The beauty of being kind is quite possibly the most extraordinary act, that we can all attain. It costs nothing but thoughtfulness, whether it's a smile, a kind word or a way of being. My kindness is not by choice but by nature, it's my lifestyle and I simply do not know any other way to be. The above image is a piece of natural art I created from evergreens grown by myself during the times I'm not able to grow vegetables. Growing evergreens keep the soil healthy as well as reducing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and adding oxygen to it by way of plant photosynthesis. Utilising the limited spaces I have to their full potential is one of my little ways of being kind to our home planet, and at the same time create something to raise awareness of environmental issues. I may not be a hardcore environmental activists who stands on the streets of London with a megaphone shouting about sustainability, but my style of raising awareness is through my actions. As well as living a sustainable lifestyle on a personal level, I create works of arts in public places and have also done environmental exhibitions in my own floral studios to start the important conversations about planet Earth and the ways we can conserve energies to help our home planet to survive for the future generations. Sometimes I share the importance of having a healthy planet on my social media, and how that's being achieved throughout the world. One of my favourites that I shared is an inititive from Mexico.
This is an imagery that I created for my first couture collection mood board, with a mix of art forms to highlight that I'm not perfect in any way, shape or form. No matter how hard I try to be 100% environmentally friendly, I don't live in a world that fully support those ideals yet. From the infrastructure to the attitudes towards the idea of being kind to our planet, there are many gaps and we are a long way away from being where we need to be.
I can only speak for myself and I can put my hand on my heart and say that my passion is my lifestyle and it's something that I live on a daily basis. I'm always 100% transparent, whether that goes agaist me or works in my favour. It's my responsibility to create the life I want to live and be committed to it, but it's not my responsibility to respond to other people's perception of me. Frankly speaking, the opinion others have of me, is non of my business. You can see more from behind the scenes of my life on the Nature page of this website.
My lifestyle of being environmentally friendly has many gaps in it. But I try my best to find creative solutions to bridge those gaps. As a florist, I faced many challenges in the industry who work with natural materials but didn't really have enough environmentally friendly solutions for the creative process. Majority of the materials were man made and toxic for the environment. The irony of that contrast was shocking for me. Twenty years ago, I started creating my own solutions with chicken wires, natural sponges, and recyclable containers amongst many other environmentally friendly solutions. In the beginning, everyone looked at me as if I'd lost my mind for going against the established methods of floristry. I was determined to create in a way that produced as little waste and consumed as little energy as possible. From growing most of the flowers I created with, to collecting rain water for the process, I did it my way, and that was about reducing my own emissions as well as creating finished products that have a reduced carbon footprint.
I can only speak for myself and I can put my hand on my heart and say that my passion is my lifestyle and it's something that I live on a daily basis. I'm always 100% transparent, whether that goes agaist me or works in my favour. It's my responsibility to create the life I want to live and be committed to it, but it's not my responsibility to respond to other people's perception of me. Frankly speaking, the opinion others have of me, is non of my business. You can see more from behind the scenes of my life on the Nature page of this website.
My lifestyle of being environmentally friendly has many gaps in it. But I try my best to find creative solutions to bridge those gaps. As a florist, I faced many challenges in the industry who work with natural materials but didn't really have enough environmentally friendly solutions for the creative process. Majority of the materials were man made and toxic for the environment. The irony of that contrast was shocking for me. Twenty years ago, I started creating my own solutions with chicken wires, natural sponges, and recyclable containers amongst many other environmentally friendly solutions. In the beginning, everyone looked at me as if I'd lost my mind for going against the established methods of floristry. I was determined to create in a way that produced as little waste and consumed as little energy as possible. From growing most of the flowers I created with, to collecting rain water for the process, I did it my way, and that was about reducing my own emissions as well as creating finished products that have a reduced carbon footprint.
Why do I measure my personal and my brand's carbon footprint?
It’s important to reduce business emissions, not only for the UK to achieve net zero, but also to build a community that support eco-conscious consumerism. It's a personal choice for my brand, that's a natural extension of my lifestyle.
What is carbon footprint?
Carbon footprint measures the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual, organisation or community. Carbon dioxide isn’t the only emission that needs to be looked at, but for simplicity, the toxic emissions are usually converted to CO2 or equivalent, to produce a measure for carbon footprint, as per the Kyoto Protocol (an international agreement to limit and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the EU).
GHG emissions are divided into 3 different scopes depending on how ‘direct’ they are.
Scope 1 Emissions are direct emissions from me and my brand. This includes emissions from combustion of fuels from vehicles, as well as emissions from daily living and the operational areas of my brand.
