The carbon footprint of giving one red rose on Valentine's Day
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"Zero grams CO2e if grown in your garden, no inorganic fertilizer used
350 grams CO2e if grown in Colombia and flown by air
2,500 grams (5.5 lbs) CO2e if grown in a heated greenhouse in the Netherlands and then flown
The numbers here sum up the Hobson's choice if you want out-of-season cut flowers. You either have to put them on a plane or grow them using artificial heat. Both of these are bad news for climate change."
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"There's another concern, too. All commercial cut flowers are using land which could otherwise be used for growing food. The demand for agricultural land is already driving deforestation, which in turn is responsible for around 18% of man-made emissions. Looked at in those terms, cut flowers have to mean less rainforest, so the true footprint is probably even bigger than my numbers suggest."
From How Bad Are Bananas?
For comparison, a dozen red roses are CO2-equivalent to driving a Mercedes Benz SUV 12 miles at 90mph. Lots of alternatives - my sweeties are getting a donation in their name to Save the Elephants.
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Please don't succumb to the brainwashing. Write her a poem (or plagarize one, if necessary). If you're serious, that is. 