Why Organic?
There are plenty of reasons that people choose to incorporate organic food into their diet. Paramount among them is the simple fact that organic food tastes better. Growing food organically reduces damage that we cause to our planet, and respects the biodiversity and wildlife of our ecosystem. Finally, pesticides, by design, are poisons designed to kill—and most people generally endeavor to avoid eating poison.
For your health:
Eating organic food helps to protect you from exposure to toxins and diseases. Aside from tasting better, produce that is grown in harmony with nature and allowed to mature at its own rate has a higher nutritional content. Recent research suggests that some organic produce is lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional produce. On average, total antioxidant capacity averages 30% higher in organic foods. Individual antioxidants are sometimes 50% to 100% higher in organic food than in conventional.
The pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides used in conventional farming are dangerous to human health, particularly so to children. The EPA now considers 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides, and 30% of all insecticides, potentially carcinogenic. According to the National Academy of Science, neurological and behavioral effects may result from low-level exposure to pesticides. The EPA estimates that pesticides contaminate the ground water in 38 states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half of the country's population.
Organic farming uses alternative methods that work in harmony with nature and the ecosystem, instead of poisons.
For the environment:
We believe that the health of the ecosystem cannot be separated from the health of the individual.
Organic farming doesn't consume or release any synthetic pesticides into the environment—many of which harm soil, water, air, and local terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Conversely, the dependency on the chemical fertilizers of non- organic farms has taken a toll on our topsoil—to the tune of an estimated cost of $40 billion per year in the U.S., according to David Pimental of Cornell University.
Pesticides don't just pollute the local farms. The EPA itself is concerned that 85 to 90% of all pesticides drift from their point of application, wreaking havoc on the neighboring wildlife and ecosystem. Synthetic fertilizer runs from farms into rivers and streams, as an odorless, invisible toxin. Water laden with fertilizer lead to algae blooms, which literally kill lakes, rivers, and other aquatic bodies. It is the primary cause of dead zones in the fragile ocean environments.
Excessive pesticide use leads to soil degradation and contamination. By contrast, organic farming enhances the natural soil structures, conserves water, and ensures the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
The laboratory; the dinner plate:
In recent years, multi-national corporations have quietly ushered a new kind of food onto the American dinner table. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are plants, animals, or bacteria that have been engineered to overcome natural boundaries; to be more resistant to pests, droughts, etc. It's sort of like having pesticides built-in to your crop. In the U.S., corporations are not required to disclose whether foods have been genetically modified on their packaging. European Union nations, Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand all require mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Several countries have outright banned GMO foods.
Many people are concerned because there hasn't been sufficient safety testing to measure the effects of these foods on humans. Evidence suggests that consumption of GMO foods may be unsafe—According to a London Times article, the lifespan of ladybugs was cut in half when they consumed aphids who had been fed GMO potatoes. They also laid fewer eggs. The ladybugs hadn't consumed GMOS firsthand.
Once GMOs enter the environment, cross-pollination between modified organisms and native plant/animal life is uncontrolled, and adversely affects regional biodiversity in unpredictable ways. Eventually, this could lead to the extinction of native and wild species across the globe.
Natural, organic foods are free from Frankenfood worries.
