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Perceptions of Environmental Health and
Willingness to Compost Fresh Cut Floral Waste
by Retail Flower Shop Owners
Coleman L. Etheredge
1
and Tina M. Waliczek
2
ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. environmental attitudes, environmentalism, floral
design, floriculture, florist
SUMMARY. In the United States there has been a push to convert industries to a more
environmentally sustainable business attitude in recent years. Environmentally
sustainable practices are not only good for the environment, but there is increasing
evidence these practices lead to an increase in customer loyalty. The trend of self-
regulation, willingly imposing more stringent environmental policies than required
by the government, is progressing toward a time where environmentally friendly
practices will be a competitive necessity for businesses to survive. The main purpose
of this research was to investigate the perceptions of environmental health of retail
flower shop owners and their willingness to recycle fresh cut floral waste produced at
retail flower shops for use as compost and to determine if there is a statistical cor-
relation between environmental awareness and willingness to compost fresh cut
flower waste. A mailing list of retail florists from across the United States was
compiled. A total of 1974 florists from all 50 states were sent a standardized e-mail
explaining the purpose of the study. Embedded in the e-mail was a hyperlink that
redirected willing respondents to the survey. Each person on the mailing list was
emailed one time. Of the 300 retail florists who took part in the survey, a majority,
190 (63.33%), were ranked as having ‘‘high concern’’ for environmental health. A
majority of florists 247 (82.33%) ‘‘agreed’’ or ‘‘strongly agreed’’ to collaborate with
Master Gardener programs and other organizations if it meant they could recycle
their floral waste through composting. Through the creation of industry- and state-
sponsored certifications, florists could brand and promote their business as more
environmentally conscious by composting their floral waste. This could possibly, in
turn, stimulate sales and increase profit margins while having the added benefit of
reducing the amount of waste entering landfills.
In recent years, industries have
begun to restructure their busi-
ness model to one that is more
environmentally sustainable (Ouvrard
et al., 2020). Due to rising concerns
about health risks and environmental
degradation related to the overuse of
pesticides, there are increases in ‘‘or-
ganic,’’ ‘‘sustainable,’’ and ‘‘fair trade’’
branded items being sold in the
United States and around the world
(Lernoud and Willer, 2017; Toumi
et al., 2016). These brands are related
to certifications that help to ensure
growing conditions meet or exceed
legal government mandates and in-
dustry norms as they relate to environ-
mental sustainability (Lernoud and
Willer, 2017; Raynold, 2012).
Environmentally healthy prac-
tices are not only good for the envi-
ronment, but there is increasing
evidence that these practices lead to
an increase in customer loyalty (Jayaraman
et al., 2012). Research suggests con-
sumers are willing to pay a premium,
up to 40% more, for products from
horticultural industries that are pro-
duced using environmentally sound
practices (Behe et al., 2013; Laroche
et al., 2016).
Consumers who are typically will-
ing to pay more for environmentally
friendly products are female, married,
and have at least one child living at
home (Laroche et al., 2016). Addi-
tionally, consumers 36 to 50 years of
age are the most likely to be proac-
tively purchasing products from envi-
ronmentally friendly companies (Patel
et al., 2017). Incidentally, research
found that younger consumers are
more concerned about the environ-
ment but may lack the necessary in-
come to purchase sustainable products
at the same rate as middle-aged and
older adults due to the associated
higher costs (Panzone et al., 2016).
Environmentally conscious consumers
spent a total of $128.5 billion on
sustainable goods in 2018 and are
projected to spend $150 billion on
sustainable goods by 2021 (Nielsen,
2018). This realization led businesses
from all over the world to alter their
supply chains to reduce waste (Jayaraman
et al., 2012).
According to the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA),
composting is one of several environ-
mentally friendly ways to offset waste
that would otherwise enter a landfill
and is often easier to implement at
a local level when decision-makers
and the general public see the value
of such a program (Bradley, 2014;
EPA, 2019). The trend of environ-
mental self-regulation, willingly im-
posing more stringent environmental
policies than those required by the
government, is progressing toward
a time where environmentally friendly
practices will be a competitive neces-
sity for businesses to survive (Jayaraman
et al., 2012).
In industrialized nations, as cities
expand due to the migration of peo-
ple from rural to urban areas, the
problem of where to dispose of all
the daily waste humans create, re-
mains an issue. Most waste generated
ends up in a landfill, a discrete area of
excavated land in which garbage is
buried (EPA, 2019). As of 2015, the
most recent year for which data are
available, 262.4 million tons of mu-
nicipal solid waste was generated, of
which 137.7 million tons were disposed
of in landfills; an estimated 10.8 million
tons of this waste is categorized as yard
Units
To convert U.S. to SI,
multiply by U.S. unit SI unit
To convert SI to U.S.,
multiply by
0.4536 lb kg 2.2046
0.9072 ton(s) tonne(s) 1.1023
Received for publication 1 Sept. 2020. Accepted for
publication 12 Oct. 2020.