Scope 2 Emissions are indirect emissions from the consumption of purchased energy from utility providers that I do not own. This includes electricity, heating and water.
Scope 3 Emissions are all indirect emissions not included in scope 2. This includes anything that is linked to my brand's operations that are not controlled or owned by me, such as my entire supply chain, business travel, waste generated, purchased raw materials and goods, office technology, assets, investments, as well as consumer usage of my products and services. Basically, everything that isn’t included in scope one and two.
To undertake a full emissions inventory, I needed to act on all three scopes to be able to reduce my carbon emissions. Scope 3 was the trickiest to tackle, so I had to find innovative solutions, customised to my brand with the selection of products and services that I offered to minimise the carbon factors. More information on conversions are available on the UK Government Greenhouse gas conversion factors document. It's a great place to get anyone started.
The basic formula for general purpose is...
Total energy consumption (fuel, electricity) x Emission Factors (fuel, electricity) = carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
There are many free online resources where anyone can input their data and work out their personal carbon footprint or purchase a package that deliver customised solutions to measure every type of carbon footprint, including commercial measures for brands. They are not cheap but it's a one time purchase, and measured against the fact that sustainability is a commitment for a life time, the investment is a no brainer.
GHG emissions are divided into 3 different scopes depending on how ‘direct’ they are.
Scope 1 Emissions are direct emissions from me and my brand. This includes emissions from combustion of fuels from vehicles, as well as emissions from daily living and the operational areas of my brand.
Scope 2 Emissions are indirect emissions from the consumption of purchased energy from utility providers that I do not own. This includes electricity, heating and water.
Scope 3 Emissions are all indirect emissions not included in scope 2. This includes anything that is linked to my brand's operations that are not controlled or owned by me, such as my entire supply chain, business travel, waste generated, purchased raw materials and goods, office technology, assets, investments, as well as consumer usage of my products and services. Basically, everything that isn’t included in scope one and two.
To undertake a full emissions inventory, I needed to act on all three scopes to be able to reduce my carbon emissions. Scope 3 was the trickiest to tackle, so I had to find innovative solutions, customised to my brand with the selection of products and services that I offered to minimise the carbon factors. More information on conversions are available on the UK Government Greenhouse gas conversion factors document. It's a great place to get anyone started.
The basic formula for general purpose is...
Total energy consumption (fuel, electricity) x Emission Factors (fuel, electricity) = carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
There are many free online resources where anyone can input their data and work out their personal carbon footprint or purchase a package that deliver customised solutions to measure every type of carbon footprint, including commercial measures for brands. They are not cheap but it's a one time purchase, and measured against the fact that sustainability is a commitment for a life time, the investment is a no brainer.
Research
I started by creating two emissions inventory, a personal one and one for my brand, listing them by most energy consuming (transport, manufacturing, my own travels) to least energy consuming (computers, lights, water, food waste). By collecting these energy and carbon emissions data, I was able to identify the areas where I need to reduce my own emissions as well as de-carbonising my supply chain.
Benchmark
The next step for me was to create benchmarks that will underpin my carbon footprint targets and objectives. I filtered which of the developing issues were of immediate priority to me and my brand, that allowed me to create a report which meant something tangible that I could actually measure and track.
Analysis
I then started to analyse the emissions data I collected from my brand inventory, together with my being kind to Planet Earth inventory. Using my studio, lab and home energy audits and feasibility studies, I identified areas that I needed to monitor and improve on a continual basis.
Criteria
I developed a set of criteria for my reduction of carbon footprint strategies that can be assessed with, they include specifics, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (SMART) targets. Once I put this in place, I finished the process of having complete strategies, that were ready to implement.
Implementation
Bringing alive all my research and development, goals and ambitions from the screen into reality was always going to be a tough process, but my lifestyle meant that I was already more than half way there. I implemented actions from my life's learnings together with inputs from relevant industry specialists to begin reducing my carbon emissions and increasing my energy efficiency with the help of my customised carbon footprint formulas.
Evolvement
It's important for me to continually research into new ways of evolving and developing my strategies further and by creating products that are born from an eco lifestyle helps me to engage and spread awareness of the environmental causes to the followers of my brand. With a mutual understanding of the benefits, and motivating ethical and environmentally friendly behaviour change at all levels will contribute to an overall greener future. I often post social media stories of my home grown fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as sceneries from nature that inspires me to carry on contributing whatever way I can to help preserve Planet Earth.
Monitor
I designed a framework that helps me to monitor my actions and evolvements against the criterias. This helps me to review my progress throughout the year and highlight any key areas that I need to analyse deeper, as an immediate course of action to be able to reduce my carbon footprint further.
