Living in Peace and Wisdom on our Planet

When we walk down the produce section of the typical grocery store there will be the "normal" fruit or vegetable section that is a shiny, picture perfect, GMO-enhanced and "relatively" affordable compared to the organic section.

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too." (USDA)

I would like to challenge organic food in the endless debate between organic food and local food. While organic food protects the lands and the quality of what we are eating, it is often not as sustainable as local food. An organic apple from California eaten by a New Yorker has thousands of food miles attached to it that we do not feel the bite of. A food mile is, "…the distance food travels from the farm to the store where you buy it…these miles are costly to the environment. They are, in fact, among the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide" (thedailygreen.com).  It is opportunity costs like these that must be considered when we as consumers are making a choice of where our money goes, and yes what we eat is a choice.

While local food may not have as consistent of a definition as organic food, it can often be more sustainable. Being sustainable impacts more than just our environment. Buying locally will also help the local economy not just survive but thrive. It also encourages a sustainable political world. If we as consumers are demanding local food, then the government has no choice but to have the stakeholders be the local community. It is necessary to integrate environmental sustainability, especially into the food sector, to our cycle of political, economical and social development. It is changes like these that will begin reducing our ecological footprint.

Ways you can get started:

http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets: Find your local farmers market!

http://www.gardeners.com/Vegetable-Gardening/5069,default,pg.html: Make your own garden!

http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx: Get into preserving so that when you have a craving for a summer peach in January you will not have to think twice about climate change!