I ate organic food today. It was easy, I cooked the egg and I put it on my toast. OH...but that's not the important part! The important part is that I bought that organic food. I am very lucky - the local grocery store in this slightly podunk town has an excellent organic food selection. Heck, they even have a store brand/generic line of organics that is affordable! So I buy organic whenever I can. I know you might be thinking - why does it matter if I buy organic? How does that change the world? Well, the answer is two-fold...
1) I think that we all understand that organic food lacks those nasty chemicals and antibiotics that no one would miss. But it is more than that. Producing organic food is expensive. And farmers, just like the rest of us, have to make a living. So they are often persuaded (by the needs of their bank accounts) to grow "cash crops" - soy, corn, etc. - those crops that are heavily subsidised by the government. Those crops that are guaranteed to sell (let's think of all of the products that include corn or soy - bulk food items that contain high fructose corn syrup, ethanol in gasoline, livestock feed...the list goes on and on). On the other hand, those kind of guarantees don't exist with organic produce. Beyond that, organic farming is cost intensive. There is a certification process that a farmer must go through and it involves years and years of work. So by using your purchasing power to buy organic food you are telling your local grocery buying establishment "I want to buy organic food - please keep carrying it and carry more!"
2) Organic farming is good for the environment. Organic farmers don't use chemical pesticides - so less of them are introduced in to the soil. Organic farmers often employ a multi-crop rotation in their fields - therefore, the soil remains healthy and nutrient rich. And organic farmers promote biodiversity by cultivating crops (both animal and vegetable) that have variety!
Make it clear to your grocery store that you like organic products - and buy them whenever you can. And if you want to learn more, read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle or, if you are brave, Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. And check out www.organic.org.
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3 comments:
I just don't understand this society. I don't understand why an apple, which is one ingredient, costs more and is harder to buy than a Twinkie, with dozens of ingredients, most of which can't be considered to be food. I don't know why it costs less to eat at McDonalds, who grows their food in many different parts of the country, than it does to eat at the co-op, or a local restaurant serving locally-grown food.
I would love to eat organically and locally, but it requires so much time and money, both of which are such a rare commodity. It's just such an uphill battle.
Maybe someday the social consciousness will shift from the McDonald's mentality to a wholesome, local paradigm. I could talk the talk, certainly, but I know that I don't have the discipline or the willpower to walk the walk.
-Andy
Andy - I think you have an excellent point. And I also think that is why it is THAT much more important that we eat organically and/or locally whenever we can. You're right - it is crazy that an apple costs more than a twinkie.
I personally believe that the screwed up system for farm subsidies is to blame. Bringing healthy, whole foods BACK to our culture is a HUGE issue. And it is upsetting that it is virtually ignored by our elected officials. I'm going to write my congressperson!! And I hope that you will do the same. Oh, and I saw a great movie last week - Two Angy Moms - about a group of mothers that have made it their mission to clean up the school lunch programs at their childrens' schools. If you can get a hold of it, I would recommend that you watch it!
I think that this is a hugely important discussion - I'm going to do more research...
Thanks for the comment!
It's also a topic I don't fully understand -- it gets into macro- and micro-economics, both of which I have a hard time wrapping my head around.
Government subsidizing, supply and demand, etc. But it is important, and probably a really oft-overlooked issue that we heard hardly anything about in either presidential campaigns.
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