Champion of Sustainable Change: Pilar Zuniga Charts New Course for Floristry Members

In the early years of Pilar Zuniga’s professional career, she poured her talents and knowledge into the nonprofit sector, focusing on education and public health. On the side, she dabbled as a floral designer, an interest that grew from her childhood after recognizing she had a lens for it. 

It was a time when society wasn’t talking much about sustainability in the floriculture industry, but it was a concept that weighed heavily on Pilar’s mind. She couldn’t help but connect the dots between the lessons from her full-time job and the practices of her floral side job.

There was a place to blend floristry and sustainability, and Pilar seized the opportunity to start the discussion and make a change. The result was a step back from her full-time job and a renewed focus on floral design. In 2008, she launched Gorgeous and Green. Two years later, she opened her first brick-and-mortar location in Berkeley, California.

To read more, please visit Sustainabloom.