Published online 9 November 2020.
1
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi
State University, Starkville, MS 39759
2
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Texas State
University, San Marcos, TX 78666
C.L.E. is an Assistant Professor.
T.M.W. is a Professor.
C.L.E. is the corresponding author. E-mail: cle248@
msstate.edu.
This is an open access article distributed under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04724-20
•December 2020 30(6) 751
trimmings, which would include grass,
leaves, and brush (EPA, 2019). Accord-
ing to one study, total landfill capacity
in the United States is forecasted to
decrease by more than 15% over the
next 5 years and by 2021, only 15
years of landfill capacity will remain
(Thompson, 2018).
Estimates of operational landfills
in the United States range from 1700
to 2000 and make up the third largest
source of methane emissions in the
United States, emitting the equiva-
lent of 107.7 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide in the form of methane in
a single year into the atmosphere
(EPA, 2017). Greenhouse gases, such
as carbon dioxide, methane, and ni-
trous oxide, trap some of the earth’s
outgoing heat, causing heat to be
retained in the atmosphere (EPA,
2018). Trapped heat causes a radiative
imbalance, the balance between en-
ergy received from the sun and emit-
ted from the earth, thus altering
climate and weather patterns at
a global and regional level (EPA,
2018).
Offsite or community compost-
ing is one of the suggestions given by
the EPA to offset the amount of waste
entering landfills and waterways
(EPA, 2019). Composting is also an
innovative way to involve waste gen-
erators in their own waste treatment,
raising community environmental
awareness (Arrigoni et al., 2018). An
additional consideration regarding
floral shop waste includes the poten-
tial excessive leaching of pesticides
(Singh et al., 2017) into land and
waterways because floral products
are produced with a host of chemicals.
During a personal interview with
the manager of The University Flo-
rist, a full-service retail flower shop
located on the campus of Mississippi
State University, Mississippi State,
MS, it was found that on average, 60
lb of fresh cut floral waste is disposed
of weekly, an estimated 3120 lb/year,
from this single retail flower shop. It
was also found that most retail florists
in the industry dispose of their floral
waste in municipal dumpsters in plas-
tic garbage bags (T. Bowden, per-
sonal communication). There are an
estimated 13,200 retail flower shop
locations in the United States, com-
prising single- and multiple-location
companies (Dun and Bradstreet,
2019). States with the highest em-
ployment levels of florists include
California, Texas, Florida, Missouri,
and New York (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 2018).
In recent years there has been
a push in the floral industry to be-
come more sustainable and environ-
mentally aware (Thursd, 2020). At
the biennial Trend Summit, Confer-
ence, Symposium, and Workshop in
which professionals within the floral
industry meet to discuss the most
current trend directions in floral de-
sign, the first statement on sustain-
ability was crafted, which states, in
part, a belief in the zero-waste hierar-
chy to rethink, redesign, reduce, and
repurpose (Thursd, 2020). One
method a company can use to differ-
entiate itself from the rest and remain
competitive is through branding.
Branding has been shown to increase
profit margins and help to stimulate
demand in a saturated market (Collart
et al., 2010). In recent years, there
have been a number of brands estab-
lished in the green industry as well as
through state-sponsored programs
(Collart et al., 2010). The main pur-
pose of branding is to increase profits
by raising awareness and increasing
demand among consumers through
promotion (Collart et al., 2010).
Behe et al. (2013) concluded, ‘‘envi-
ronmentally and socially responsible
business differentiation strategies
have become important components
for the green industry’s competitive
landscape,’’ after studying consumer
preferences for local sustainable plant
production characteristics, especially
with the maturation of the industry.
The main purpose of this re-
search was to investigate the percep-
tions of environmental health of retail
flower shop owners and their willing-
ness to recycle fresh cut floral waste
produced at retail flower shops for use
as compost and to determine whether
there is a statistical correlation be-
tween environmental awareness and
willingness to compost fresh cut
flower waste.
Materials and methods
SAMPLE.Institutional review board
exemption approval was granted for
this research (IRB Protocol 19-122;
Mar. 2019). A mailing list of retail
floristswasassembledbyconducting
a web-based search for retail florists in
each of the 50 states. Using a ‘‘florist
finder’’ website, a by-county search
within each state was conducted to
ensure all regions within a state
were represented and not just those
areas around large urban areas. The
online survey was emailed to 1974
retail florists within all 50 states and
Washington, DC, over a 4-month
span (July–Oct. 2019). There are
fluctuating numbers of florists in
each state due to population differ-
ences within regions. Therefore,
the number of florists contacted in
each state also varied. However,
efforts were made to contact as many
florists within each state as possible.
