In our industrial world, it is important to be conscious of how much waste one creates on a daily basis. There is a significant amount of unnecessary trash created in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be this way. By being conscious of how much trash you create and where your resources are going, you can not only be environmentally friendly, but also be more efficient.
With over 2.25 million weddings occurring in the United States per year, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of unnecessary trash being created by these ceremonies. In fact, each wedding produces about 400-600 pounds of trash, making it essential for couples to not just consider what happens on their perfect day, but what happens after. However, some people do not want to put in the work of calculating al of their trash. At the end of the day, there will always be people who don’t care about accumulating trash! This was a phenomenon that deeply upset Jennifer Grove, an event planner that would frequently have to dispose of trash after weddings. She became particularly disturbed by the abundance of unused flowers that would typically be thrown out, causing her to dream up solutions to the problem of unnecessary trash.
Out of this problem-solving came her company Repeat Roses, an organization that helps event planners recycle flowers once they are no longer needed for a particular event. Though a majority of the flowers that Repeat Roses receives are from weddings, the organization is willing to accept flowers from any type of event. After taking in flowers, Repeat Roses goes around various treatment centers, nursing homes, hospice facilities and hospitals to distribute floral arrangements to residents. By surprising individuals with arrangements and other types of floral embellishments, Repeat Roses can brighten the days of people who are suffering and provide them with a piece of beautiful nature that they can take home.
Because many individuals in the aforementioned facilities are often suffering, Repeat Roses helps improve their mental health and remind them that there is still beauty in the world. In a recent interview with Upworthy, Jennifer Grove shared more about the organization and her inspiration for creating it. In the video, Grove clarifies some unique aspects of Repeat Roses that you might not consider when looking at the organization. For example, many newlywed couples that donate their flowers to Repeat Roses will not only be contributing to a charity organization, but also doing their first significant act of kindness together. This can be a very powerful moment, allowing couples to feel closer to each other right after being connected through marriage.
By repurposing flowers from weddings, Repeat Roses is able to give floral arrangements to those in need. This is a wonderful organization and we are truly glad that they are out there making the world a better place!