Reviews
At the end of every year, I calculate and review my total carbon emissions against how much I have managed to offset. This helps me to guage exactly how much further I need to reduce the gap between the two elements. I have my annual brand evenings, when I invite the JC brand followers on my list to get together for a catch up and discuss environmental strategies. This is also where I publish my progress and reports from the previous year. I feel priviledged when people take the time to attend and engage in conversations around the importance of sustainability. It makes me smile, because it highlights how important it is to have environmental strategies for everyone, to be able to achieve a cleaner future.
Improvements
I strive to make continual improvements to my strategies to stay on course towards my long-term goals of a healthy home planet for future generations.
I started by creating two emissions inventory, a personal one and one for my brand, listing them by most energy consuming (transport, manufacturing, my own travels) to least energy consuming (computers, lights, water, food waste). By collecting these energy and carbon emissions data, I was able to identify the areas where I need to reduce my own emissions as well as de-carbonising my supply chain.
Benchmark
The next step for me was to create benchmarks that will underpin my carbon footprint targets and objectives. I filtered which of the developing issues were of immediate priority to me and my brand, that allowed me to create a report which meant something tangible that I could actually measure and track.
Analysis
I then started to analyse the emissions data I collected from my brand inventory, together with my being kind to Planet Earth inventory. Using my studio, lab and home energy audits and feasibility studies, I identified areas that I needed to monitor and improve on a continual basis.
Criteria
I developed a set of criteria for my reduction of carbon footprint strategies that can be assessed with, they include specifics, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (SMART) targets. Once I put this in place, I finished the process of having complete strategies, that were ready to implement.
Implementation
Bringing alive all my research and development, goals and ambitions from the screen into reality was always going to be a tough process, but my lifestyle meant that I was already more than half way there. I implemented actions from my life's learnings together with inputs from relevant industry specialists to begin reducing my carbon emissions and increasing my energy efficiency with the help of my customised carbon footprint formulas.
Evolvement
It's important for me to continually research into new ways of evolving and developing my strategies further and by creating products that are born from an eco lifestyle helps me to engage and spread awareness of the environmental causes to the followers of my brand. With a mutual understanding of the benefits, and motivating ethical and environmentally friendly behaviour change at all levels will contribute to an overall greener future. I often post social media stories of my home grown fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as sceneries from nature that inspires me to carry on contributing whatever way I can to help preserve Planet Earth.
Monitor
I designed a framework that helps me to monitor my actions and evolvements against the criterias. This helps me to review my progress throughout the year and highlight any key areas that I need to analyse deeper, as an immediate course of action to be able to reduce my carbon footprint further.
Reviews
At the end of every year, I calculate and review my total carbon emissions against how much I have managed to offset. This helps me to guage exactly how much further I need to reduce the gap between the two elements. I have my annual brand evenings, when I invite the JC brand followers on my list to get together for a catch up and discuss environmental strategies. This is also where I publish my progress and reports from the previous year. I feel priviledged when people take the time to attend and engage in conversations around the importance of sustainability. It makes me smile, because it highlights how important it is to have environmental strategies for everyone, to be able to achieve a cleaner future.
Improvements
I strive to make continual improvements to my strategies to stay on course towards my long-term goals of a healthy home planet for future generations.
Calculations used for scope 1 (direct) energy emissions:
CO2 = (Total Amount * (CO2 Emission Factor * Heating Value) * Density)
CH4 = ((Total Amount * (CH4 Emission Factor * Heating Value) * Density) * GWP CH4 Conversion)
N2O = ((Total Amount * (N2O Emission Factor * Heating Value) * Density) * GWP N2O Conversion)
Calculations used for scope 1 (direct) travel emissions for vehicles that are owned by the company:
CO2 = ((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * Emission Factor)
CH4 = (((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * CH4 Emission Factor) * GWP
CH4 Conversion)N2O = (((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * N2O Emission Factor) * GWP N2O Conversion)
Calculations used for scope 2 (indirect) energy emissions:
CO2 = ((Total Amount Used Based on Occupancy * Emission Factor))
CH4 = ((Total Amount Used Based on Occupancy * CH4 Emission Factor) * GWP CH4 Conversion)
N2O = ((Total Amount Used Based on Occupancy * N2O Emission Factor) * GWP N2O Conversion)
Calculations used for scope 3 (indirect) travel emissions:
Travel Carbon Footprint = (Emission Factor * Distance Traveled)