On average, 39 florists were con-
tacted in each state. Florists from
all 50 states were sent a standardized
e-mail explaining the purpose of the
study. Embedded in the e-mail was
a hyperlink that redirected willing
respondents to the survey. Survey re-
sponses were not linked to any identi-
fiable respondent records, so responses
would be anonymous. Each person on
the mailing list was emailed only one
time to avoid multiple responses by any
individual.
PERCEPTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH AND WILLINGNESS TO COMPOST
FLORAL WASTE QUANTITATIVE SURVEY.
The survey instrument consisted of
28 questions in three sections. It was
a modified version of a previously
used instrument used to determine
attitudes of environmental health
(Wojtowicz, 1995). The first section
included 15 five-point Likert-type
(Likert, 1932) questions pertaining
to respondents’ attitudes toward en-
vironmental health and their willing-
ness to separate and collaborate on
composting waste produced at their
flower shop. Answers included ‘‘strongly
disagr e e , ’’ ‘‘ di s ag r ee , ’’ ‘‘ ag r e e so m e-
what,’’ ‘‘agree,’’ and ‘‘strongly agree.’’
Examples of questions included ‘‘My
individual efforts within environmental
protection each day can directly im-
prove our environment,’’ ‘‘More and
tougher laws should be passed to
change individual behavior related
to environmental protection,’’ and
‘‘Environmental problems are the
result of the habits or behavior of
everyone who lives in our society’’
(Wojtowicz, 1995). Overall, re-
spondents’ scores could range from
15 through 75. Higher scores in-
dicated more concern toward envi-
ronmental health and willingness to
make changes to improve environmen-
tal health. The Cronbach’s alpha re-
liability score for the environmental
752 •December 2020 30(6)
health section after modification was
0.80.
The second section consisted of
six questions asking respondents how
they currently dispose of floral waste
and the frequency at which they dis-
pose of it. Examples of questions in-
cluded ‘‘How many trash cans do you
currently use inside your floral shop
to dispose of floral waste?’’ ‘‘Do you
currently recycle or compost your
fresh cut flower waste produced at
your retail flower shop?’’ and ‘‘Do you
use plastic garbage bags in the trash
cans in which you dispose of floral
waste?’’
The final section consisted of
seven demographic questions asking
respondents to provide their age,
education level, annual household in-
come, gender, and ethnicity. These
were based on a reliable instrument
used in a previous similar study (Short
et al., 2017).
DATA ANALYSIS.Data from the
survey were analyzed using descrip-
tive and frequency statistics. Pear-
son’s product-moment correlation
tests were used to determine whether
there were correlations between vari-
ables. Demographic comparisons were
also made between groups using anal-
ysis of variance (ANOVA) tests.
Results and discussion
SURVEY RESPONSE.The survey
was successfully completed by 300
respondents from 49 states and
Washington, DC, within the United
States who identified themselves as
the owner or final decision-maker of
the retail flower shop (15.19% re-
sponse rate, 100% completion rate).
No florists from the state of Nebraska
responded to the survey. Because the
sample included only those who vol-
unteered to take the survey instead of
a randomly sampled population, the
results are not necessarily generaliz-
able beyond this study.
Of the retail florists who
responded, 84 (28.0%) were male
and 216 (72.0%) were female. Re-
spondents tended to be middle aged
or older adults with most respon-
dents, 253 (84.3%), being 40 years
of age or older. Regarding ethnicity,
the majority, 286 (95.3%), of retail
floral shop owners identified as
‘‘white or Caucasian.’’ Respondents
were asked the highest level of edu-
cation they had achieved, 37 (12.3%)
indicated having achieved a ‘‘GED/
high school diploma,’’ 93 (31.0%)
had taken ‘‘some college,’’ 131
(43.7%) had obtained a ‘‘college de-
gree,’’ 37 (12.3%) indicated having
a ‘‘postgraduate degree,’’ and 2
(0.7%) said they had a ‘‘trade school
degree.’’ These findings are consis-
tent with previous demographic data
collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
and Statistics (2019), which found
the most common owner of a retail
flower shop to be middle aged (47.1
years of age), Caucasian (88.7%), and
female (74.9%).
RETAIL FLORAL SHOP OWNERS’
ATTITUDES TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH.Respondents were classified
as having a low, medium, or high
concern toward environmental health
based on their responses to 15 Likert-
type statements. Scores were recoded
to equalize inversely, five negatively
worded, scored items. Individuals
with 35 or fewer points (indicating
most responses were, on average,
scored 1 or 2 points) were ranked as
having ‘‘low concern.’’ Individuals
with 36 to 55 points (indicating most
responses were, on average, scored 3
points) were ‘‘medium concern,’’ and
individuals with 56 or more points
(indicating most responses were, on
average, scored 4 or 5 points) were
‘‘high concern.’’ Cut-off values were
determined based on a similar past
study (McFarland et al., 2008). De-
scriptive statistics determined the
mean score for all respondents to be
57.41, indicating most respondents
as having a high concern for environ-
mental health. Frequency statistics
determined a majority of respon-
dents, 190 (63.33%), were ranked as
having ‘‘high concern’’ for environ-
mental health, 109 (36.33%) were
ranked as having ‘‘medium concern,’’
and 1 (0.33%) were ranked as having
‘‘low concern.’’
