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Available on Apple and Spotify.
Imagine if a flower could last forever …
Fresh cut flowers have a surprising environmental impact. A bouquet of roses that traveled more than 3,000 miles to get to your florist will be dead in a matter of days. After 18 years working with live florals, Liz Carter crafted a solution through her company Unwilted.
Unwilted’s stunning arrangements are made from paper flowers that are all cut, folded, and glued by hand. The sustainably made blooms eliminate waste, carbon emissions, and plastic packaging, all while preserving the beauty of nature.
In this episode, cohosts Janet Kraus and Ally Giebutowski talk with Liz about innovation, creativity, and proving that sustainable alternatives can be just as beautiful as the original.
What You’ll Hear:
- How paper flowers solve problems fresh flowers can't
- Why this business model is scalable and sustainable
- The power of consumer voices to shift entire industries
- Why “stopping to smell the flowers” is climate activism
About Liz Carter
Liz Carter is the founder and CEO of Unwilted, a company creating handcrafted paper flowers as a sustainable alternative to fresh cut florals. With nearly 18 years of experience in the fresh flower industry as a florist in Colorado, Liz intimately understands both the beauty and the environmental cost of traditional floristry.
After leaving Colorado for her safety and initially walking away from flowers entirely, Liz discovered paper flowers and realized she could merge her artistic passion with her sustainability values. Today, Unwilted offers gorgeous, realistic paper flowers that eliminate waste, last indefinitely, and bring joy to customers seeking mindful alternatives.
Meet the Host:
- Janet Kraus: I’m Janet, a serial start-up founder and CEO, twin-girl mom, and wife to a fun and funny guy. I am on a mission to build healthier thinking in young people, stop toxic division, spotlight hopeful climate action, and advocate for safe AI.
- Ally Giebutowski: I’m Ally, a freshman at Lafayette College. I believe that a sustainable life is a happier life and that human connection is at the heart of it all. Every day, I try to weave greener, more intentional living into every part of my life, whether that’s in the college classroom, in the kitchen, or through meaningful conversations with others.
Transcript
Victoria Riskin: Hi everyone. Welcome back to the Bluedot Living podcast. I’m Victoria Riskin, and I’m the founder of Bluedot Living. Here on Imagine If, we’re telling stories of people who are living a healthier and more sustainable life, because so many people are.
Janet Kraus: I just wanted to say to you, Ally, in particular, as the two of us keep deepening our understanding about the connection between human health and the environment and how those two things play together, I keep finding out things I wish I didn’t know. It makes me a little sad, and I get this reaction of like, “Oh, if I just put my fingers in my ears and said ‘No, no, no, no, no, I don’t hear,’ then I wouldn’t have to change anything.” And it’s happened again. I recently learned in this process that another thing that is joyful and wonderful in people’s lives is having a strongly negative impact on the environment and on human health. and you’re going to feel the same way. I know you do. It’s fresh-cut flowers.
Ally Giebutowski: Yeah, I was surprised when I first heard this, but I would love to hear more. I’d love to learn, and that’s why we have Liz here today with us.
Janet Kraus: Fresh-cut flowers are just like agriculture. It’s just the industrial complex of how you grow things and ship things and so, even though fresh-cut flowers weren't obvious to me, when I heard about it, I was like, “Of course.” But here’s the thing: When you take your fingers out of your ears, and you get curious, and you ask, “Who cares about this? And are there solutions happening?” What I keep finding is there are people everywhere that are actually making change happen, and today’s no exception. We’re going to be talking to this wonderful woman who’s on screen with us now. She spent 18 years of her life in fresh-cut flowers, designing them, and so she really knows — not to laugh at my pun — the dirt that is in the flower industry, and she’s here to share with us.
Ally Giebutowski: That was good.
Janet Kraus: How the awakening happened, why the industry’s tough, what’s changing in the industry, and then we’re going to end with the incredible innovation that she came up with to really shapeshift the game. So without further ado, we want to welcome Liz Carter, founder and CEO of Unwilted. Hi, Liz.
