the sustainable flowers workshop / project

An annual creative + educational workshop that celebrates sustainable floristry and a love of flowers.

This unique workshop is the first of its kind to be a hands-on, comprehensive, look at sustainable floristry that explores all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic.

CREATED IN 2019 by BECKY FEASBY

Presented in 2019, 2020 + 2021 by Becky Feasby

Presented in 2022 and 2023 by Becky Feasby and TJ McGrath

This workshop - aimed at addressing the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) - was created by Becky Feasby in 2019 and was hosted in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for three years. In 2022 and 2023, Becky partnered with TJ McGrath to bring the workshop to the US. Originally titled “The Sustainable Flowers Workshop”, we changed the name to “The Sustainable Flowers Project”, which we felt represented the two of us coming together.

Each year, I have put together a lineup of noted instructors, speakers + mentors that can help florists, flower farmers, flower growers + flower lovers achieve business and creative practices rooted in environmental, social + economic sustainability. More than that though, this workshop provides a warm and meaningful place for people to come together and celebrate all that is possible with sustainable floristry.

Designed to cultivate conscious creativity; examine environmentally and socially aware practices; explore new techniques and design principles; and foster relationships between growers, designers + flower sellers, The Sustainable Flowers Project is the perfect place for flower lovers to come together and celebrate our craft.

2023 recap

jardin de buis, new jersey, september 24 - 26, 2023

instructors

Ariella Chezar, Ariella Chezar Design, Massachusetts, @ariellachezardesign, www.ariellaflowers.com

Whether it is collaborating on a spectacular event, teaching a room full of flower lovers, planting thousands of tulips or styling a photo shoot - Ariella Chezar considers herself lucky to love every aspect of her color filled world. Her astute choices in color allow each arrangement to look thoughtfully composed, yet exhilaratingly wild. Ariella’s deep appreciation for nature informs her enviable arrangements, which keep color, texture, focal points, and seasonal flower varieties at the forefront. Ariella’s work is divided between weddings and events, farming and teaching - all of which bring her tremendous joy.

Shane Connolly, Shane Connolly & Co., UK, @shaneconnollyandco, www.shaneconnolly.co.uk

Shane creates artisan, bespoke, and sustainable floral arrangements. His exquisite events go beyond flowers. Nature both inspires his work and guides how he does it. His environmental conscience is strong and he has a deep conviction that, as a business, they should work in harmony with the planet and strive to be increasingly thoughtful and sustainable wherever possible. Recently, Shane was honoured to create the flowers that adorned Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King Charles III, which included all British grown flowers and foliages and natural, sustainable mechanics.

Lucy Hunter, Lucy Hunter, UK, @lucytheflowerhunter, www.lucyhunter.co.uk

Lucy would describe herself as a visual storyteller who is passionate about creating floral and garden art and capturing that sense of theatre with her camera around the world for events, editorials, education and private clients. With a degree in fine art from Liverpool university, a lifetime designing gardens, and a talented self-taught photographer - her work is constantly looking at ways in which we can soften and meld the boundaries between the inside and out. Lucy is a generous and supportive educator, who makes her students feel at home.

TJ McGrath, TJ McGrath Design, New Jersey, @t.j._mcgrath_design, www.tjmcgrathdesign.com

TJ runs s a floral design studio focused on sustainable floristry techniques that showcase the best of the garden state's blooms for private clients, corporate events, and bespoke weddings. Throughout the year, TJ works hard to minimize his impact on our environment by sourcing from small, local flower farms and using design tools that are reusable or compostable. TJ is committed to fostering a community that is inclusive as well as environmentally and socially aware and he believes that a sustainable floristry industry is achievable, and that it starts with conversations.

Kesiena Onosigho, Kept Studio, Brooklyn, NY, @kesiena, www.kesiena.com

Kesiena is a mixed-media textile artist & natural dyer based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Through the study of materials and patterns, Kesiena intuitively explores textiles and a range of media to create atmospheric abstractions focused on intersectionality - as coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw - engaging in themes of social & environmental justice. Kesiena’s studio practice includes traditional craft techniques like knitting, natural dyeing, botanical ink-making and patch-working with recycled materials.  Through Kept Studio, Kesiena approaches floral preservation in a holistic and sustainable way by re-imagining the lifecycle of NYC’s notoriously wasteful floral event industry through creative and regenerative processes. Cultivating connection through hosting natural dye explorations in Brooklyn, Kesiena participates in community engagement where fellow creatives explore how overlooked items, like foraged food scraps, create beauty and inspire in environmentally meaningful ways.

Becky Feasby, prairie girl flowers, Calgary, Alberta, @prairiegirlflowers, www.prairiegirlflowers.com

Becky is an outspoken advocate for sustainable floristry and system-wide changes to the floral industry. An academic at heart, Becky’s passion lies in focusing on the science of sustainability and the importance of considering environmental, social, and economic aspects of what sustainability entails. Becky is also a well-trained florist who creates seasonally-relevant florals for weddings and events during the growing season in Calgary, Alberta. When she is not busy with prairie girl flowers, Becky is busy working on her Master’s thesis in Sustainability at Harvard University, where she is focusing on the environmental and social life cycle assessment of roses grown in North and South America. Becky is the Canadian Representative for Slow Flowers.

