|
|
|
Coast to Coast: August/September 2005 |
|
Written by florist magazine
|
Kitras Art Glass Appoints a New Sales Agency
Kitras Art Glass Inc. recently appointed Carl Insley, The Right Stuff, as the new sales agency for the Toronto area. Kitras Art Glass, a Canadian company based in Fergus, Ontario, continues in the time-honoured tradition of hand blown glass art. Exciting new lines in vases, pitchers and glasses have been added to the ever-popular garden art discs, spires and balls. For more information, call (800) 439-6393 or visit www.kitras.com.
Winward Silks Announces New Sales Representatives
Winward Silks of Canada is pleased to announce that Carl Insley, The Right Stuff agency, as the new representative for the Toronto East and Central Ontario regions. Walter Blake is the new representative for South Western Ontario.
Both Insley and Blake bring extensive experience in the gift and floral trade to Winward Silks, which is known in Canada as an industry leader of innovative floral, Christmas, and home and garden merchandise. For more information, call (905) 670-0888 or visit www.winwardcanada.com.
 In Memory
Louise Weder, one of the founding members of Highland Supply Corporation, passed away on May 16, 2005, after a brief illness. She was 91 years old.
Louise and her husband Erwin formed Highland Supply Corporation, working out of their basement. The company began its life as a wholesale florist supply business, but soon began manufacturing its own floral supplies. While her husband traveled the country selling their products, Louise ran the equipment, which turned out the company’s first product – Beauty Corsage bags.
Louise served as a vice president of Highland Supply Corporation and member of the company’s Board of Directors until her death. Today, the company remains family owned and operated with the second generation of Weders at the helm. There are eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, many of who are actively involved in Highland Supply.
International Experts Tackle Sustainability Issues in the Floral Sector
The symposium, ‘Eco-Flower Power: Sustainability Trends for the Floral Industry’ was organized by Organic Bouquet and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). The panel included flower growers, environmental scientists, wholesalers, distributors, labor experts, certification organizations, and organic trade association leaders. Panelists took a candid look at historic problems facing the floral industry relating to pesticide use, labour issues, and ecological impacts, then described evolving practices and initiatives aimed at moving the industry on the path towards sustainability.
Among these initiatives is the new Veriflora™ certification standard launched by SCS for the North American market. The standard revolves around six principles – advanced agricultural practices, social responsibility, conservation of ecological resources, water conservation, waste management, and product quality – and addresses production practices ranging from soil preparation and seed planting through production, harvest, and post-harvest handling. The standard also includes procedures for verifying the integrity of certified flowers and ornamental plants throughout the chain-of-custody.
“Flower retailers and consumers are increasingly seeking assurances regarding sustainable farming methods, and good social practices relating to the production and handling of fresh cut flowers,” says Stanley Rhodes, president and CEO of SCS.
Building upon earlier certification programs primarily targeted at European markets, as well as sustainability initiatives in other agricultural areas, VerifloraTM is the first sustainable agriculture standard to explicitly incorporate organic agricultural practices into its criteria.
Flowers produced according to certain environmental or social criteria are already influencing the $16 billion U.S. floral industry. For instance, according to the Organic Trade Association, the newly emerging organic floral market reached $8 million in 2003 and is expected to grow 13 per cent annually through 2008 in the U.S. Flowers produced using organic agriculture practices are just one element of the larger sustainable agriculture movement.
The Eco-Flower Power Symposium was held in conjunction with United Nations World Environment Day 2005, a series of events in June involving world dignitaries.
For more information, visit www.veriflora.com
|
|
|