A Pearson’s product-moment
correlation compared the relationship
between how respondents answered
two questions pertaining to their will-
ingness to compost flower waste and
collaborate with others to do so and
their classification as having ‘‘low,’’
‘‘medium,’’ or ‘‘high’’ concern for
environmental health. A moderate
positive statistically significant rela-
tionship was found between the way
in which respondents answered the
questions ‘‘I would be willing to
separate my fresh cut floral waste from
other waste if it would be recycled
through composting’’ (R
2
= 0.565,
P= 0.001) and ‘‘I would be willing to
collaborate with local community
gardens and Master Gardener pro-
grams to compost the fresh cut floral
waste produced at my flower shop’’
(R
2
= 0.533, P= 0.001). This showed
that the greater the retail florists’
concern for environmental health,
the more willing they were to com-
post their floral waste and collaborate
with Master Gardeners and commu-
nity garden programs. Pearson’s
product-moment correlation bound-
aries were based on guidelines set by
Evans (1996), which were as follows:
0.00 to 0.19 is ‘‘very weak,’’ 0.20 to
0.39 is ‘‘weak,’’ 0.40 to 0.59 is ‘‘mod-
erate,’’ 0.60 to 0.79 is ‘‘strong,’’ and
0.80 to 1.00 is ‘‘very strong.’’
COMPARISON BETWEEN RETAIL
FLORIST ATTITUDES TOWARD THE
ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR WILLINGNESS
TO COMPOST FRESH CUT FLORAL WASTE.
A Pearson’s product-moment corre-
lation analyzing the relationship be-
tween how respondents answered
questions pertaining to their attitudes
toward environmental health and
their willingness to compost fresh cut
floral waste produced at their retail
flower shop was calculated. Moderate
statistically significant relationships
were found between retail florists’
willingness to separate fresh cut floral
waste and 11 of the environmental
health statements. A moderate positive
statistically significant relationship was
found between the way in which re-
spondents answered the questions ‘‘I
would be willing to separate my fresh
cut floral waste from other waste if it
would be recycled through compost-
ing’’ and ‘‘My individual efforts within
environmental protection each day can
directly improve our environment’’
(R
2
=0.412,P=0.001)(Table1).
Additionally, there was a weak statisti-
cally significant negative relationship
found between florists’ willingness to
compost fresh cut floral waste and the
environmental health statement ‘‘So-
lutions to environmental problems are
created by society, not individuals like
me’’ [R
2
=–0.113,P= 0.050 (Table
1)]. This indicated that the greater
concern individual florists had toward
the environment, the more they felt
they could be part of the solution to
the larger problem.
A moderate positive statistically
significant relationship was found be-
tween the way respondents answered
•December 2020 30(6) 753
the questions ‘‘I would be willing to
collaborate with local community gar-
dens and/or Master Gardener pro-
grams to compost the fresh cut floral
waste produced at my flower shop’’
and 10 of the 15 environmental health
statements. The highest correlation
was found between the willingness to
collaborate statement and the environ-
mental health statement ‘‘I am willing
to work in environmental protection
even if it takes more effort and sacrifice
on my part’’ [R
2
=0.512,P=0.001
(Table 1)]. This indicated that retail
florists who responded as having more
concern toward the health of the
environment were also more willing
to compost their fresh cut floral waste
and collaborate with others in the
horticulture industry to compost their
floral waste, and they were willing to
put in more effort on their part to
compost floral waste.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA COMPARISON.
Analysis of variance tests were used to
determine whether there were differ-
ences in responses to environmental
health questions based on the gender,
age, education level, and ethnicity
of respondents (Table 2). Significant
differences were found in all four de-
mographic groups. Post hoc least
significant difference and frequency
tests were used to determine where
these significant differences occurred
within each demographic category.
Overall environmental health scores
were calculated based on respondents’
demographics (Table 3).
On the basis of gender, ANOVA
tests found significant differences in
the way respondents answered four of
the environmental health questions
(Table 2). Frequency tests compared
the way males and females responded
to the environmental health state-
ments found to be significantly dif-
ferent in the ANOVA tests (Table 2).
Females [98.1% (212)] ‘‘agreed
somewhat’’ or stronger that a personal
concern for the environment was
necessary for making improvements
to the environment compared with
males [92.8% (78)]. Females [97.2%
(210)] were also more willing to
compost their fresh cut floral waste
compared with males [88.0% (74)]
and collaborate with community and
Master Gardener programs. Com-
bined, 79.0% (237) of males and
females ‘‘agreed somewhat’’ or stron-
ger that offering incentives/rewards
would encourage them to compost.
