News
Sustainabloom Recognized with 2026 Spotlight Award
July 14, 2026
Four years after its launch, Sustainabloom continues to grow as the trusted source for sustainability resources for the floral industry, and we’re excited to share that it has been recognized with the 2026 Greenhouse Grower Spotlight Award. Presented during Greenhouse Grower’s Evening of Excellence at Cultivate’26, the award recognizes organizations making a meaningful impact on the floriculture industry through innovation, leadership, and service.
In just a few short years, what began as an educational initiative by the American Floral Endowment (AFE) has grown into a thriving, industry-wide sustainability resource. Today, Sustainabloom provides free access to practical tools, research, webinars, planning templates, educational resources, and industry news that help businesses of all sizes strengthen their environmental, economic, and social sustainability efforts.
Sustainabloom continues to expand through collaboration with partners, researchers, educators, and industry leaders who have shared their expertise to build resources that benefit the entire floral community. As AFE developed the vision for the initiative, it partnered with North Carolina State University to serve as the lead research team, to evaluate existing sustainability research, identify resource gaps, and develop the practical educational guides and tools that form the foundation of Sustainabloom today. Led by Dr. Melinda Knuth, the NC State team has played a critical role in ensuring the program’s resources are research-driven, practical, and relevant to the needs of the floral industry. The program now reaches floral professionals worldwide and remains committed to serving as a sustainability resource for the industry as a whole, with Dr. Amanda Solliday guiding the program as Senior Manager and overseeing its next phase.
“This recognition belongs to everyone who has contributed to Sustainabloom,” said Debi Chedester, CAE, Executive Director of the American Floral Endowment. “From the beginning, our goal has been to provide practical sustainability resources and education that businesses can put to use. Every article, guide, and tool represents the knowledge and collaboration of people across our industry who want to help floriculture continue to thrive.“
This award reflects the vision and commitment of the many industry leaders and businesses that helped bring Sustainabloom to life. We are incredibly grateful to the founding supporters who believed in this idea from the beginning and invested on behalf of the floral industry, as well as to the volunteers, researchers, educators, and especially the team at NC State University who have continued to shape and strengthen Sustainabloom over the past four years. Their collaboration has helped create sustainability resources that are freely available to every segment of the floral supply chain.
As Sustainabloom celebrates this exciting milestone, we’re also continuing to expand its library of practical resources with the release of its third Sustainability Planning Template, this one designed specifically for flower growers. The new template joins the existing planning templates for retailers and wholesalers, giving each segment of the floral supply chain practical tools tailored to their operations.
“We know sustainability looks different from one business to the next,” said Dr. Amanda Solliday, Senior Manager of Sustainabloom. “Some are just getting started, while others have been doing this work for years. We designed these templates and tools to be useful either way, as something individual businesses can adapt to their own goals and use as a practical guide for what’s next.”
Looking ahead, AFE believes the next step is to continue bringing people together and collaborating. By working alongside like-minded industry organizations, researchers, educators, and businesses, Sustainabloom can build on what’s already underway, share practical ideas, and create resources that reflect the floral industry’s needs. Future efforts will include new educational materials, identifying where additional research is needed, training tailored to different segments of the floral supply chain, and opportunities highlighting businesses that are putting sustainability into practice. Together, these partnerships will help ensure the floral industry has the knowledge, tools, and support needed to thrive sustainably for generations to come.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Sustainabloom and those who continue to support its work over the past four years.
To learn more about Sustainabloom and its many resources, visit www.sustainabloom.org.