Liz Carter: Hello. It’s so nice to be with you ladies.
Ally Giebutowski: We’re so excited.
Janet Kraus: So, I’m curious, take us back to the moment, or the moments, or the gradual awakening that you had where you were like, “Oh wow, this thing I love, fresh-cut flowers, is really kind of problematic.” Can you share with us where you were, what were you doing, and how this came to you?
Liz Carter: Well, it’s a long story. I will keep it as simple as I can. I worked in the fresh-flower industry for probably close to 18 years or so in Colorado. That is basically a mountain. A lot of people want to get married on a mountain, but there is not a lot of soil in such high plateaus. So buying things that are like a local flower, things like this, it’s not as easy. You have to rely on flower companies that bring flowers in. Most flowers in the United States are grown in South America. So you have to rely on this kind of international trade of flowers. It’s just an interesting business. It’s a perishable business. I mean, I like to tell people you’re basically selling lettuce, but you have to have the specific type of lettuce, right? Like you have to have the type of lettuce that they’re looking for on that day, for that occasion, for that emotion.
It is a very interesting business to be in because, as I like to say, flowers are a purchase of emotion. So you have to kind of project your purchasing for these certain holidays where people are going to express that emotion. And then you are buying flowers at mass quantities where the quality is down because the demand is so up for that holiday. So these big holidays that most florists rely upon for their income throughout the year are like these mass-produced, corporation-fed holidays given to us that we as florists have to try to work around while selling lettuce. So on Valentine’s Day, here we are trying to deliver hundreds of arrangements. In Colorado, it’s snowing sideways. You can’t leave it on the doorstep or it’ll freeze.
It just started over time. It was more of an awakening, Janet. Over time I just kind of started in my head thinking, “These are the reasons why flowers are hard.” And then I found myself in an abusive relationship and I had to leave Colorado for my safety, which was a hard decision but obvious that I had to make. And I thought I could walk away from flowers. I loved it so much; it was like painting every single day. Fresh like this canvas would come in. And then I said, “My life is worth more,” and I walked away, and I missed flowers.
Janet Kraus: What I heard you say was the thing that made this industry so hard was that you are basically delivering a fresh, perishable item that, if you don't use it that day, is going to go bad, so you have the waste from that. I also heard you say you’re transporting this product from South America to Colorado. So all the transportation costs and fuel costs of getting from here to there — that’s a bad thing. I’m also imagining this stuff is coming packed in plastic. I don't know, how is it showing up?
Liz Carter: The flower shop that I had worked at and ended up owning grew to multiple locations. Because it's a perishable product, you’re bringing in fresh flowers almost every day and processing those flowers. One thing that a lot of people don’t think about in terms of what you see at a store, what you see at a flower shop, or what you get as a delivery — you’re just seeing kind of the best part of that flower, right? You’re seeing the perfect bloom during the perfect season at the height of its best showmanship of its lifespan. A lot goes into preserving that. The amount of packaging that goes into keeping the flower as perfect as it can be so that, inevitably, it can be in a vase for probably five days, perhaps.
It’s concerning because each flower typically is wrapped with a plastic netting, especially roses and things of high value. A lot of tulips sometimes are like that. Think of that plastic around a special orange that is netted plastic. If it’s like a honeycomb plastic, those things are not recyclable. Every bunch of roses come in 25-stem bunches. For Valentine’s Day, most people are ordering a dozen roses. You need one pack of roses for each dozen that you’re selling, right? Because you have 25 roses. Each one of those comes wrapped in a sheath of plastic. It’s like a chunk of plastic. The stems are lined up and then they’re rolled into it like a sleeping bag with rubber bands around it.
