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Mar 19, 2020

A walk through Brooklyn Botanic Garden, now closed due to the coronavirus pandemic - Brooklyn Daily Eagle

I wanted to do a better job of complying with the urgent need for New Yorkers to practice social distancing, so I made a resolution to walk more and stay out of the subway unless I had absolutely no alternative. My reward for resolving to do the right thing and walk, walk, walk was a glorious afternoon at the famous 52-acre horticulture mecca — and the privilege of being among the last people to photograph its early spring flowers before it was closed. The magnolia trees were magnificent at the venerable garden, which was founded in 1910 and opened in 1911. I’m glad I took tons of photos — because on Monday, the garden’s top brass decided it should be shut down “out of care for BBG staff and community members,” the garden’s website says. The scene was serene on the last day Brooklyn Botanic Garden was open. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle They had been keeping the outdoor spaces open — but had already closed the greenhouses because the aisles between the plants are narrow, and people might have wound up standing too close to each other. “We are deeply saddened that the community will not be able to enjoy the pleasures of early spring here in the coming weeks,” the website’s message says. “We will regroup when this emergency has abated to welcome you back into the full embrace of the garden.” Brooklyn Botani...

Feb 27, 2020

Nothing Says ‘I Love You’ Like Secondhand Roses - The New York Times

Americans are expected to spend $2.3 billion on flowers, up from $1.9 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation.In a city like New York, where special events happen on a daily basis and cut flowers are in demand year-round, it was only a matter of time before eco-minded entrepreneurs saw an opportunity.“Valentine’s Day is an incredibly wasteful holiday in terms of its environmental impact, but if you’re looking at the year as a whole, events are way worse,” said Liza Lubell, who runs Peartree Flowers, which specializes in large installations.A typical large event like a wedding or gala can produce up to 100 bags of flowers, Ms. Lubell said. “It’s not just centerpieces on a table anymore,” she continued. “The whole ceiling could be filled with flowers.” So Ms. Lubell created a second company, Garbage Goddess, which provides eco-cleanup services for events in New York City, the Hamptons, the Hudson Valley and soon, Los Angeles. “We try to find alternative homes for everything,” she said. “We look at recycling as our last resort.” Her goal is to have less than two bags of garbage for each event.Often, Garbage Goddess will donate event flowers to textile designers like Cara Piazza, who uses the flowers to make natural dyes in her Brooklyn studio.“One bouquet from a wedding will get you a scarf and a kimono,” Ms. Piazza said. “I will get nine massive garbage bags full of flowers from events that will last me a month.”“Flower repurposing is one of the biggest things happening in the events industry right now,” said Nicki Fleischner, the founder of Plan with Purpose, a website that showcases ethically-minded event vendors. “There are more companies coming out of the woodwork all the time.”“Flower repurposing is one of the biggest things happening in the events industry right now.”Credit...Brittainy Newman/The New York TimesJennifer Grove, an event planner, started...