2023 scholarship opportunity

We were pleased to offer seven BIPOC scholarships to the Sustainable Flowers Project this year.

Many thanks to the generous support from: Mayesh Wholesale, Syndicate Sales, Lewis Miller Designs, The American Floral Endowment, Rosaprima, DV Flora, and an anonymous donor for supporting this important and necessary initiative aimed at creating accessible, hands-on educational opportunities for BIPOC folks in the floral community.

Photos: Lucy Hunter

2022 recap

Moving the workshop to the US took some real work! Thankfully, I was able to collaborate with TJ McGrath. Joining forces with our friends at Jardin de Buis in New Jersey made for the perfect partnership. 2022 was all about bringing people back together. With the pandemic feeling like it was in our rearview mirror, we came together to assemble a fabulous workshop that allowed for florists and farmer florists to work together to create gorgeous small-scale and large-scale floral installations. Working hard to shine a spotlight on the social issues in the floral industry, we were thrilled to welcome Amber Tamm and create an opportunity for students to learn about some of the environmental and social justice issues that are part of our profession.

Thanks to our instructors:

Ingrid Carozzi of Tin Can Studios (@tincanstudios)

Becky Feasby of prairie girl flowers (@prairiegirlflowers)

Andrea Fillippone of F2 Environmental Design (@jardin_de_buis)

Eric Fleisher of F2 Environmental Design (@e.t.fleisher)

Lucy Hunter of Lucy the Flower Hunter (@lucytheflowerhunter)

TJ McGrath of TJ McGrath Designs (@t.j._mcgrath_design)

Amber Tamm (@ambertamm_)

Photos: Lucy Hunter

2021 recap

The focus of our 2021 workshop was FUN! Because we all needed a little bit of fun… Our headline instructor was TJ McGrath. TJ is committed to sustainable, foam-free mechanics and he led us through some incredible zero-waste mechanics for large-scale installations. Joined by my sweet friend Tobey Nelson, participants were also offered a chance to learn sustainable mechanics to create gorgeous hand-held bouquets. Syma Habib and Carolynne Crawley led us through discussions that focused on social justice and Indigenous ways of knowing - aimed at understanding Indigenous perspectives of environmentalism and the unintended consequences of our work with flowers.

Thanks to our instructors:

Carolynne Crawley of Msitnokmaq (www.msitnokmaq.com/our-story)

Becky Feasby of prairie girl flowers (@prairiegirlflowers)

Syma Habib (www.albertaecotrust.com/gathering/2020/09/11/syma-habib-facilitator/)

TJ McGrath of TJ McGrath Designs (@tjmcgrathdesign)

Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events (@tobeynelsonevents)

Photos: Kiah Kane

2020 recap

Not dampened by the increased demands and protocols required during the pandemic, we had a fabulous workshop in 2020. We were joined by florists, flower farmers, and farmer-florists from B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. Together we learned about garden-inspired compote design, ethical foraging, sustainable pricing, and the farmer-florist/Slow Flowers movements in North America. We were happy to welcome Christin Geall as our design instructor, as well as Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed of ALCLA Native Plants. And my dear friends Tobey Nelson and Debra Prinzing joined us virtually!

Thanks to our instructors:

Becky Feasby of prairie girl flowers (@prairiegirlflowers)

Christin Geall of Cultivated by Christin (@cultivatedbychristin)

Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events (@tobeynelsonevents) (virtual presentation)

Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed of ALCLA Native Plants (@alclanativeplants)

Debra Prinzing of Slow Flowers (@myslowflowers) (virtual presentation)

Photos: Christin Geall

Featuring some of our amazing students: From L to R - Lisa @feeding.our.roots; Kristin @primrose.lane.farm, Nikki @ladys.hat.farm; + Rhonda @the_cheesiry

2019 recap

Bringing together florists, flower farmers, and farmer-florists from across Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Montana, Idaho + Illinois - the inaugural 2019 workshop provided a supportive and encouraging environment within which to learn innovative techniques for creating floral displays that celebrate the ultimate beauty of nature, while also minimizing waste. Together, we explored the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability - a way of examining sustainability in the floral industry that is vastly different from mainstream floral workshops. Lectures on soil science for flower farmers, the basics of running a successful and profitable flower farm, and the principles of plastic waste, production and recycling were coupled with design sessions focused on large-scale (foam-free) installations.

Thanks to our instructors:

Becky Feasby of prairie girl flowers (@prairiegirlflowers)

Heather Henson of Boreal Blooms (@borealblooms)

Briana Laughlin of Plastic Free YYC (@plasticfreeyyc)

Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events (@tobeynelsonevents)

Clara Qualizza of Meadow & Thicket (@meadowandthicket)

Photos: Ian Gregory