Table 1. Pearson’s product-moment correlation matrix indicating the relationship between 300 retail flower shop owners’
attitudes toward environmental health, their willingness to compost fresh cut floral waste produced at their retail flower
shops, and their willingness to collaborate on composting in the study of perceptions of environmental health, and their
willingness to compost fresh cut floral waste by retail flower shop owners.
Attitude toward environmental health statements
‘‘I would be willing to separate
my fresh cut floral waste from
other waste if it would be
recycled through composting.’’
‘‘I would be willing to
collaborate with local
community gardens and/or
Master Gardener programs to
compost the fresh cut floral waste
produced at my flower shop.’’
Pearson
correlation PN
Pearson
correlation PN
‘‘My individual efforts within environmental protection each
day can directly improve our environment.’’
0.412 0.001* 300 0.391 0.001* 300
‘‘More and tougher laws should be passed to change
individual behavior related to environmental protection.’’
0.425 0.001* 300 0.400 0.001* 300
‘‘There is a direct link between environmental hazards and my
health.’’
0.340 0.001* 300 0.314 0.001* 300
‘‘A personal concern for the environment is necessary for
improvements in the environment.’’
0.330 0.001* 300 0.316 0.001* 300
‘‘Collective effort (all members of society) is the only solution
to environmental problems.’’
0.364 0.001* 300 0.328 0.001* 300
‘‘Incentives/rewards would help me to want to change my
environmental protection behavior.’’
–0.015 0.792 300 –0.011 0.852 300
‘‘It is too late for our efforts to save the environment to be
successful.’’
–0.109 0.060 300 –0.119 0.039* 300
‘‘Environmental problems are the result of the habits or
behavior of everyone who lives in our society.’’
0.323 0.001* 300 0.306 0.001* 300
‘‘The attitudes of my friends and family affect my
environmental protection behavior.’’
0.128 0.027* 300 0.112 0.052 300
‘‘Environmental extremists (tree huggers) make me angry and
unwilling to make a commitment to protect the
environment.’’
–0.330 0.001* 300 –0.282 0.001* 300
‘‘Solutions to environmental problems are created by society,
not individuals like me.’’
–0.113 0.050* 300 –0.074 0.204 300
‘‘I am willing to work in environmental protection even if it
takes more effort and sacrifice on my part.’’
0.512 0.001* 300 0.512 0.001* 300
‘‘My commitment to environmental protection has a direct
effect on my personal health.’’
0.444 0.001* 300 0.405 0.001* 300
*Statistically significant at the 0.05 level.
754 •December 2020 30(6)
Table 2. Analysis of variance test comparing responses to attitude toward environmental health statements by age, education level, ethnicity, and gender in the study of
perceptions of environmental health and willingness to compost fresh cut floral waste by retail flower shop owners.
Attitude toward
environmental health
statements
Age (years)
df SD FP
18–24 25–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–69 70D
(n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%)
‘‘There is a direct link between environmental hazards and my health.’’
Strongly disagree 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 1.2 0 0.0 6 1.630 2.367 0.030*
Disagree 0 0.0 1 20.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 4 4.2 0 0.0 0 0.0
Agree somewhat 1 100.0 1 20.0 6 14.6 21 35.6 25 26.0 22 26.8 3 18.8
Agree 0 0.0 3 60.0 15 36.6 25 42.4 36 37.5 25 30.5 7 43.8
Strongly agree 0 0.0 0 0.0 20 48.8 13 22.0 31 32.3 34 41.5 6 37.5
‘‘Collective effort all members of society is the only solution to environmental problems.’’
Strongly disagree 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 3.1 1 1.2 0 0.0 6 2.253 2.545 0.020*
Disagree 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 7 11.9 8 8.3 3 3.7 1 6.3
Agree somewhat 0 0.0 1 20.0 5 12.2 12 20.3 21 21.9 12 14.6 2 12.5
Agree 1 100.0 2 40.0 15 36.6 24 40.7 35 36.5 31 37.8 8 50.0
Strongly agree 0 0.0 2 40.0 21 51.2 16 27.1 29 30.2 35 42.7 5 31.3
‘‘Environmental extremists (tree huggers) make me angry and unwilling to make a commitment to protect the environment.’’
Strongly disagree 1 100.0 2 40.0 23 56.1 13 22.0 21 21.9 27 32.9 7 43.8 6 2.386 3.071 0.006*
Disagree 0 0.0 2 40.0 15 36.6 26 44.1 51 53.1 38 46.3 7 43.8
Agree somewhat 0 0.0 1 20.0 1 2.4 15 25.4 19 19.8 12 14.6 2 12.5
Agree 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 2.4 3 5.1 3 3.1 4 4.9 0 0.0
Strongly agree 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 2.4 2 3.4 2 2.1 1 1.2 0 0.0
Total 1 100.0 5 100.0 41 100.0 59 100.0 96 100.0 82 100.0 16 100.0
Some college College degree
(n) (%) (n) (%) df SD FP
‘‘Incentives/rewards would help me to want to change my environmental protection behavior.’’