And then, not to mention, plastic waste is just one part of it. I talked about how you're trying to preserve the best part of that bloom in the perfect spot of the bloom cycle. So sometimes you’re getting flowers that you need to open up and let unfurl, but you need to process it so that it doesn't create a lot of bacteria in the water while it’s rehydrating. So then you’re cutting the stem, you’re taking off all the other leaves around it. Flowers in your garden grow, bloom, and they’re beautiful. You don’t really notice all the leaves around it. But in the floral industry, a lot of the waste is actually part of the flower that we don’t use. Think about all the water that goes into growing those flowers. Think about all of the emissions that come from growing those flowers. Think about all the plastic that goes into not only the agricultural side, but then the florists themselves are creating waste on their own.
Ally Giebutowski: I am curious, before we get into what Unwilted is about, what are some of the other innovations that people are doing to solve this problem that might not be paper flowers, but other small things that people have been doing that you see and are interested in?
Liz Carter: Across the floral industry, this has always been an issue, and I think a lot of florists are working in their own small ways. They’ve taken their fingers out of their ears and they’re working in their own small ways to adjust what they can control. A lot of people are moving away from flower foam and they’re using more sustainable options like chicken wire, right? Things that give you the space and the structure and kind of the skeleton behind a bouquet. When I first started in the flower industry, there was a lot of tape and foam and glue and wiring and kind of excessive treating of flowers. A lot of preservation beyond what the flower naturally should be doing.
Janet Kraus: On the one hand, I’m hearing you say that the industry itself is starting to self-correct around the ways in which they package or hold onto that perfect bloom, which is sort of maybe overdone. So that’s the industry making changes. But then I’m also hearing you say that consumers, as they move to more minimalism and as they become more aware of the negative impacts of extra maximalism, they’re seeing beauty in less. And then I heard a third theme, which is that somewhere between the provider and the consumer is this notion that we can interject into these things that have longer-lasting lifespans than simply that one bloom that’s going to live and die today.
Ally Giebutowski: That’s kind of what Bluedot is always talking about. There needs to be shifts in people's everyday lives, but also shifts in markets. But shifts in markets can only happen if there’s shifts in people's everyday lives.
Liz Carter: I think that’s why a lot of people are moving more toward local or seasonal blooms, which are not always easy to find, but a lot of florists are moving toward that. Less of the “roses equal Valentine’s Day” mentality, so seasonality is key. You can get around seasonality for things like peonies, dahlias, or poppies that only grow in the summer. These out-of-reach blooms for a fresh-cut florist were suddenly things I could just sculpt exactly in the perfect bloom cycle to be preserved for that moment.
Ally Giebutowski: So moving on to what we’ve talked about, I’d love to dive into more about you and about Unwilted because you’ve chosen to address the impacts of cut flowers in a totally different way. And I think it’s really exciting. I can see it in the back. They’re gorgeous. I think that’s just an incredible experience.
Liz Carter: Being a creative person, the definition of creativity that makes the most sense to me is a situation wherein you take like A plus Zebra equals Cinnamon Roll, you know? And when I was a fresh-cut florist, I despised taking offense to thoughts about fake flowers, faux flowers, or silk. And so then walking away from flowers and having that moment of like, “Oh no, I actually miss my art,” I had to ask: How do I approach that in a different way that feels more sustainable, more controllable, and less perishable, dare I say? Because the part that is so hard with being a florist and considering that your art, where your heart sings from putting flowers together, is that you’re putting them in your delivery truck knowing that’s it. Your hard work is gone. It’s this churn and burn.
But getting back to paper flowers, when I discovered it, there was a little online community that I started to become a part of. There are a lot of instructors, people who write books, and teachers, and I was doing classes here and there. I discovered that it was kind of different how people use their hands compared to me. Me being a creative person, me consistently having dealt with flowers for years and years and years, I just saw the paper and I saw how flowers should be. Staring into flowers for years, cutting them apart in order to glue them back together to get these fantastical things, I was like, “Oh, I can make a flower very easily.” And turns out, in the world of paper-flower people, I was the only one that had had any fresh-flower experience.