Calculations used for scope 3 (indirect) travel emissions for vehicles that are not owned by the company:
Travel Carbon Footprint = ((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * Emission Factor * Heating Value * Density)
Calculations used for other emissions:
Other Emissions = Total Quantity * 0.001102 * GWP Emission Factor
CO2 = (Total Amount * (CO2 Emission Factor * Heating Value) * Density)
CH4 = ((Total Amount * (CH4 Emission Factor * Heating Value) * Density) * GWP CH4 Conversion)
N2O = ((Total Amount * (N2O Emission Factor * Heating Value) * Density) * GWP N2O Conversion)
Calculations used for scope 1 (direct) travel emissions for vehicles that are owned by the company:
CO2 = ((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * Emission Factor)
CH4 = (((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * CH4 Emission Factor) * GWP
CH4 Conversion)N2O = (((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * N2O Emission Factor) * GWP N2O Conversion)
Calculations used for scope 2 (indirect) energy emissions:
CO2 = ((Total Amount Used Based on Occupancy * Emission Factor))
CH4 = ((Total Amount Used Based on Occupancy * CH4 Emission Factor) * GWP CH4 Conversion)
N2O = ((Total Amount Used Based on Occupancy * N2O Emission Factor) * GWP N2O Conversion)
Calculations used for scope 3 (indirect) travel emissions:
Travel Carbon Footprint = (Emission Factor * Distance Traveled)
Calculations used for scope 3 (indirect) travel emissions for vehicles that are not owned by the company:
Travel Carbon Footprint = ((Distance Traveled + Fuel Usage) * Emission Factor * Heating Value * Density)
Calculations used for other emissions:
Other Emissions = Total Quantity * 0.001102 * GWP Emission Factor
A giant foot to serve as a reminder to myself that the journey ahead is gigantic but let's just take one step at a time.
My strategies for keeping my carbon footprint to a minimum is a way of lifestyle for me. I'm always looking to innovate new and improved ways to reduce as much of my own carbon emissions as I possibly can. My ultimate goal is to become net-zero both on personal and brand levels, and then work towards becoming carbon positive. The above image is a piece of natural art I created with home grown evergreens.
Most of my brand tailoring is created with textiles weaved with pure and a blend of natural fibres, from cotton, silk, jute, wool, linen, tweed, cotton sateen and cashmere. Less than 3% of the fabrics I tailor with are blends of silks and cottons with recycled synthetic fibers. The latest addition to my 'Being Kind to Planet Earth' scheme are textiles manufactured from certified recycled ocean plastics. It's an exciting addition, as I get to tailor beautiful garments and help contribute towards reducing the plastic waste in our oceans at the same time. The velvets that I tailor for my JC Bespoke range are silk velvets. For all other ranges I work with cotton velvets. All prints for printed fabrics, including bespoke linings are designed in-house by myself and then professionally printed digitally in London with certified Eco-Friendly inks. You can read more about natural fibers here.
All my packaging is made from recycled and environmentally friendly materials. I try and stay away from single use plastics, however, sometimes this becomes extremely difficult, so I try and improvise with an alternative solution that is more environmentally friendly. Any plastic I use for my packaging, including the cellophane and celotape is certified biodegradable. This contributes towards a reduction of 7%. From the very beginning, even with my flowers, I made sure there were no plastic containers or single use plastics. All my metal containers were designed by me and made from recycled metal, and I also utilised glass and wood in a big way.
I also carried through my concepts and ideas of being environmentally friendly, into JC Flower School in London. Every aspect of my courses were completely different to the rest of the industry. I passed on my own learnings and all the resources I had built up, in how to be a florist whilst being kind to planet Earth. From the design methods to the containers, packaging and even down to every display material I utilised for all my courses were designed in an eco-concious way with 100% eco-materials.
I try and schedule my meetings and appointments together in the same days to reduce my travelling and carbon output from fuel emmissions. Often I walk between places to attend meetings and drive with deliveries that I can't carry. This sometimes causes me to be running late for some appointments in traffic, but it's an unfortunate trade off for wanting to reduce my own carbon emissions and becoming more environmentally friendly. I do let people know whenever I'm running a little late and yes most people are understanding. I always say that no one has to work with me, but when someone decides to work with me, they have to understand and respect a lifestyle that supports to protect and preserve our fragile environment for future generations, and in that process there are many challenges and road blocks that society places along the way. Life is not perfect and there's always a trade off we have to compromise with if we are serious about being kind to our planet. Until we have viable technologies for waste free human travel using renewable energies, we have to do the best we can, utilise what we have and be commited to reducing our own carbon footprints whilst being productive at the same time with some compromises for other factors that do no harm to anyone. I remain open minded about discussions for future solutions. This strategy reduces my carbon footprint by a massive 11%.
