I’ve been writing about green businesses for over three years. I’ve written about large companies that have started the transition to going green and I’ve written about small green business startups. One thing that never crossed my mind were eco florists. Aren’t all flower shops already green? The answer is no.  There are two flower shops in Toronto that offer organic flowers. One has a retail outlet while the other has an online presence.

Eco flora was started by floral designer Scott Graham in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They specialize in being an online eco florist.

From their website:

“Eco Flora is a Toronto based online florist offering exclusively ecologically grown flowers with a contemporary design style. We offer our services year round to our clients in the Toronto area. We use wild-crafted, certified organic, organic and fair trade flowers without the additional floral chemicals.”

The following video is a detailed look at Eco Stems, another eco florist located in downtown Toronto.

Personally, I had no idea that cut flowers could be filled with many different  pesticides – it’s just something that the average person doesn’t think about when buying flowers. We are all aware of the pesticides used in fruits and vegetables, and because of this many of us buy organic produce. Eco Flora and Eco Stems are both great concepts for a 21st century flower shop. Our hats go off to both of these green businesses for not only making the world a better place, but for making it look a little more beautiful too.

I recently ate at his restaurant, which was started with a take-out only concept but has developed into a cozy, unpretentious sit-down/take-out eatery. When I had my lunch I saw a wide spectrum of people, from business suits to Rastafarian’s having lunch at Gorilla Food. The concept works not only because it is unique, but because Gorilla Food’s owner has an awareness of, and an appreciation for, the environment that far too many people lack. In a green business perspective, he recognized that there was a market for raw, organically grown restaurant food. His market niche was small and although still is, it has grown and so has Gorilla Food, as witnessed by the steady stream of patrons.

I am not a vegetarian, but I was mightily impressed with Gorilla Food and will go back again, not only because of the food, but also  to support a small green business that is doing it right.

SPIN farming is part of organic horticulture and is this weeks focus on green business. SPIN farming stands for Small Plot INtensive farming. It is essentially a small scale gardening method but organic gardeners with business savvy use a collection of urban lawns, either rented or bartered from the lawn owner, to create a green business  in the urban environment. Much of the produce is sold in local farmers markets or through word of mouth.

Reasons to SPIN farm

1. Environmentally focused
2. Entrepreneurially driven and fuelling regional economy
3. Building community
4. Close to market

The two largest barriers to farming are side-stepped by SPIN farming. Those two barriers are the extremely high cost of land, and the significant amount of capital needed to set up a farming infrastructure.  Do you wonder if SPIN farmers can make a decent living doing what they love? Paula Sobie and her partner set up an urban agriculture business in Victoria, BC, Canada called City Harvest. She explains how she and her partner SPIN farm to raise a family. Their motives are clear, they want to make a living with a clean conscience. She states that some SPIN farmers can make $50,000 in a single year!

We have forgotten about those businesses that were green businesses before the term was even part of the average person’s vocabulary. A green business that has been around a long time that most people do not give a second thought to is organic seeds. Sellers of organic seeds focus on the primary building blocks of today’s family – food.  By planting organic vegetable and flower gardens we respect the earth and the environment, sustainability is key.

I have randomly picked Seeds of Change as an example of one of these green businesses.

You can click the image below to check out their website.