I would like to show you why at Lamber de Bie Flowers we buy the roses we do. Not just for Valentine's Day, but all year round we buy the Red Naomi Roses from this amazing grower, Porta Nova.
Porta Nova are known for their high quality standards and their dedication to Red and White Naomi Roses. But their aim is not only to grow roses of the highest quality but also to do as little harm to the environment as possible. In line with this motto they mainly use rainwater and buy CO2 from the harbors of Rotterdam to grow their roses. In addition, they have had a special ‘Green Room’ built.
Sustainability is a permanent feature of all policy plans and it’s importance will only increase in the years to come. Premium rose grower Porta Nova understands this as no one else. We dropped by the nursery to talk to Aad van Luijk about how they combine growing premium quality roses with the smallest possible ecological footprint.
NURSERY WITHOUT GAS Porta Nova’s Greenroom is the place where the energy for the so-called ‘climators’ comes from, which naturally heat the nursery in winter and cool it down in summer. So it is always the perfect temperature for the roses to grow. But how exactly does that work? We have to go 100 meters underground to find the answer. Underground the temperature is extremely stable, says Aad van Luijk. Hot water stays hot for months while cool water stays cool for equally as long. We can then simply pump up the water we need. We don’t use gas or other non-sustainable sources to generate heat.
FOR THE FUTURE After completing the Green Room, Aad van Luijk is already looking further: ‘We try to do things better every day. We have been working on LED lights for awhile and are also planning to tackle our flower packaging soon. One day we will have the perfect recipe for sustainable growing and the smallest possible carbon footprint per rose‘.
QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY One may think that premium quality and sustainability don’t go well together. The people at Porta Nova think differently about this. They believe that the two are connected. After all, growing a premium product means that you want the best for the flower: a stable climate, natural pesticides and a sharp eye for detail. Thus, Porta Nova has the best of both worlds; a brilliant product of high quality with as little damage to the environment as possible.
SPECIAL VALENTINE This year’s Valentine’s Day, the busiest day on the calendar for florists, will be different due to Covid 19 pandemic. That is why Porta Nova have created the #SayItWithFlowers#SayItWithFlowers initiative especially for Valentine’s Day to show the power of flowers and share some positivity. #SayItWithFlowers
Granted, when you enter the Green Room, nature is the last thing that springs to mind. But still, this space is fully in line with our commitment to a low carbon footprint and the desire to grow without using gas.’ Check out the video and discover the sustainable energy source!