Strongly disagree 4 4.3 2 1.5 4 2.487 2.483 0.044*
Disagree 20 21.5 4 3.1
Agree somewhat 35 37.6 43 32.8
Agree 29 31.2 54 41.2
Strongly agree 5 5.4 28 21.4
Total 93 100.0 131 100.0
GED/high
school
diploma
Post-
graduate
degree
(n) (%) (n) (%) df SD FP
‘‘I am willing to work in environmental protection even if it takes more effort and sacrifice on my part.’’
Strongly disagree 1 2.7 0 0.0 4 1.890 3.038 0.018*
Disagree 1 2.7 0 0.0
Agree somewhat 11 29.7 8 21.6
Agree 23 62.2 21 56.8
Strongly agree 1 2.7 8 21.6
Total 37 100.0 37 100.0
(Continued on next page)
•December 2020 30(6) 755
Table 2. (Continued) Analysis of variance test comparing responses to attitude toward environmental health statements by age, education level, ethnicity, and gender in the
study of perceptions of environmental health and willingness to compost fresh cut floral waste by retail flower shop owners.
Attitude toward
environmental health
statements
Age (years)
df SD FP
18–24 25–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–69 70D
(n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%)
Caucasian/
white
Hispanic/
Latino
(n) (%) (n) (%) df SD FP
‘‘More and tougher laws should be passed to change individual behavior related to environmental protection.’’
Strongly disagree 13 4.5 0 0.0 3 4.174 3.374 0.019*
Disagree 46 16.1 0 0.0
Agree somewhat 83 29.0 0 0.0
Agree 88 30.8 1 20.0
Strongly agree 56 19.6 4 80.0
Total 286 100.0 5 100.0
Caucasian/
white
Another
ethnicity
(n) (%) (n) (%) df SD FP
‘‘I would be willing to separate my fresh cut floral waste from other waste if it could be recycled through composting by local community garden and/or Master Gardener programs.’’
Strongly disagree 2 0.7 1 20.0 3 2.163 2.710 0.045*
Disagree 12 4.2 1 20.0
Agree somewhat 37 12.9 0 0.0
Agree 100 35.0 1 20.0
Strongly agree 135 47.2 2 40.0
Total 286 100.0 5 100.00
Male Female
(n) (%) (n) (%) df SD FP
‘‘A personal concern for the environment is necessary for improvements in the environment.’’
Strongly disagree 2 2.4 1 0.5 1 3.022 0.209 0.031*
Disagree 4 4.8 3 1.4
Agree somewhat 11 13.1 24 11.1
Agree 39 46.4 99 45.8
Strongly agree 28 33.3 89 41.2
‘‘Incentives/rewards would help me to want to change my environmental protection behavior.’’
Strongly disagree 0 0.0 6 2.8 1 11.594 11.759 0.001*
Disagree 9 10.7 48 22.2
Agree somewhat 26 31.0 76 35.2
Agree 32 38.1 60 27.8
Strongly agree 17 20.2 26 12.0
‘‘I would be willing to separate my fresh cut floral waste from other waste if it could be recycled through composting by local community garden and/or Master Gardener programs.’’
Strongly disagree 2 2.4 1 0.5 1 11.315 14.572 0.001*
Disagree 8 9.5 5 2.3
Agree somewhat 14 16.7 23 10.6
Agree 30 35.7 73 33.8
Strongly agree 30 35.7 114 52.8
(Continued on next page)
756 •December 2020 30(6)
However, males [89.2% (74)] indi-
cated more of a desire to have in-
centive/rewards than did females
[75.0% (162)] (Table 2). Descrip-
tive tests were used to compare over-
all scores of environmental health
questions based on gender. Females
on average scored a 58.23, whereas
males on average scored a 55.30.
This indicated females had a greater
concern for the health of the envi-
ronment compared with males. This
supported past research that found
females to live more eco-friendly
lifestyles, litter less, recycle more,
and leave a smaller carbon footprint
compared with men (Brough and
Wilkie, 2017).
When comparing age groups,
ANOVA tests found significant dif-
ferences in three statements (Table
2). Frequency tests compared how
different age groups responded to
the environmental health statements
in relation to each other (Table 2).
