by Gabriella Swerling, Telegraph
Bishop pushes for British-grown flowers and a ban on floral foam
The Church of England will debate how to reduce the carbon footprint of flowers as part of its net zero ambitions.
Proposals to reduce the environmental impact of wedding decorations and wreaths include a ban on foreign blooms, as well as ending the use of floral foam which contains microplastics.
Officials hope that they will enable the Church to “use the beauty in creation to glorify God without harming creation along the way”, and help achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2030.
The plans will be formally allotted time at the General Synod, the Church of England’s legislative body, when it convenes in London next month. They are being spearheaded by the Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Rev Martin Gorick.
As well as a ban on imported flowers and non-compostable floral foam, the bishop’s motion suggests that churches could work with local growers and farmers’ markets in a bid to have a “smaller carbon footprint”.