I'm 82% self sufficient for a limited period of the year when it comes to my food supplies, from the produce I grow. This reduces my carbon emissions output by 15% compared to if I was shopping for 100% of my food for 12 months a year. This is a direct result of less shopping trips and purchasing less amount of food that already have a massive carbon footprint attached to them through manufacturing processes along with the energies required for the supply chain transportations, storage, staffing, and of course added to that is the positive effects of photosynthesis from what I grow.
I use rain water for all my flowers, fruits and vegetables that I grow for personal and professional usage. However, I don't live near any natural clean water sources, so I have to use the water that comes out of the tap for general household chores as well as for my showers. So in balance of how much volume of tap water I use to the volume of rain water I collect to use, I am able to offset my carbon footprint in that category by 8%.
I donate to charities and organisations that specialise in offsetting and reducing carbon footprints as an additional way to offset most of my own carbon footprint that I cannot yet find solutions for.
The environmentally friendly textiles in my ranges amount to 97.2% of my total fabric usage. My supply chain is carefully selected with manufacturers and suppliers having a mixture of OEKO-TEX, GOTS, Organic and Fairtrade certifications. Added to that the carbon emissions output for receiving those fabrics by transportations that may not be too eco concious at all times but are out of my control. Plus many of the tailoring equipments that come wrapped in all the extra packaging that is not needed has a negative effect on my tailoring carbon footprint. When it comes to this category, majority of it belongs to Scope 3 of Kyoto Protocol for GHG. I'm able to offset 34.8% of my carbon footprint in this particular category by spending a lot of time establishing a suitable supply chain. I'm always researching for cleaner manufactures of raw materials and equipments so I can be as clean as I possibly can with full traceability. I not only design my own prints, I occassionally purchase fabrics from eco friendly textile designers to contribute towards a healthier creative community.
Currently, my overall enerygy consumptions amounts to 4% of my total carbon footprint. In 2009, I showcased an exhibition of light and energy conservation, at my flower studio in London. I created many designs to highlight the need to save energies and utilise as much of renewable sources as we can. The above image is my orchids in a shell, where I put the tiniest solar powered lights to highligt a creative way of using renewable energies. You can view the full article with my other designs from the London exhibition here.
And in 2011, I created more environmental awareness displays in Paris with lights, glass, Icelandic black sand and natural dyes amongst other natural elements. You can view the article and imageries from Paris here.
My travels for inspirations, work and life experiences have an average of 15% of my total carbon footprint output. On average, I am able to offset 8% of this particular category by planting trees and supporting local environmental charities at my travel destinations. This is a big area that I'm concentrating on to find more solutions to be able to offset all of my carbon footprint in this category. Sustainable aviation fuel is slowly becoming a real thing and that will eventually go a long way towards contributing to a cleaner airways.
I plant evergreens on my vegetable patches during the times I'm not growing vegetables on them. By doing this, I help to reduce carbon dioxide and add more oxygen to the environment than if I left the patches empty. Then by utilising the fully grown evergreens in my work to create botanical art pieces, and not buying them from the flower markets that come with high carbon footprints, I'm able to offset my own carbon emissons by a further 5%. If only I had some more land...
I"ve been researching since 2014, on how to incorporate recycled ocean plastics into my work flow. I've been so inspired by this movement, and now that I'm finally able to tailor with a new type of fabric to me, and contribute in my little way towards cleaning up our oceans. I actively encourage everyone to purchase items from brands that make products from recycled ocean plastics, because if we all contribute a small amount towards this cause then we are sure to succeed in our efforts to achive our oceans being free of plastic pollution. Currently I do not have any figues to analyse on this category till I complete a full year working on this project, but I'm hopeful for it to be succesful and I'd be able to offset a percentage of my carbon footprint as an added bonus.
I recycle all my packaging on a personal and professional level. I remain concious to not purchase products that don't have recyclable packaging. In 2021, I switched back to having my milk and fruit juices delivered in glass bottles from the local farm shop, who also deliver with vehicles that run on renewable energies. Although recycling and resuing contribute to offsetting my carbon footprint by only 1.2%, it's a step in the right direction. I also recycle any off cuts of fabrics to make pocket squares and small items to give away as gifts, reducing my fabric wastage.
I keep a very close eye on the level of my food wastage. Luckily for me I love cooking and from my experiences of spending a lot of time in commercial kitchens, I'm well practiced when it comes to fresh food rotation. Whenever I have left over portions of raw ingredients at home, I try and make a meal from them to avoid any wastage at all. I must admit, sometimes my dinner plate looks like a confused chef's menu but it always tastes delicious. The carbon emissions I offset by reducing my food wastage is a tiny amount, but I'm working on a new project that will increase the amount of carbon footprint I'll be able to offset in this particular category.