The data showed respondents 49
years of age and younger [99.3%
(105)] ‘‘agreed somewhat’’ or stron-
ger more often than respondents 50
years of age and older [97.4% (189)]
that there is a connection between
their health and environmental haz-
ards. Respondents 49 years of age
and younger [93.1% (99)] also
viewed all members of society as
the solution to environmental prob-
lems more so than respondents 50
years of age and older [91.3%
(168)]. Respondents 40 to 69 years
of age [25.7% (61)] had more anger
toward environmental extremists
compared with all other age groups
combined [9.5% (6)] (Table 2). Due
to the relatively small sample size
within certain age groups, the results
could vary compared with a larger
sample population. However, these
findings support past research that
found younger adults viewed envi-
ronmental health as more personally
important and expressed more of
a willingness to engage in climate
activism compared with older adults
(Ballew et al., 2019).
Results of the ANOVA test
found a statistically significant differ-
ence in the way participants
responded to two questions based
on their education level (Table 2).
Post hoc tests were used to analyze
where the differences existed in the
ANOVA. For the incentive/rewards
statement, statistically significant
differences were found between re-
spondents who had taken some col-
lege and respondents with a college
degree. This indicated while most
[86.1% (194)] respondents from
both groups ‘‘agreed somewhat’’ or
stronger that incentives would be
helpful to change environmental pro-
tection behavior, respondents with
a college degree [95.4% (125)]
agreed more strongly with the state-
ment compared with respondents
with some college experience [74.1%
(69)] (Table 2). Statistically signifi-
cant differences were found in the way
respondents with a GED/high school
diploma and postgraduate degree
responded to the statement ‘‘I am
willing to work in environmental pro-
tection even if it takes more effort and
sacrifice on my part.’’ This indicated
respondents with a post graduate de-
gree [1 0 0 . 0 % (3 7) ] ‘‘ag r e e d so me w ha t ’’
or stronger with this statement when
compared with respondents with a
GED/high school diploma [94.5%
(35)] (Table 2). The results indicated
respondents with higher education
levels tended to have more of a con-
cern for the health of the environ-
ment. Past research has found people
with college degrees are 25% more
likely, on average, to adopt environ-
mentally friendly behaviors compared
with those without college degrees.
However, research showed any changes
people make to help the environment
need to fit in with their daily lifestyle
(Economic and Social Research Council,
2011).
Significant differences were found
in two statements based on ethnicity:
‘‘More and tougher laws should be
passedtochangeindividualbehavior
related to environmental protection’’
[P= 0.019 (Table 2)] and ‘‘I would be
willing to separate my fresh cut floral
waste from other waste if it could be
recycled through composting by
local community garden and/or Master
Gardener programs’’ [P=0.045(Table
2)]. Post hoc tests showed a significant
difference between the way Caucasian/
white and Hispanic/Latino respondents
responded to the statement regarding
tougher laws. Frequency tests indicated
Hispanic/Latino florists [100.0% (5)]
‘‘agreed somewhat’’ or stronger more
oftencomparedwithCaucasians/white
florists [79.3% (227)] (Table 2). Post
hoc tests also indicated a significant
difference in the way Caucasian/white
florists and florists who identified as
Table 2. (Continued) Analysis of variance test comparing responses to attitude toward environmental health statements by age, education level, ethnicity, and gender in the
study of perceptions of environmental health and willingness to compost fresh cut floral waste by retail flower shop owners.
Attitude toward
environmental health
statements
Age (years)
df SD FP
18–24 25–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–69 70D
(n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%) (n) (%)
‘‘I would be willing to collaborate with local community gardens and/or Master Gardener programs to compost the fresh cut floral waste produced at my flower shop.’’
Strongly disagree 3 3.6 0 0.0 1 15.442 20.960 0.001*
Disagree 5 6.0 3 1.4
Agree somewhat 22 26.2 32 14.8
Agree 29 34.5 75 34.7
Strongly agree 25 29.8 106 49.1
Total 84 100.0 216 100.0
z
Statements were rated on a 1- to 5-point scale with 5 being the most positive response and 1 being the most negative response.
*Statistically significant at the 0.05 level.
•December 2020 30(6) 757
another ethnicity not listed on the
questionnaire responded to the
statement ‘‘I would be willing to
separate my fresh cut floral waste
from other waste if it could be
recycled through composting by lo-
cal community garden and/or Mas-
ter Gardener programs.’’ Frequency
tests indicated Caucasian/white re-
spondents [95.1% (272)] ‘‘agreed
somewhat’’ or stronger when com-
paredwithfloriststhatidentified
with another ethnicity [60.0% (3)]
not listed on the survey (Table 2).
However, due to the relatively small
sample sizes of those ethnicity groups
that are not Caucasian/white, the re-
sults could vary in larger sample pop-
ulations. Research has found that
Caucasians are more likely to engage
in environmental behaviors such as
recycling, environmental reading, and
joining conservation groups (Medina
et al., 2019). However, the same re-
search also found that compared with
Caucasians, Hispanics/Latinos and
African Americans have greater concern
regarding environmental protection,
toxic waste disposal, and the increase-
ment of taxes for environmental
regulations (Medina et al., 2019).
