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| Mar 12, 2010 11:08 pm |
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10 reasons to go organic |
Mirdza Hayden
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1. It protects future generations’ health. The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. The food choices consumers make today will impact their children’s health for tomorrow.
2. It protects water quality. Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers three-quarters of the planet. Despite its importance, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates pesticides, some cancer-causing, contaminate the ground water in thirty-eight states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the American population. From the farm to the grocery store, organic growers and processors use practices that eliminate polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, and thus protect and conserve precious water resources.
3. It preserves topsoil. Soil is the most revered tool for organic production. Farming organically respects soil as the foundation of the food chain. The soil is built through natural means, such as composted manure, rather than relying on synthetic fertilizers, and by planting diverse crops. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that over three billion tons of topsoil are eroded from American crop lands annually. The cause? Intensive mono-cropping and chemically-intensive practices.
4. It meets stringent standards. Organic certification standards are the public’s assurance that their food and products have been grown and handled according to strict sustainable procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs. Today’s consumers can find a diverse spectrum of certified organic products on supermarket store shelves from snack foods and dairy products to cotton clothing and outdoor gear. Until the federal guidelines for regulating the use of the term “organic” are in place, “certified organic” is the only assurance consumers have that products are genuinely organic.
5. It reduces potential health risks. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Now, the EPA considers sixty percent of all herbicides, ninety percent of all fungicides, and thirty percent of all insecticides as potentially cancer-causing. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetime. In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are cancer-causing chemicals, according to the Pesticide Action Network North America.
6. It protects biodiversity. The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of our most pressing environmental concerns. Many organ growers have been collecting and using heirloom seed varieties for decades. On the other hand, many conventional farms still grow hybridized vegetables and fruits, bread for uniformity, ease of shipping and cosmetic appearance. Such “modern” concerns have ignored the value of preserving a diversity of seed varieties, and therefore a more balanced ecosystem.
7. It keeps rural communities healthy. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted that by the year 2000, half of the American farm production would come from only one percent of farms (commercial, corporate farming). Organic farming may be one of the few survival tactics left for the family farm and rural communities. Many organic farms are independently owned and operated family farms of less than one hundred acres.
8. It provides a safer, healthier habitat. Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem, and thereby provides a healthier environment for those living beings in closest contact with the farm: farm workers and natural wildlife. A National Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had six times more risk than non-farmers of contracting one type of cancer. Field workers on conventional farms, due to their direct exposure, are the most vulnerable to illness as a result of pesticide use. Organic farms eliminate that risk by excluding harmful pesticides and other chemical inputs from their practices. Organic practices encourage wildlife by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas. Removing synthetic, toxic inputs helps to make an organic farm a lively place.
9. It supports a true economy. Organically grown foods may seem more expensive, but retail prices are deceptive because conventionally raised and priced food represent only a fraction of the true cost. Current conventional food prices do not reflect the costs of federal subsidies to conventional agriculture, the cost of contaminated drinking water, the cost of loss of wildlife habitat and top soil, or the cost of disposal and clean-up of hazardous waste generated by the manufacturing of pesticides. Consumers can pay now, or pay later. Buying organic food and products now is a direct investment in a more sustainable environment.
10. It makes food taste great. Legendary restaurant chefs across the country, from California to Washington, D.C. will tell you—organic foods taste better! Why? It’s common sense. Well-balanced soils grow strong, healthy plants, which in turn make vegetables and fruits taste great. Organic food is not coated with pesticides or sprays, which make food taste bitter. True flavors, like those from an organic vine-ripened tomato, are not just for chefs and fancy restaurants. They are for all who care about food and food taste
(Taken from the Bible Health Coach program created by the Biblical Health Institute)
Mirdza
Healthy Lifestyle Coach
http://www.AbundantEnergyHealthClub.com
Private Reply to Mirdza Hayden (new win) |
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