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Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Green eggs and other environmentally-friendly foods
or
It’s about more than organics
The organic food (and clothing and flowers) share of the market is growing annually and I think it’s safe to say that with Safeway’s own brand of organics and this review in Consumer Reports organics have gone mainstream. But it’s important to remember that though that’s a good start it’s not all about buying organic.
Possibly more important (or so says Umbra who I tend to trust) is buying locally. The concept of food miles is new, but the basic idea isn't and that is that it’s better for the environment to buy a local apple grown with pesticides as opposed to an organic one from the other side of the globe. This is becoming increasingly true as conglomerates centralize production. As is usually the case, small scale locally owned is better for the environment. When back in the states, we got into the weekly CSA “farmer’s” market and tried to buy organic wherever possible. Then we went to the Whole Foods to get everything else. If this food miles stuff interests you, check out this couple’s experience.
Then there’s also the issue of monocropping. Another bad result of large scale farming, even though it may be organic, is that huge tracks of land used only to grow almonds (or whatever) reduces biodiversity.
Related to the issue of biodiversity is the fact that we are also experiencing a reduction in the number of species in our food, which has adverse nutritional implications. Keeping varieties alive is important because once they’re gone, there’s no bringing them back. This is why someone we know practices “seed saving” and grows about 30 types of sweet potatoes.
Leading a full-pesticide vegetarian life also can be better for the environment compared to someone that eats lots of organic meat. Raising a cow (or even a pig or chicken, but to a lesser extent) requires a lot of grain, water, and energy. See Lappé's books for more.
Making more things from scratch at home, not only tends to be cheaper, but you can reduce packaging in a big way. Instead of buying hummus in a plastic container which probably can’t even be recycled where you are (unless you live in Madison or an equally progressive place), buy chickpeas in bulk, fresh garlic, etc. and make it at home.
For some products (especially coffee and chocolate), fair trade certification is important since slavery exists in many of the countries that produce these products. Shade grown is another certification (for just coffee?) that protects biodiversity.
Finally, for those of us who are on the look-out for animal cruelty, look for free-range eggs and chicken, but just know that it doesn’t mean a lot (and if these same big corporations get their way, neither will the organic seal) [If you can get past the mispronunciation of "biostatistician" this is not a bad piece at all]. Might be better to talk to your local meat vendor at the farmer’s market and ask about details of caging.
I'm sure I'm missing something or being too simplistic, but I just want to be clear that buying organic is not the end-all-be-all and the uninformed consumer may, in fact, be creating other problems.
.: posted by Justin 3:57 PM
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