I had a little store on Shopify which I was using to sell kind of one-offs or just provide a way for people to invoice me for art projects or small wedding bouquets. And I was approached by some people who said, “Hey, what if we could scale this and you could just buy a single rose, and someone could send a single rose with a card?” And I was like, “Oh, the audacity, this is art.”
Janet Kraus: You knew already. That’s funny, though, because you’d been in flowers selling them for so long, but somehow this felt different.
Liz Carter: Yes. It was evolving. But looking back, this path made sense. These seasons of my life along this way made sense because of the ability to say, “I love flowers. I think fresh flowers are one of the greatest gifts.”
Ally Giebutowski: Right. It’s a gift. It will be here at this moment, it won’t be here tomorrow, and then you have to deal with throwing it away and cleaning it up after.
Liz Carter: Oh, totally. Don’t take a wrap of flowers as a gift to somebody. Get a vase. There’s nothing worse than showing up to someone’s house and being like, “Here’s more work for you to do. Now you have to find a vase and cut these flowers.”
Janet Kraus: All these subtleties of things. That’s why the beauty of innovation and the beauty of rethinking is awesome.
We sometimes think about sustainability as simply being whether the planet is going to survive. Let’s be clear, the planet’s going to survive. It’s whether or not all of us on it are going to survive. And so your rethinking is also getting at the people part of it in such a way — both the consumer and the provider. OK, so now I want to know: You started this more as an artsy-crafty project, and then you started to see the business opportunity. Now when you’re sourcing these elements for one-offs or little projects, it’s one thing. But does this scale? Can you actually get the level of paper that you need that is going to actually be repeatable over and over again? Can more people than you craft these beautiful flowers?
Liz Carter: I mean, I think so. I think anybody can create as long as they’re open to learning and OK with the results maybe not being exactly what they picture in their head. There’s always room for beauty in the details. I did teach making flowers. Peonies are a very popular class to teach. I did cactuses; I did a few things here and there. Not everybody is good with using their hands in tiny ways, but I'll answer your question in two different ways.
One, another inspiration behind Unwilted was seeing through that experience that there is a desire for a floral alternative that still holds space for that floral gift in a traditional way. It’s not like, “Oh, this is a Lego flower.” Lego flowers are great, but the paper we use is made for making flowers. That was important to me to make this product as identifiable as possible so that, as a replacement or an alternative to a fresh-cut, you’re not making too far of a leap as a consumer. The other part is that people want to be able to send a gift. People want to be able to send something that’s handmade. They don’t necessarily want to have to make it themselves.
Ally Giebutowski: I was going to say, I could not even imagine.
Liz Carter: The idea of a class or making these flowers is great, right? But the process of getting the paper, the glue, and the experience to distill it down to a two-hour time block for a class is a different thing. So Unwilted kind of came about through a series of these revelations of perishability, no water, they last, and there’s not as much waste. They can be a stand-in for fresh flowers for people who maybe don’t have access to fresh flowers or people who have allergies or sensitivities.
Janet Kraus: Who are waking up to the fact that a lot of fresh flowers are having a negative impact that they didn't realize and want an alternative that literally has all those “ands.” That’s such a beautiful shift to make.
Ally Giebutowski: Also craftsmanship appreciation of beauty made by another person that reflects the beauty of nature. I feel like it is very interesting, positive, that we haven't talked about, which I think is like we are taking something that's so beautiful in nature and then it's being made by, you know, a person who really thought about it and that intentionality piece of it, I think is huge and cool.
Liz Carter: It’s like you don’t go to the tire changing shop to get your loaf of bread, right? There are certain industries that exist for certain things. And I do think that I love fresh flowers. That’s where I get most of my inspiration. You’re usually going to find me either outside or wandering around a greenhouse somewhere.