Although the sample was small, this
could explain why Hispanic/Latinos
indicated a greater interest in having
tougher environmental laws passed.
Conclusions
Of the 300 retail florists who
took part in the survey a majority,
190 (63.33%) were ranked as having
‘‘high concern’’ for environmental
health. When analyzing florist percep-
tions of environmental health based
on demographics, females indicated
more of a willingness to compost
floral waste and collaborate with
others while doing so. Females also
indicated a need for less incentives/
rewards to change their behaviors to-
ward environmental protection.
Age played a role in how retail
florists perceived a connection to
their own health and the health of
the environment. Younger florists,
especially those 49 years of age and
younger perceived their own health
to be more directly related to the
overall health of the environment.
Compared with older florists, younger
florists indicated that a collective effort
was needed to find solutions to envi-
ronmental problems and had less
anger toward people thought of as
environmental extremists compared
with older florists.
Respondents with higher educa-
tion levels indicated they would be
more willing to put in additional time
and effort to work on environmental
protection but also showed an in-
creased need for incentives and re-
wards to change their environmental
protection behavior compared with
respondents with lower levels of for-
mal education. The fact that people
are resistant to making changes in
their lifestyles to be more eco-friendly
might indicate reasons why retail flo-
rists with college degrees showed
more of a desire for incentives/re-
wards to make pro-environmental
health changes.
Overall, Caucasian/white florists
indicated more of a willingness to
separate their fresh cut flower waste
than florists who listed their ethnicity
as something other than the given
choices. It was also found that His-
panic/Latino florists indicated more
willingness to have tougher laws
passed compared with Caucasians/
white florists.
A growing number of consumers,
especially younger consumers, are start-
ing to make purchase selections based
on how ‘‘green’’ a company is (Nielsen,
2018). Additionally, research indicates
that consumers are often willing to pay a
premium for a product from an envi-
ronmentally conscious business (Behe
et al., 2013; Laroche et al., 2016). Little
research has been conducted on best
practices for disposing of cut floral waste
created by retail flower shops or on how
the retail florist might contribute to
making the industry more environmen-
tally sustainable overall. With environ-
mentally conscious consumers taking
more interest in how products they
purchase are designed and sourced,
the way in which a retail florist disposes
of their fresh cut floral waste could be
used as a form of promotion to set
businesses apart from others in the in-
dustry. The process of composting
fresh cut floral waste could be con-
ducted by individual florists that have
the space and knowledge to do so or
through collaboration with local city
governments, Master Gardner groups,
community gardens, public school
systems, and universities. Through the
creation of industry- and state-sponsored
Table 3. Overall environmental health statements scores based on age, education
level, ethnicity, and gender in the study perceptions of environmental health and
willingness to compost fresh cut floral waste by retail flower shop owners.
Demographic n Overall environmental health score
Age (years)
18–24 1 59.00
25–30 4 53.60
30–39 41 59.36
40–49 59 56.23
50–59 96 56.70
60–69 82 58.08
70+ 16 58.68
Education
Grade school only 0 0
Some high school 0 0
GED/high school diploma 37 57.75
Some college 96 57.26
College degree 131 57.04
Post graduate degree 37 59.00
Trade school degree 2 53.00
Ethnicity
Caucasian/white 286 57.31
Hispanic/Latino 5 63.60
Black/African American 0 0
Asian American 4 60.75
American Indian 0 0
Another race 5 54.20
Gender
Male 84 55.30
Female 216 58.23
758 •December 2020 30(6)
brands/certifications, florists could brand
and promote their business as more
environmentally conscious by com-
posting their floral waste, which in
turn could stimulate sales and increase
profit margins while having the added
benefit of reducing the amount of
waste entering landfills.
A majority of florists in the study
indicated some degree of willingness
to collaborate on composting fresh
cut floral waste produced at their re-
tail flower shop location. This offers
the opportunity for further research
into best practices for composting
retail flower shop waste. Research
should also be conducted on the types
of incentives/rewards florists find
most motivating to make a change
to composting floral waste produced
at their retail flower shop. Addition-
ally, research could investigate the
potential for associations within the
floriculture and horticulture industry
on creating ‘‘environmentally aware’’
certifications for retail florists willing
to direct efforts in creating environ-
mentally sustainable business models.
Limitations in the study included
a small sample size, especially within
some demographic groups, and the
fact that respondents volunteered to
take the survey instead of being ran-
domly sampled. Because of these lim-
itations, the results are not necessarily
generalizable beyond this study. This
study did not collect information on
the region/state from which the re-
spondent was answering within the
survey. In future research, it is recom-
mended that this information be col-
lected and comparisons made to
examine for regional differences and
similarities in environmental health
and willingness to compost fresh cut
floral waste by retail flower shop
owners.
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