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Functional cookies

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

  • First and last name
  • Home and billing address
  • Telephone number
  • Gender
  • IP address
  • Email address
  • Date of birth

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

  • First & last name
  • Gender

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

  • Email address

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO:

  • Revoke the consent you have granted;
  • Access personal data;
  • Rectify personal data;
  • Delete personal data;
  • File a complaint or a writ for the protection of your rights before the Spanish Data Protection Agency;
  • Be notified of any security incident that may affect your rights;
  • Limitation of processing;
  • Portability.
By Max Sargent

Gardening is good for you—really good for you. It has long been known that getting outside and moving gently has numerous benefits, and now there is more and more research coming out that backs this up.

In this article, we look at the very many benefits of gardening, and how you can incorporate cannabis into your garden and benefit from growing these plants too!


What Is Plant Therapy?

Plant therapy isn’t so much a prescribed medical practice, but rather the name given to the benefits of simple gardening. That being said, there are some instances in which people are deliberately encouraged to practise horticulture in order to improve their mental well-being, such as in psychiatric hospitals.

For the purposes of this article, though, the term “plant therapy” refers to the joys and treasures of simple gardening.

Plant therapy doesn’t involve any specific medical techniques. Simply getting out in the garden and tending to your plants—watering, feeding, pruning, or even just wandering about and checking on them, all count as plant therapy, along with more involved processes such as planting and harvesting.

Plant Therapy

Are Home Gardening and Plant Therapy the Same?

Given the above, we can say that, yes, gardening and plant therapy are the same. Arguably, all gardening has some therapeutic benefit—be it mental, physical, or both. Technically, plant therapy needn’t be home gardening, but simply gardening, as it could also take place in an institution such as a school or hospital, or at a shared garden such as an allotment.

The Benefits of Plant Therapy and Home Gardening

Gardening is known to have a wide range of benefits. From mental health benefits to longevity, lower rates of loneliness, and much more, there is good reason for almost anyone to start some form of gardening.

1. Physical Health

There are a slew of physical health benefits related to gardening. Primarily, these are a consequence of getting outside and moving. While gardening may not be the most intensive physical activity available, it is a consistent practice and has cathartic qualities that other forms of exercise may lack. In fact, it has been shown that high-intensity exercise, such as running and cycling, is not necessary to gain the benefits of aerobic exercise[1].

What’s more, the physical side of gardening can be more involved, involving raking, digging, carrying large bags of soil, and so on. If you have a large outdoor garden, then the possibilities for more intense physical exertion are there.

What’s more, it has been shown that sunlight, and subsequent vitamin D production, can help to lower blood pressure[2]. This eases strain on the heart and blood vessels, and helps to reduce stress and generally improve quality of life.

As plants grow and you tend to them, then gardening can also help to improve dexterity and fine motor skills, alongside working the heart, lungs, and larger muscles.

2. Mental Health

Gardening, and more generally being out in nature, are well-known to have a range of positive effects on mental health, which in turn can also impact physical well-being.

It has been shown that regular gardening reduces stress, symptoms of depression, and mood disturbance[3]. There are thought to be several reasons for this.

First, exposure to plants and even the color green is thought to immediately make people feel calmer. When people have regular access to green spaces, then mental health appears to improve significantly.

Moreover, studies indicate that people who regularly get outside in nature (this includes gardening) have a significantly lower chance of developing dementia[4] compared to those who don’t.

3. Greater Knowledge of Nature

It’s not all about your health!

Gardening teaches you about nature. It teaches you the names and characteristics of various flora, and also helps you to understand the fauna that lives alongside it in your garden.

Often, this knowledge becomes much greater than knowing the names of a few plants and insects. Rather, over time, you will begin to develop an understanding of the ecosystem of your garden and how the whole network of nature actually coexists.

4. Socialising

Some choose to garden alone, and this still has manifold benefits. But for others, such as those gardening in allotments, there can also be a social aspect to it too. Sharing a task and working alongside others is great for mental well-being and helps to combat loneliness.