Janet Kraus: It kind of makes me think a little bit about — and I know this is going to sound strange — plant-based foods that mimic meat-based foods and do a good job at that. It doesn't mean that we have to get rid of all meat in the world to advance sustainability, but you can have a shift that is a beautifully created, thoughtful something else that’s also awesome to have.
Liz Carter: Intentionality and consuming as a mindful consumer is super important these days because we have to make decisions at the end of a product's life that maybe are kind of unfair. Corporations or companies bringing us these products should be bringing us products that we can trust, products that we feel safe about buying, and products that are not toxic. But we still have to be responsible with our choices, too. I think providing people with options that feel more aligned to their values or their goals, even if they’re starting on a new journey of making mindful purchases, is key. There’s always room for improvement and opportunity for reimagining in this world.
Now that I have this business at a spot where I can start to see what else I can do now that I’ve introduced the public to the idea that flowers can be paper and can feel real, it's a great substitute or addition to any sort of gift of love or compassion. Now I get to dream in color about other options. Imagine every day if this flower that you could only get during certain times of the year or from certain parts of the globe was accessible. Back then, it was super expensive and you had to have the right customer who especially wanted that flower.
Janet Kraus: And you get to keep it for four days.
Liz Carter: And hope the box didn’t freeze coming off the plane on the way in. I get to dream basically on paper. It’s amazing.
Ally Giebutowski: You really think about the business model of fresh-cut flowers and you get down to it and you’re like, “What were people thinking?” I think people probably started and they were like, “Oh, we do this in our backyard. Let’s do it for others.” But then the cascading amount of issues that have come from it.
Janet Kraus: If investors were saying, “This is scalable,” sure it is. Is it really? Sure, if you have no concern for all the exogenous impacts you’re going to have. But what you’re doing, actually at first I was like, “Is it scalable?” Now I’m like,””Oh my God, it’s way more scalable.”
Ally Giebutowski: More scalable.
Janet Kraus: Well, that being the hugest one. Water, pesticides, seasonality, transportation, and all these things.
Liz Carter: I mean, we’re not going to solve every single problem. That’s what we were talking about earlier, taking your fingers out of your ears and admitting that as much as we are part of the problem, we also can be part of the solution. There are a lot of different ways to approach being in the world and existing as a human and celebrating modern life. Participating in social norms like corsages — that’s a normal thing. There are different ways to imagine using flowers as art or decoration in our life to make that more beautiful.
Ally Giebutowski: And it’s also all about the small changes that we’re making. They don’t have to be big shifts. If it’s small and people catch on, it’s going to create a ripple effect. So, I have just one final question from me before I move to Mom. My question for our listeners and for myself is: Is there anything that’s exciting you right now about a healthy and sustainable lifestyle change that you’ve made in your life? It can relate to flowers or not, but that you feel holds the same values as what you’re doing with your company.
Liz Carter: OK, yes. However, I’m not great at it. I’m trying.
Janet Kraus: Perfection is not a criteria.
Ally Giebutowski: That was not a criteria of the question! It was just what you’re proud of.
Liz Carter: I have been trying to be more intentional with recognizing my joy. This world is rough right now, and having built this business into something that brings me and my employees an incredible amount of joy — and I really apologize for this metaphor, but it is perfect. It is important for me to take time and stop and smell the flowers. Because as a mom, as a woman in the world, and as a business owner, there are just so many things going on. On a daily basis, I do take a few moments and I stop and I look around and I say, “You built this.” Because 15 or 20 years ago, I could not have. This story makes sense of my journey blossoming into paper flowers. It is OK to take a moment and enjoy this success and the possibility of what can come next and to dare to dream a little bit. And to see that other people see value in it as well. I mean, I just pinch myself. I’m like waiting for a shoe to drop, but I guess that's practice. I’ve been trying my best to take a moment and stop and smell the flowers.
