Who would have guessed that cut flowers were fraught with so many environmental concerns?? From the pesticides used to grow them, to the fungicides used to keep them from rotting, to the fact that they're often shipped thousands of kilometres across the planet to get to you, they are so many factors in why asking a few simple questions of your florist before buying your bouquet make sense. Are the flowers  organic or certified*? What is the certification? Do you use locally grown products where possible? Are your vases made of recycled glass? In Vancouver, Amoda Flowers specializes in eco-friendly, sustainable, organic bouquets, and more (one of their lovely bouquets is pictured above). They also factor in the following to ensure that as many aspects of their business are as natural as possible.

• Cellophane used for wrapping and packaging is compostable and non-GMO
• Tissue paper is made from recycled paper
• Ribbon is biodegradable, and coloured with soy inks
• All printing is done on recycled or tree-free paper

So when you visit or call your florist, ask about eco-friendly flowers. More and more florists are offering them. The selection might be small, but the more people who ask, the bigger the selection will become! Available at: www.amodaflowers.com * If you want to know more about eco-certification for cut flowers, check out this post from Amy Stewart's blog, Dirt By Amy Stewart. Amy is the author of Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers and really knows all there is to know about not only the environmental concerns behind the cut-flower industry, but also the gardening industry in general. Plus, her blog is just plan fun and informative! For more on Amy, check out www.amystewart.com.

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The third winner of a Go Green Works Starter Kit, including the following products, is Rebecca Vogan of Toronto! (To see the original post announcing the contest, click here.)

• Green Works Dishwashing Liquid, Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner, Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner, Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner, Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner

You still have a chance to win the fourth and final kit. All you have to do is be a subscriber to my blog. If you're not a subscriber already, sign up to have the Natural Chic blog delivered directly to your e-mail inbox for a chance to win. To do so, just click this icon: I`ll pick one more winner next week. Good luck! Do you have a product you'd like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!