Green Daily

No doubt, countless well-intentioned green living wannabes have dropped a bag of organic oranges in favor of the chemical-laden counterparts after seeing the price. Thinking about cost in terms of money rather than the environment is just so, well, American. But once anyone understands what the benefit of organic food really is and erases the myths from their mind, they'll probably be digging deeper into their pockets before you can say pesticide.

Even Wikipedia has a definition that might sway the strongest of skeptics and includes a breakdown of why organic farming is less damaging to the environment. In short, it says organic foods are legally regulated and produced according to certain production standards. The definition includes words like human waste, sewage sludge, growth hormones and genetically modified to describe the various things that are not in organic food. If that's not enough to convert anyone, organic farming means protecting wildlife, sustaining diverse ecosystems, using less energy and producing less waste, such as packaging materials for chemicals. Among Organic.org's list of Top Ten Reasons to Support Organic in the 21st Century are keeping toxic chemicals out of the air, water, soil and our bodies, reducing or eliminating farm pollution and promoting biodiversity. As for the price tag (we're back to talking money at this point), the web site has some thoughts.

By now, I figure you're ready to go grocery shopping. One last thing before you go: look for the label. Since October 21, 2002, guidelines were established by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) to assure consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy.

Skip ahead

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