Lompoc, CA — On Wednesday, October 23rd, Ocean View Flowers is joining dozens of floral industry businesses nationwide to surprise unsuspecting passersby in Lompoc with two free flower bouquets each — one to keep and one to give to a friend, family member, colleague, or even a stranger. The random-acts-of-kindness effort — called Petal It Forward and organized by the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which Ocean View Flowers is a member — is designed to help bring people more smiles and less stress. The effort illustrates research from the University of North Florida (UNF) that shows living with flowers reduces stress.
“Petal It Forward is the floral industry’s way of giving back,” said Jenny Scala, SAF’s director of marketing and communications, citing the effort was purposefully planned for a Wednesday to help the mid-week slump. Yvette Trevino of Ocean View Flowers wanted to be a part of the mood-boosting effort. “Lompoc has a long history with the flower industry. We want our neighbors to be able to connect with this history, as well as make someone’s day brighter”, said Trevino.
The research findings on flowers and stress relief, and the need for mood-boosting gestures, seem timely: A survey by Wakefield Research in July showed that 68 percent of Americans experience stress weekly, and 32 percent report feeling stressed daily. Women are even more affected, with 25 percent reporting feeling stress multiple times a day.
Trevino says the original idea behind Petal It Forward’s ‘keep one, share one’ concept, which started in 2015, came after looking at statistics that showed while 80 percent of people reported receiving flowers makes them happy, even more (88 percent) said that giving flowers makes them happy. “We want to give people the chance to experience both,” said Trevino. “What better way to do this than with flowers grown in their own backyard.”
In addition to the research on stress, previous behavioral studies conducted by Rutgers and Harvard scientifically demonstrate the positive impact flowers have on emotional well-being. For information on the effects of flowers on stress research, visit aboutflowers.com/stressless. For research on all of the health benefits of flowers, visit aboutflowers.com/research.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on the Petal It Forward effort, please contact Jenny Scala at the Society of American Florists at jscala@safnow.org.
About Ocean View Flowers
Ocean View Flowers is a specialty cut flower farm located in the Lompoc Valley. Our flowers can be found at your local supermarket or florist.
About the Society of American Florists
The Society of American Florists is the national trade association to the floral industry, representing growers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, importers, educators, designers and allied organizations.
