Organic farmers use less energy, less water resources, and NO pesticides, what better reason to eat organic! These farmers don’t clutter landfills with toxic waste either! Eating organic food is a conscious choice to survive right along with the planet that sustains them. Organic food also minimizes the exposure to pesticides that are often linked to many different cancers. Pesticides are a chemical substance used to kill any pest. Pests can include insects, weeds, and even birds and other mammals. Pesticides are potentially toxic to humans and other animals. Eat less meat; most meat you find in grocery stores are huge polluters, they use so much energy and resources that just are not needed!! I believe eating lower on the food chain reduces some of those problems with wastefulness of energy and resources.
Organic farmers do not use any type of pesticides on their produce, or to produce their livestock. Many agricultural crops use pesticides. Some of the produce with the highest levels of pesticide residue that you find in your local grocery store are strawberries, cucumbers, potatoes, green and red bell peppers and celery. Believe me, I am only naming a few.
The Organic Consumer Association was formed in 1998 by consumers that refused to let the government put restrictions on the food they were eating. It is the only United States organization focused exclusively on promoting the interests and view of the country’s approximately 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers. The Organic Consumer Association or OCA works with a broad range of public interest organizations in challenging industrial agriculture, and attempting to avoid feeding all these pesticides and toxins to the wonderful people of this nation. On the OCA website you can also search a green people directory that can tell you where to find organic produce and livestock in your area. A very useful resource.
From the beginning co-ops stressed the purity of foods and honest dealings. Becoming a member of a co-op increases your savings on organic foods and many co-ops have volunteer programs that can get you coupons and many other discounts and opportunities to save on organic.
I know it’s a hard thing to do but, plan meals ahead of time, you won’t be scrambling to pick up something convenient, which of course as we all know has a much higher risk of being unhealthy and wrapped in more packaging. That’s not going green for us as Americans or for our wonderful Mother Earth. I will leave you with this thought for the day, let your taste buds be your guide, the produce that tastes better is usually better for your health.
Sources:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
