FloweRescue's mission
Address and spark dialogue about waste, and other sustainability challenges in the floral industry;
and connect people through the beauty and joy of flowers
Our community
FloweRescue is a nonprofit organization & community of people working to spread joy and human connection through flowers. We share a love of flowers and a concern about the overall lack of sustainability in the floral industry. Together, we simultaneously work to combat floral waste and to bring flowers to the people who need them most.
Our Story
Our Helsinki-based community formed in December 2018 in direct response to the issue of local floral waste. During our pilot flower rescue project we rescued thousands of flowers after the Christmas holiday, and used them to run a bouquet workshop with residents at a local elder care home.
Since then we have rescued over 170,000 flowers, donating them to people who are at-risk of marginalization or social exclusion.
Through this work we address two important issues:
Waste
As with other perishable goods, waste is a huge challenge for the floral industry; by some estimates, 40% of the cut flowers produced will be thrown away before reaching the hands of consumers. Here in Helsinki, at flower shops and retailers, anywhere from 2-20% of flowers are going to waste. We estimate that there are about half a million “rescuable” flowers in the Helsinki area each year.
Loneliness
Loneliness, especially among people experiencing poverty and social exclusion and among the elderly, poses a real risk to societal well-being. Here in Finland, over one third of the elderly (a growing demographic) have reported experiencing loneliness all or some of the time. This is why we channel our flower donations to people who might be at-risk of loneliness or social exclusion: elderly folks, people living in institutions, young people and refugees.
Flowers are one of the loveliest symbols of human connection - they can express love, gratitude, condolence, friendship and celebration.
What if we can take some of the surplus and unnecessary waste of the floral industry and use it to facilitate human connection - to reach people who are experiencing loneliness, isolation or poor health and brighten their day with a smile and a bouquet?
FloweRescue harnesses surplus flowers from wholesalers, florists and events and donates them to elderly homes and hospitals, as well as to charities and community art projects
We are a volunteer-driven community: from the volunteers who gather to rescue and make bouquets; to the florists who donate their time to offer workshops; to the design and marketing wizards who power our web presence.
Interested to help out or to learn more about volunteering?
In addition to the 60 association members and 500+ community volunteers who power our flower rescuing, we are led by a staff of 2 who manage FloweRescue's operations and strategic work; and a 5-member board of directors.