It’s National Biodiversity Week, from the 17th-26th of May! This week is all about connecting you with nature, communicating the importance of biodiversity and providing motivation to play your part in protecting it.
At Silk Prestige, we want to take this National Biodiversity Week as an opportunity to tell you all about the benefits of silk flowers in relation to biodiversity - from reducing resource consumption to promoting sustainability, silk flower rental actually plays a crucial role in fostering eco-friendly practices and conservation efforts.
Conservation of Natural Resources
Unlike live plants that require water, sunlight, and nutrients to grow, artificial flowers, in our case flowers produced from silk, eliminate the need for irrigation, fertilisers, and pesticides. As such, going with a silk flower arrangement can reduce the demand for resources like water and land - promoting conservation and sustainability!
Reduction of Carbon Footprint
Silk flowers are actually more environmentally friendly than their live counterparts in terms of carbon emissions, thanks to their durability and longevity. They don’t need to be replaced often, and because of this, there is a reduced need for the transportation processes that give off greenhouse gas emissions.
On the other hand, fresh flowers are delicate, which means more delivery material is used during their transportation. Because of their short shelf life most fresh flower arrangements need to be transported by air, which produces about 60 times more emissions than by ship.
Water Conservation
Live plants require regular watering, which leads to significant water consumption. Silk flowers require no water to maintain their appearance, reducing water usage and taking pressure off freshwater sources.
Preservation of Biodiversity
Silk flowers help preserve biodiversity by reducing the demand for taking plants from their natural habitats. Removing live plants from forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems can have detrimental effects on biodiversity, disrupting natural habitats and endangering plant species. By opting for a silk arrangement as an alternative, we can minimise the impact on our natural ecosystem.
This is important as 120 species of plants and animals have already become extinct in Ireland, while on average a third of all species groups – from birds to sharks – are threatened with extinction or ‘near threatened’. There are no longer natural ecosystems on land or at sea in Ireland due to human pressure. Every little change and choice to support biodiversity in Ireland helps repair this.
Elimination of Pesticides and Chemicals
Live plants often require the application of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilisers to control pests and promote growth, which poses risks to both human health and our ecosystem. Silk flowers don’t require pesticides, which creates a safer and healthier environment.
Recyclability and Reusability
Our silk flower arrangements are made using material that can be efficiently recycled at the end of their long lifecycle, making them environmentally friendly choices. Our Corporate rental service allows us to achieve greater sustainability because we are able to reuse flowers and arrangements, for different occasions, all year round.
How we Give Back
When it’s time to retire some of our fabulous displays, we donate them under our Giving for Joy programme, and plant a new tree for every new client under the Crann Easy Treesie Project, ensuring we are working toward a common goal of saving the planet for future generations.
Overall, silk flowers help preserve biodiversity by reducing the demand for harvesting plants and flowers from natural habitats which can have detrimental effects on biodiversity. Our silk arrangements at Silk Prestige minimise the impact on natural ecosystems and therefore contribute to the preservation of biodiversity.
Contact us at corporate@silkprestige.com for your free trial of our fabulous arrangements!