Organic food: It does a body good, but is it green?
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Reading through various green blogs and other online eco-sources, I've noticed a disturbing trend lately: more and more people are beginning to associate green living with wealth. Some writers, in fact, have even gone so far as to ask if its possible for lower-income people to live a green lifestyle.It's not too hard to figure out why people have gotten the idea that green is a fad that only the wealthy can buy into. After all, from bamboo exercise clothing to eco-jewelry to hybrid cars, it seems like most of the green lifestyle choices that are capturing the news are trendy, stylish, and expensive. Perhaps the worst offender is organic food. From Whole Foods to Fresh Direct to organic co-ops, growers and distributors seem to be charging a premium for organic produce. A large part of the reason for this is the fact that it is difficult to transport organic food over long distances, as it isn't as hardy as other types of produce. Another problem is that organic plants tend to have lower yields than their non-organic brethren. The same is true of organically-fed animals; organic milk cows produce far less milk than non-organics, and organically-fed meat cattle take longer to grow to full size. That having been said, organic food is way out of the price range for most families.
Ironically, organic food may not necessarily all that good for the environment. Wired magazine, in fact, argued exactly this point a little while back, when they noted that people who are concerned about the environment should consider cutting out organic foods and sticking to produce and meats that don't have to travel a great distance from the farm to the market. Organic animal products require more animals taking up more space and producing more methane than their non-organic counterparts. Similarly, organic plants take more space and more resources than their non-organic counterparts. Even worse, they then require refrigerated trucks to transport their products to market, further deepening a rather large carbon footprint.
There are many reasons to go organic; personally, I won't eat non-organic strawberries or celery. That having been said, the next time you find yourself getting the stinky eyeball from some would-be eco-warrior because your oranges aren't organic, you might want to smile smugly to yourself. After all, you're taking one for the team.
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