BLOG COMMENTS RE: Save the Planet, Eat Organic
So, I was talking with a friend the other day who was appalled at the cost of organic food. With this frustration, she was having trouble remembering the reasons why she buys organic food. This frustration is completely understandable. The cost can be ridiculous and the mark-up can be outrageous. Her other concern was how organic food is out of reach for some families who just can’t afford it because they can barely pay to keep shelter over their heads. Without a doubt, this is unfair. However, focusing on the cost of organic food can overshadow the importance of how supporting the demand for organic food will save the planet. It is a complex issue. You really have to sit down and remind yourself or re-read about how it works. It may be easier to follow the path that organic food doesn’t take during production, and then discuss the pros and cons.
First off, organic crops are not usually grown on mass scale where giant diesel polluting machinery is used to till, sow, and spray the land. During production of organic food crops, petroleum based pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are not sprayed on the crops. Therefore, harmful chemicals do not end up sinking down into ground water or running off into our waterways. Huge quantities of beneficial insects and even small mammals and birds are not killed by these chemicals. “The environmental costs of using recommended pesticides in the United States are estimated to be $9 billion a year; included are 67 million birds killed each year from the recommended use of pesticides. (Pimentel, 1997.)” (Quoted from The Organic Trade Association) So, here we have major pollution of our water ways and destruction of ecosystems…not happening in organic farming. Yay!
The Pros:
Organic farming brings us away from large scale mass production of food and back to small scale local farming. It reduces pollution on our planet and supports surrounding eco-systems and the food chain. Organic food is healthier for us because we get fewer chemicals in our organic food, and we get more nutrient dense food. Recent long term studies are showing that organic food does in fact contain more vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants than their conventional counterparts. It is even quite possible that organic farming could feed the world if communities organized to sustain themselves with their own local organic farms. Studies show that more organic food can be grown per acre compared to conventional food.
The Cons:
Organic food is expensive and it will continue to be until most of the world is producing organic food. Organic food costs more because the farms use more labor to do what giant machines do on conventional farms…. fertilizing, removing weeds, and harvesting. Retailers charge what consumers are willing to pay since the demand is higher than the supply. Additionally, the government does not subsidize organic farms to lower prices like it does with conventional food.
However,“There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production—cleanup of polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, costs of health care for farmers and their workers—were factored in to the price of food, organic foods would cost the same or, more likely, be cheaper.” (Quoted from the Organic Trade Association). Sometimes the cost of organic food is about the same as conventional when the supply is high. You just have to know where to shop and to buy locally grown food in season. It is really good to get to know who your local farmers are and what their farming practices are. Some small farmers can’t afford to pay for organic certification, but they may not spray chemicals on the crops. You just have to ask. You can get some deals at your local Farmer’s Markets.
So, why can we save the planet by buying organic food? It is like investing in our children’s future. Increased demand causes more farms to become organic. More organic farms mean less conventional polluting farms. Less polluting farming practices mean less polluted air, water, soil, and more thriving diverse ecosystems. Buying organic food is like investing in the growth of a cleaner planet. If no one buys it because it is too expensive, the world does not change. We have to buy food according to our values to show industry what we want. The demand for organic food is growing stronger every year and this is why big agriculture business has converted some of their farms to organic. In 1980, organic farming was a 178 million dollar business. Now, it is a 17 billion dollar business and it is still growing. But, it won’t keep growing if we don’t continue to support it.
It is unfortunate that some people may not be able to afford organic food without spending more. There are ways to eliminate the most contaminated foods and to make it work on a budget, but it takes some careful planning. Let’s talk about this in our discussion! Does anyone have ideas to share about how they have reduced food costs when purchasing organic food?
References:
Buying Organic: Considering the Real Costs
http://www.theorganicreport.com/pages/19_buying_organic.cfm
Environmental Facts
http://www.theorganicreport.com/pages/22_environmental_facts.cfm
The O’Mama Report
http://www.theorganicreport.com/index.cfm
--Melinda
1. Plant a garden. I love the bumper sticker, Food Not Lawns. Growing your own food is a lot cheaper than buying it. If you’ve never gardened before, start small. If you have limited space or are not up to the challenge of preparing a garden plot, you can try container gardening. My mom likes the book Kitchen Harvest: Growing Organic Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs in Containers by Susan Berry. You can learn how to save seeds to further reduce the cost of gardening or ask gardening friends if they have any seed they would share. The food you grow can then be preserved by canning or freezing or simply cool storage. We had winter squash that lasted long into February by just keeping it in a cool, dark cupboard. Things like canning equipment, containers for container gardening, and gardening tools, etc. can many times be found at garage sales and thrift stores to again help reduce costs and encourage recycling.
2. Shop Farmer’s Markets. In my experience farmer’s markets offer better deals than super markets and your dollar stays closer in your community. If you don’t see produce labeled organic or certified organic, ask the vendors how they grow their produce. Many times farmers can not afford the fees involved in organic certification, but they still grow their produce organically. Don’t forget to look for eggs at farmer’s markets, too. Again, before we had our own chickens we could buy eggs from local farmers for half the amount it cost to buy them at the store. Where I live (Montana) it is illegal to buy raw milk, but in California raw milk is legal. I don’t know if farmer’s markets have raw milk for sale or not. But many times farmers who sell raw milk do so at a price that will be less expensive than organic milk from the store and with raw milk you can make so many other things. (yogurt, butter, cheese – I have found these things are actually easy and inexpensive to make.)
3. Shop Around. Many times specialty type grocery stores like Whole Foods, Co-ops, etc. will be many times more expensive than a conventional grocery store. Many conventional grocery stores are now selling organic food. Some of these grocery stores even have their own store brand of organic food that is many times less expensive than other brands.
4. Choose to buy just a few things organic. For example, one could commit to only buying organic dairy products. Or mix it up. Maybe one month you buy organic dairy products, the next month you buy organic vegetables, the next month you buy organic fruit and so on. . .
5. Try companies like Azure Standard. (www.azurestandard.com) Azure Standard is a large warehouse that trucks organic and natural food to retailers, individuals, and buying clubs once a month. There website explains how this all works and gives the routes of their trucks. They offer reduced prices and you can buy in bulk! Our family uses this company for almost all our food needs. It works well for us because where we live there are not many organic food options in the grocery stores.
6. Harvest from the wild. There are lots of wild plants that are edible and nutritious. Gathering these plants can be really fun. Again, start small. Get a book or ask someone who knows about edible wild plants. Dandelion is a great one for this type of harvesting. You can eat the leaves, flowers, and roots. Or go around your neighborhood and see if there are neighbors with fruit trees who aren’t harvesting them. (I know that sounds crazy – who wouldn’t harvest their fruit trees – but it does happen and generally if they aren’t harvesting them, they aren’t spraying them, but you can ask about that too) Ask if you can harvest some. Thank them with a homemade treat from some of the fruit.
Hope those ideas inspire more ideas! Would love to hear more.
Re: BLOG COMMENTS RE: Save the Planet, Eat Organic
Very Inspiring Stacy! Great ideas!
Another idea is to consider a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Box. They are generally a good deal for all they differenty types of produce you get. I got a CSA box for $20 a week from Green Oaks Creek Ranch. They did a great job and what a variety. I could hardly eat everything. It also inspires you to try recipes for things you may not normaly purchase. See our Resources Page under Food for our coastside CSAs.
Also, I was actually saving a lot of money buying the Whole Foods 365 generic brands for a while. They have really expanded that and have something in almost every catagory.
