This or That: Organic or locally grown?
Organic or locally grown? (if you can't have both)
The "organic vs local" debate is getting a little annoying because it's been going on for so long and nobody can seem to come up with anything really definitive on which is better for the planet and our health. The general consensus seems to be that local is better because the long-distances that many organics travel both rack up significant carbon footprints and contribute to the depletion of valuable nutrients. Those arguments make sense, but then what about the damage caused by pesticides used when growing non-organic local foods? Chemicals are building up in the soil, leeching into water supplies, and disrupting the balance of ecosystems all over the world -- not to mention some fruits and veggies are less nutritious when grown using chemicals. So it seems a load of toxic pesticides sprayed on a farmer's fields might be equally as damaging to the environment as sending the crop on a one-time long distance trip.
The best thing, of course, is to find options that are both if you can, but if you can't it's really about what you have the easiest access to and what's the most important to you and your family.
The "organic vs local" debate is getting a little annoying because it's been going on for so long and nobody can seem to come up with anything really definitive on which is better for the planet and our health. The general consensus seems to be that local is better because the long-distances that many organics travel both rack up significant carbon footprints and contribute to the depletion of valuable nutrients. Those arguments make sense, but then what about the damage caused by pesticides used when growing non-organic local foods? Chemicals are building up in the soil, leeching into water supplies, and disrupting the balance of ecosystems all over the world -- not to mention some fruits and veggies are less nutritious when grown using chemicals. So it seems a load of toxic pesticides sprayed on a farmer's fields might be equally as damaging to the environment as sending the crop on a one-time long distance trip.
The best thing, of course, is to find options that are both if you can, but if you can't it's really about what you have the easiest access to and what's the most important to you and your family.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-24-2008 @ 6:07PM
Courtney said...
For a while now the environmental group I work for has been encouraging people to eat local whenever they can. In fact last year we created a search platform at http://www.nrdc.org/eatlocal that could help people find what was in season in their state during any two week period of the year. And while in season doesn't necessarily mean organic-- it does let you know what your options are for local foods, which helps.
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10-28-2008 @ 2:57PM
jh said...
And I think that if we support our local farmers, even if they are not organic, then they will have more incentive (read revenue) and ability to go organic. It is also about building community and learning from each other.
jh
http://www.bodaweightloss.com
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10-29-2008 @ 10:19PM
Heather said...
Wouldn't encouraging organic farming be better in that if organic demand was higher, local farmers would be more inclined to go organic? If we buy organic over local, its encouraging the local farmers to change to organic, therefore attaining the ultimate goal of local and organic produce.
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