Organic Food and Humvees Are Both Eco-Wasteful

Canada Free Press ^ | Thursday, July 27, 2006 | Dennis Avery

[Sean_Anthony]

Organic food consumers are as careless of the environment as the drivers piloting those massive Humvees around our city streets. Both are wasting money and natural resources to gain snob appeal–with no other benefits

[Sax]

There is an Organic Food Co-op grocery store that I used to drive by for work every now an then. I'd stop in for some tasty snacks on the road - dried pineapple, dates, some kind of pemmican bar, and this Ginseng Rush soda.

Never cared enough to take any of the stuff home, but it made for a welcome difference in snack choices. Kinda miss it.

It was also amusing to do a little hippie sight seeing, like going to the zoo.

[homeschool_dad]

I'm an absolute believer in the benefits of sustainable farming and also the nutritional benefits of organic vs. non-organic food. I think a lot of the problems that we have with diseases today can be attributed to the garbage that's fed to us by the multi-national food companies.

[Dudoight]

'I'm an absolute believer in the benefits of sustainable farming and also the nutritional benefits of organic vs. non-organic food. I think a lot of the problems that we have with diseases today can be attributed to the garbage that's fed to us by the multi-national food companies.'

I agree...it is not so much the nutritional components of organically grown food...it is the natural component. No hormones in cows to get more milk, no insecticides, no chemicals to push those chickens out full grown in 8 wks...etc.

[MiHeat]

"'I'm an absolute believer in the benefits of sustainable farming and also the nutritional benefits of organic vs. non-organic food. I think a lot of the problems that we have with diseases today can be attributed to the garbage that's fed to us by the multi-national food companies.'

I agree...it is not so much the nutritional components of organically grown food...it is the natural component. No hormones in cows to get more milk, no insecticides, no chemicals to push those chickens out full grown in 8 wks...etc."

As long as we are willing to pay the added costs. That is a mighty obstacle to overcome when the average person here is trying to cut costs. In many less developed areas, "organic farming" is a recipe for mass starvation and war.

I agree except for one thing: Roundup.

We use it on our garden and with Roundup Ready Corn and Soybeans.

No till agriculture/GM crops bred for herbicide resistance is a phenomenal advance. The savings in fuel/oil/energy and the need to no longer use really nasty herbicides is really great for the environment. The have been battles such as that with Monsanto who wanted to make sure the seed was sterile so that no one could save it for the next crop which would have had a devastating effect on developing countries but I think that was put to bed.

[Minnesoootan]

attributed to the garbage that's fed to us

One thing I use in debate on diet is that if you walk into a supermarket and have 100 FOOD coupons at the checkout,you have a bad diet...once and awhile I'll have one for a buy one whole chicken get one free,but never for 10 frozen pizzas for 5 bucks.

[cyborg]

I buy organic. I guess that makes me a snob. I rather be a healthy snob than a conservative who thinks only liberals should eat organic food.

[gtwizard]

I'm sorry but until all (or even any one) of the Organic Farming Associations can say something better than "Organically grown foods are AS HEALTHY and AS NUTRITIOUS as foods grown using more modern methods of agriculture" I have to wonder if the "benefits" justify the added burdon placed on the environment in the form of deforestation, erosion, etc.

To quote the article: "Unfortunately for the organic customers, no consistent, significant nutritional advantages have EVER (emphasis added) been documented in organic food, during the more than 75 years since a German racial purist named Rudoph Steiner first dreamed up the organic concept in the 1920s."

[homeschool_dad]

Just a couple of on-line articles for you to peruse at your leisure. I'd challenge anyone to show that sustainable agriculture is bad for the land. If anything, (and this is just my belief) the pesticides and herbicides used today have leached our soil of any value. Bad analogy - let's say you eat an organic apple. To get the same nutritional value from a non-organic apple, you'd need to eat 3 of them. Yes, there's no question that organic food costs more. But, I've kept my gorcery budget the same. I may bring home "less" food, but the food I do bring home is of much better quality and much more nutricious.

http://www.nutiva.com/nutrition/organic.php
http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/polyphenolics031203.cfm
http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Organic%20and%20Vegetarian/frost47.htm
http://www.texasep.org/html/lnd/lnd_2agr_susdev.html
http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/health/