Ally Giebutowski: I could not have asked for a better answer. You could have said you’re using paper straws, but you talked about something that is so important to the entire movement of sustainability. If we can center healthy and sustainable living around just smelling the flowers, seeing the joys in life, and understanding that they don’t have to be big or flashy or just consuming a lot if we can come back to what truly makes us bloom inside.
Liz Carter: Yes.
Ally Giebutowski: If we can come back to that and share with people that that is what a sustainable and healthy lifestyle is, I think so many more people are going to be able to join us in this movement. Because they’re like, “You know, you don’t have to do so much.”
Janet Kraus: It’s flipped.
Ally Giebutowski: Stop and smell the flowers. I love it.
Liz Carter: And taking it, it’s not all on us. I do feel like part of the movement of being more mindful about our earth and sustainability is often pitched to the consumer like it’s our responsibility, and it’s not entirely. I think, yes, fingers out of ears, but also it’s OK to be gentle with yourself and take time to enjoy your life around you. Know you’re still doing the best that you can and celebrate that. It’s OK to celebrate the space between.
Janet Kraus: I just want to call out though: You have flipped back and forth between being the consumer and the producer. And what I love about that is that it’s not all on us, the consumer, but the more we change what we value and the more we articulate what we value, then the system changes because we’re making it clear. It’s not like I need to single-handedly buy all the flowers to change the industry. But if I say I care about these things, then the producers take note. The big companies aren’t ever going to do an innovation as incredibly brilliant as what you’re doing; they don’t go back to ground zero and reimagine like you have. But then the bigger players take note and the system shifts. So we have more agency with our voices and our expressions of what we want it to be than just our singular change.
Liz Carter: We have a lot of power in our intentions.
Janet Kraus: That’s what this is all about. We’re reminding people because if you hear it over and over again with a tone and attitude that embraces joy, then people want to be part of it. So thank you, Liz. Thank you so much for bringing so much more color to this story than we even imagined. So, can we ask you to end with — because we love to hear what our guests have to say — finishing the statement: “Imagine if…”
Liz Carter: Imagine if you were just like a flower that bloomed from the earth, that you were an extension of this earth. And that you deserve to be in this world, however beautiful you are, in every moment of your life, no matter what season. And it’s OK to have times where maybe there’s a little bruise on your petal or maybe you had to go underground to rebirth to a different part of your life cycle. We are part of this earth, and imagine if we took care of the earth like we take care of ourselves. It would be, I think, a little bit nicer world to be in.
Ally Giebutowski: Gosh.
Janet Kraus: That was beautiful, Liz. Thank you so much.
Ally Giebutowski: This was such a great conversation. I cannot wait for it to go out. It was so fun.
Janet Kraus: Yeah, I learned so much, and I also need to tell you — because I think this is such a great example — my husband was trying to figure out the perfect gift to give to people who refer clients to him. And he was like, “Should I send flowers?” and I was like, “No, you should not. You should send Unwilted.” And he did that because he is also brand-new to the business he’s starting. The person who received them was like, “This is the best thing ever!” Loved it because of everything we talked about, she got it all.
Liz Carter: I think that’s because I just eat and breathe paper flowers all day long. So it’s so normal to me now. I walk around thinking that everybody else has a paper-flower business.
Ally Giebutowski: Everyone else is!
Liz Carter: Yeah, but the feedback I keep getting is just so unique. It’s a niche part of an industry that makes people say, “Oh, why didn’t we think of this before?” And I’m like, “Well, you didn’t have me.”
Janet Kraus: OK, with that, Liz, that was the best expression of everything you just said. I want to just land on that. That was amazing.
Victoria Riskin:Thank you for joining us on Imagine If from Bluedot Living. If you want to explore our recipes, products for your home and lifestyle, and read interesting stories, you can find us at bluedotliving.com. And for daily inspiration, you can follow us at Bluedot Living on Instagram. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it and please add your thoughts in the comments on YouTube. I’m Victoria Riskin, and we’ll be back next week with more stories from great people doing amazing things in their little corner of the planet.
