Is the Chelsea Flower Show really helping our environment?

The Fuelcard People’s Steve Clarke discusses the green issues associated with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which will attract thousands of visitors to Chelsea this spring.

The Chelsea Flower Show is set to take place at the end of May. Advocating environmentally friendly activity, it will accommodate around 30 fresh, artisan and show gardens. Exhibitors will include almost 170 companies showing garden products, 113 firms selling plants, and at least 100 additional assorted businesses.  

Huge, showpiece attractions will also be featured: a flower-covered railway station, for example, is currently being created in the Great Pavilion.

The flower show paradox

However, the Fuelcard People has questioned how this, and every other item at the show, will get there. Hundreds of plants must be transported to Chelsea: from single Yorkshire trucks of flowers, to fleets of large Southern vans holding greenhouse components, road travel is essential to the show.

“It seems strange that such an environmentally-positive message is delivered by an event that depends upon countless thousands of miles of road travel,” argues Steve Clarke, the company’s group marketing manager.

He raises an interesting issue. With over 150,000 visitors, travelling from all over the world, set to attend the show, the Chelsea Flower Show paradox is something that should be considered.