community.
The floral recipients were always surprised and overjoyed. A common response was “These are for me?!” For others it would trigger fond memories of their gardening days, weddings, and other special occasions. Many staff at the partner communities shared that the flowers helped reduce stress and increase social interaction among residents. Additionally, Bluebirds & Blooms delivers activity buckets for some communities to design their own florals and this is a great opportunity for physical activity, mental stimulation, and more.
What might you suggest to someone who is interested in starting an organization like this in their own community?
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. If you’re planning your own event or heading to a friend’s wedding with florals, see if you can repurpose these flowers within your community. You can really start in whatever way works and is meaningful to you and let it grow organically from there!!
How might we encourage others to mitigate floral waste?
Support local flower farmers! Local farms use much less packaging, the product is fresher, and the carbon footprint is smaller.
Consider incorporating potted plants, flowers, and trees when it comes to design. These have the ability to live long after the event and can be rented, regifted, or donated.
Introducing Flower Rescue
Inspired by the incredible work of Bluebirds & Blooms, Fresh Cut Design is proud to introduce our newest service - Flower Rescue. In an effort to reduce waste and work toward a more sustainable floral industry in our home state of Michigan, Fresh Cut Design now offers a teardown and compost service for event florals. We don’t stop at diverting floral waste from landfills. Any reusable florals are redesigned and repurposed to spread joy to those in need of floral cheer within the community. Interested in scheduling a flower rescue or requesting a floral delivery?
