In any weddings, graduation parties, anniversaries, or funeral, the one thing that is common is the use of flowers. Families want to commemorate these events with beautiful flowers used in decoration or in bouquets etc. But, there is one thing most people fail to think about. An average event lasts for about one day, so what will happen to all the fresh flowers after the event? Unfortunately most of the flowers get thrown away.
Elevating the concept of upcycling, Bloomerang applies this phenomenon to used flowers! Bloomerang collects flower donations after the event is complete, rearranges them in vases and donates them to senior care centers, hospitals, and retirement homes!
Many senior citizens have been forgotten or are going through mental health issues due to being isolated for so long. This is very prevalent with long-term patients in hospitals as well. Hospitals had banned visitation for a while due to the pandemic and are only now starting to open things back up. These donated flowers bring some color to their lives.
The essence of Bloomerang is bringing a smile on someone’s face… someone that truly needs it the most – by giving flowers new powers! The combination of the upcycled flowers, the yearning donors, and the people in need is a formula for happiness!
Your donated flowers are bringing many smiles to our residents’ faces. All the residents are singing your praises. What an awesome service project idea! You are going to go far.
I would like to send a huge thank you to you for the beautiful flowers. They are simply beautiful. I have placed them though out the building and it has brought a bright light of sunshine in the building. Our Residents are loving the gorgeous creations you have put together for them and cant wait for more. We here at Lehigh commons cant thank you enough for your donation and your time. We definitely look forward to have the opportunity to receive more of your flowers arrangements.
I would like to thank you for the flower donation. We truly appreciate you. You were able to bring many smiles to our residents in our community.
Veda Gandhi is a sophomore at Parkland High School in Allentown, PA. Veda loves sustainability, applying her passion to try and help the environment. She has created her own seaweed bioplastic, aiming to replace single-use plastics with a more environmentally-friendly option. She has presented her research at various science competitions at the state and national level. In addition to her scientific pursuits, Veda is an intern at the Parkland CARES Food Pantry, helping local families in the district gain access to food in times of economic difficulty. At school, Veda participates in various clubs and competitions ranging from varsity debate, mock trial, National History Day, and FBLA.
As president of Bloomerang, Veda leads the effort to reduce waste by upcycling flowers from events and giving them new life in the hands of seniors at retirement homes. This role allows her to put her passion for sustainability into action, turning what would be discarded into meaningful moments of joy and connection for others.
Siddhant Khandelwal is the founder of Bloomerang. He is currently a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in computer science and finance.
Seeing perfectly intact flowers go to waste is not something Siddhant could let happen. His interest in founding and developing Bloomerang spurred from seeing this phenomenon occur in his own cousin’s wedding! COVID happened to be the talk of the town at that point in time which gave him the idea to upcycle these flowers and bring smiles on the faces of those who needed them the most.