Greater exposure to social contacts has been shown to be one of the major benefits of gardening.

Benefits of Plant Therapy

Why Is Gardening Therapeutic?

It’s clear that gardening is therapeutic in many ways, but why is this? Why is gardening good for you? In the following section, we’ll explore why gardening might be good for the body and mind, as opposed to, say, going for a run.

🧘 Mindfulness

Gardening is a slow and mindful exercise. It doesn’t involve forcing anything or rushing, but rather moving slowly. Moreover, the results are not immediate, instead taking anywhere from months to years to complete, making it a very patience-heavy activity.

Gardening, while relaxing, is simultaneously very stimulating for the senses, albeit in a gentle manner. You feel the wind, rain, and sun on your skin, and this is ever-changing. You also feel cool, damp soil in your hands and the texture of wood and leaves. In most of our lives, we are deprived of natural sensory stimulation such as this.

All of this comes together to make gardening a very grounding and present activity. Taking yourself out to the garden regularly helps you to step away from the stresses of the past and future, and instead embrace the moment in a natural environment.

🧚 Connection to Nature

We shouldn’t underestimate how important it is to spend time in nature—even if that patch of nature is very small, perhaps even just a pot on a balcony.

The benefits of nature don’t just come from epic mountain ranges. It’s got a lot more to do with connection. We humans are, though we might forget it, parts of the natural world—though most of the time we feel disconnected from this.

Working with plants helps us to reconnect a little with our animal selves, and it’s hard to overestimate how beneficial this can be.

🫂 Caring for Another Being

On that note, gardening encourages a sense of empathy with the natural world too. If you garden, you will genuinely grow to care for and love the plants you are growing. The green companionship is comforting and good for the mind and soul.

The Benefits of Cannabis Gardening

It’s easy to think of cannabis plants as entirely separate from the normal garden. But in essence, there’s little difference between growing cannabis plants and apple trees.

Therefore, we can take all of the information above and apply it to cannabis gardening, especially if growing outdoors. Growing indoors in a foil-lined tent can mitigate many of the above benefits. But growing outdoors or in a greenhouse can be very therapeutic.

How to Incorporate Cannabis Gardening Into Home Gardening

So, if you want to grow cannabis, and you also want the process to benefit your mental and physical health, here are some tips!

  1. Grow companion plants: Growing a variety of different plants will increase the benefits of plant therapy, improve the beauty of your garden, and help to protect and disguise your cannabis plants.
  2. Check on your plants on a daily basis: Learn to love and care for your cannabis plants. Check on them at least once a day, and do it carefully. Inspect every leaf, and notice how they’re growing. Observing plants on a daily basis can be fascinating, so enjoy it!
  3. Make your own soil: Getting your hands dirty in soil is very liberating. So make your own soil for your cannabis plants, rather than buying it. Your plants will thank you for it.
  4. Water them based on need: Don’t just water your plants once every x number of days, but rather take your cues from the plants and the soil. This will help you better understand the needs of your plants, and it will benefit them too. Water only when the top couple of centimetres of soil is dry to the touch.
Cannabis Home Gardening

Home Gardening: Improve Your Well-Being

As you can see, home gardening is seriously good for you. And don’t think that you need an expansive garden to reap the rewards. In fact, a house plant on a windowsill is enough to make a difference. But if you can get outdoors, then this is even better!

Cannabis can absolutely be incorporated into a home garden and used as plant therapy—don’t think of it as something entirely different. So, if you like weed and fancy all of the goodness listed in this article, why not plant some cannabis seeds in your garden?

External Resources:
  1. Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Associations of Blood Pressure, Sunlight, and Vitamin D in Community-Dwelling Adults: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (Regards) Study - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. A pilot randomized controlled trial of group-based indoor gardening and art activities demonstrates therapeutic benefits to healthy women | PLOS ONE https://journals.plos.org
  4. Lifestyle factors and risk of dementia: Dubbo Study of the elderly - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.