Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Flowers
"People want to buy ethically and do their bit for climate change, but often don't realise that they can support developing countries and reduce carbon emissions."Recent research shows that flowers flown from Africa can use less energy overall than those produced in Europe because they're not grown in heated greenhouses.
"So, this Valentine's day, you can be a romantic, reduce your environmental impact and help make poverty history.
"This is about social justice and making it easier, not harder, for African people to make a decent living."
Of course Zwitserlood (hmm, does that name sound Dutch?) says otherwise.
"What he [Mr Benn] is not doing is looking at the big picture.
"The big picture is not only energy; it's other things like child labour and how employees are treated on farms.
"Our employment standards in Europe are high."
He added: "There is also the question of what is done with waste.
"I think we could make a case for moving many industries to Africa and stop all our agriculture because it's cheaper to produce elsewhere, but where do you stop?
"It's a very strange argument Mr Benn is using."
It's an interesting debate which can be found here. Personally, I won't be giving or receiving any flowers this Valentine's day so it doesn't affect me!