Feb 27, 2020

Kirsten Gillibrand campaign spent $57,000 on flowers - New York Post

Albany — or anywhere upstate. Gillibrand’s largest single flower expenditure was to New York City’s PlantShed, where she dropped $1,833.17 in January 2012. Her favorite New York florist was Manhattan’s Zeze Flowers — where she spent roughly $16,850 over the years. The flowers were offered as gifts for supporters and fundraiser hosts, according to the campaign, which declined to provide further details. Gillibrand’s Senate fund also shelled out $12,500 for tickets on British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iceland Air. The senator’s husband, venture capitalist Jonathan Gillibrand, is originally from England and his family still lives there. “Her husband’s parents, who are loaded, live in London and they go there to spend the holidays, Kirsten and her family,” one former Gillibrand staffer told The Post. “They always go at least at Christmas and maybe more. I actively recall British Airways. I know that because I dropped her off there. I was in the car when she was dropped off there a couple of times early on.” The senator recorded 12 payments for travel-related expenses to British Airways. International flights charged to the campaign were recorded in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2018. During one such visit in April 2018, Gillibrand also retained the services of a chauffeur — a $219 charge she also billed to her Senate campaign. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, her husband Jonathan and son Theo celebrate during her victory speech in 2010.AP Gillibrand reps said the foreign travel was for overseas fundraisers with the American ex-pat community. In addition to commercial air travel, Gillibrand also has a taste for private planes, spending $462,900 on flights provided by boutique charter service Zen Air. Over the years, there have also been other splurges. In December 2011, the senator dropped $390 on an unknown item from Hermès of Paris. The filing earmarked the purchase as “office expenses.” An additional $435 went to the luxury retailer to buy gifts for supporters. There was also $500 for fine art photography from the Virgin Islands, and a $300 charge to New York’s Playwrights Horizon Theater for “research.” Gillibrand reps said the Broadway charge was to ...

Feb 1, 2020

Valentine's Day flowers don't have to be so bad for the environment after all - San Francisco Chronicle

Jennifer Grove, founder of New York City-based flower service Repeat Roses. While working as a wedding designer and corporate planner, Grove often oversaw the design of intricate floral arrangements, only to see those creations discarded within a few hours. In 2014 she founded Repeat Roses to make it easier for luxury clients to donate used bouquets. Like a traditional floral service, the company sells high-end floral decorations for weddings or social events, but it then recycles or composts them. If a customer chooses the signature repurposing service, a Repeat Roses team can remove the arrangements from the event and then restyle the flowers into petite bouquets to donate to hospitals, nursing homes, and family shelters. If there's a charity that holds a special place in a customer's heart, the team will ensure the blooms are sent there. Examples include the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge at the Jerome L. Greene Family Center and the Bowery Mission Women's Center in Manhattan. "It's a logistics business, and we're trying to make sure we are strategic in where we play matchmaker," Grove says. When the charities are finished with the flowers, Repeat Roses also picks them back up and composts them. The altruism isn't free-prices start at $1,750 for the removal and repurposing service to account for the transportation and labor costs. If you're not willing to spend that much, the company will still compost the flowers from your event instead of sending them to a landfill. Through these two methods, Repeat Roses estimates it has diverted more than 98 tons of waste from landfills and delivered almost 53,000 floral arrangements to people in need.Although Repeat Roses is a for-profit business, the flower repurposing itself is a tax write-off for the client. As the fair market value of a client's donat...

Feb 1, 2020

Roses are red, violets blue. Turns out Valentine’s flowers can be recycled, too - Los Angeles Times

Jennifer Grove, founder of New York City-based flower service Repeat Roses.While working as a wedding designer and corporate planner, Grove often oversaw the design of intricate floral arrangements, only to see those creations discarded within a few hours. In 2014 she founded Repeat Roses to make it easier for luxury clients to donate used bouquets. Like a traditional floral service, the company sells high-end floral decorations for weddings or social events, but it then recycles or composts them. Advertisement If a customer chooses the signature repurposing service, a Repeat Roses team can remove the arrangements from the event and then restyle the flowers into petite bouquets to donate to hospitals, nursing homes and family shelters. If there’s a charity that holds a special place in a customer’s heart, the team will ensure the blooms are sent there. Examples include the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge at the Jerome L. Greene Family Center and the Bowery Mission Women’s Center in Manhattan. “It’s a logistics business, and we’re trying to make sure we are strategic in where we play matchmaker,” Grove says. When the charities are finished with the flowers, Repeat Roses also picks them back up and composts them. The altruism isn’t free — prices start at $1,750 for the removal and repurposing service to account for the transportation and labor costs. If you’re not willing to spend that much, the company will still compost the flowers from your event instead of sending them to a landfill.Through these two methods, Repeat Roses estimates it has diverted more than 98 tons of waste from landfills and delivered almost 53,000 floral arrangements to people in need. Adv...