| |
Organic Defined
By mimicking nature, organic gardeners are guided and directed
by this most wondrous teacher. Using materials that nature provides and through
such practices as composting, crop rotation, natural pest control and diverse
planting, organic gardeners achieve their goal while leaving the soil enriched
and maintaining biodiversity, without disturbing the quality of our air and
water supply. So by revering the circle of life, replenishing the needs of the
earth, and working with the forces of nature rather than against them, organic
gardeners have returned to the time when humans worked within the cycle of
nature, thereby eliminating the need for synthetics.
Organic benefits
- Cleaner water and air
- Not only are synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides
and fungicides potentially toxic where they lie but they may also eventually
work their way down to the water level polluting much of the drinking water.
And when sprayed, pesticide residues are left in the air for all creatures to
breathe. These residues unfortunately stay around while others are continually
being added. Many take years, decades, and sometimes even centuries to break
down.
- Healthier soil
- In organic gardening, the soil is built up and enriched
through the use of organic material such as compost. Rather than depending on
synthetic fertilizers which feed only the plant, the soil is actually fed so
that our very earth becomes richer in nutrients and less prone to erosion. In
addition, many organic growers routinely rotate their crops, plant cover crops
and grow a more diverse range of plants on a particular plot of land. All of
these practices help to conserve the minerals and nutrients in the soil.
- Conserve water
- Healthy, nutrient rich soils created through the practices of
organic gardening also retain moisture more easily, reducing the need for
additional watering.
- Balanced ecosystem
- Though pesticides may kill a particular pest, eventually
resistant strains can develop, ultimately creating an even more difficult pest
control situation. Also in the process of aiming at a particular pest,
competitors and natural enemies of other pests will inadvertently be killed
off, leading to an increased population of other pests. It is also believed by
some that many songbirds have disappeared from our world, possibly because of,
being at the top of a long food chain, they are ingesting highly concentrated
doses of chemicals.
- Conserve energy
- It takes more energy to produce synthetic fertilizers than it
does to cultivate, till and harvest crops. Also, farms have changed so
drastically over the years, from small, family based businesses that depend
more on the energy of humans to large farm factories that depend on other forms
of energy such as petroleum.
- Increased bio-diversity
- Because mono-cropping (the practice of planting the same crop
on the same plot of land year after year) is less prevalent in organic farming,
growing organically may help to preserve thousands of varieties of natural
edible plants, otherwise lost, ultimately providing us with a greater choice of
fruits and vegetables.
- Disease resistant plants
- Organic growers generally use plants that are suited to their
environment and disease resistant varieties therefore reducing the need for
fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
- No growth hormones, etc.
- Animals raised organically are not given hormones or growth
stimulants and will not be given antibiotics routinely. Sometimes animals are
given so many growth hormones that they literally live their whole lives unable
to carry their own weight. Livestock can be certified "organic" if they have
not been fed rendered animal parts and instead been raised on organic
foodstuffs (grains and other products grown under certified organic conditions)
for at least a year. In addition, when you buy organic these drugs will not be
passed on to you as a consumer.
- Safer conditions for workers
- Because of the health risks involved when applying various
pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, supporting organics will help provide
for a safer working environment for field workers.
- Support small business
- About ten families eating organic food will support one
small organic farm.
- Leave a legacy for generations
- Supporting organics will help to ensure a cleaner and
healthier planet for generations to come.
- Keep pesticides off our food and out of our
bodies
- Everytime we eat something that has been treated with a
pesticide, let's say an apple, we are ingesting a government accepted low level
of pesticide residue. Many believe these residues to be potentially
carcinogenic and perhaps even related to certain birth defects, nerve damage
and genetic mutations. Also, some believe that pesticides are in higher
concentrations the higher you go on the food chain. That is, pesticides
don’t just affect the creature that ingests them first. They accumulate in
the tissues of animals, and then, as one organism is eaten by another, they
build up ever higher concentrations at each successfully higher rung on the
chain. In addition, consumption of livestock, poultry and dairy products that
contain hormones and growth stimulants may possibly play a role in the
pre-mature development of children.
Most importantly, no one knows the
effects of ingesting all of these various pesticide residues in combination
with one another, nor do we know the long-term effects of ingesting such
pesticide residues and hormones over a period of a lifetime.
- A healthier place to live
- It is obvious that the health of our environment has a direct
impact on our own personal health. Cleaner water to drink and air to breathe
can only mean a healthier you.
- Nutritious food
- Healthier soil means a healthier plant. The healthy soil
created through the process of organic gardening means soil full of nutrients.
And soil full of nutrients means food rich in nutrients.
What we can do:
- Support organic growers by buying organic food.
- Grow organically at home (flowers, food and even the grass!)
We must not forget that it is not only the organic growers of commercial food
that can avoid using these potentially harmful chemicals. Today in a society
with a ?green lawn syndrome’ we are heaping chemical upon chemical in our
neighborhoods, towns and cities. We, as individuals, use synthetic fertilizers,
pesticides, herbicides and fungicides at alarming rates in the very places
where children play, where our wildlife rest and graze, and where we garden and
have our lawn parties. We are working, playing and eating among these
chemicals.
- Read up on the practices of organics. The more we understand
it the more likely we are to support it and practice it!
Organics is gardening and farming in
cooperation with nature. It takes from nature what is needed but is always
giving back to nature in return. It is recycling in its most basic sense.
|
|
| |
It is working in
partnership with our precious earth.
10 Green Spending Strategies
- Buy in Bulk
- Purchase staples- beverages, pasta, and home products- by
the case and carton. You’ll save money, reduce wasteful packaging and
always have the items you use most on hand.
- Purchase organic products
- Buying organic goods is a healthy strategy for your body and
the planet. Look for food, vitamins, and other products that are made with
organically grown ingredients and materials.
- Keep green catalogs handy
- You can mail order products such as clothing,
energy-efficient products, and body care products.
- Keep track of green business
- Make a list of the businesses you use, and add any local
green businesses where you shop. Help sustain these businesses with repeat
purchasing. Encourage local businesses to carry green products.
- Join a community-supported agriculture project
- You’ll purchase shares in a local farm, receive
organically grown produce during the growing season, and support area farmers.
Call community Supported Agriculture of North America 717/264-4141. Organically
grown produce is free of toxic pesticides, nitrogen-based fertilizers and toxic
chemicals.
- Buy fair trade products
- When you buy fair trade, you promote fair income and labor
practices and preserve cultural diversity by supporting traditional skills.
- Green your circle of influence
- If you belong to a club or organization where you can
influence purchasing decisions, encourage others your group or others to buy
green.
- Consider energy efficiency
- Buy energy-efficient appliances and compact fluorescent
bulbs.
- Use natural cleaning solutions
- Avoid toxic chemicals and difficult to recycle aerosols.
Baking soda works as a cleaner, vinegar or lemon juice as a deodorizer.
- Read labels
- Depending on the product, look for words like
“recycled,” “organic,” “natural,”
“biodegradable,” “no animal testing,”
“non-toxic,” and “no GMOs” (genetically modified organisms)
|
|
| |
Plastic
Avoid buying plastic whenever possible. Only 1% of post-consumer
plastic is being recycled. Plastics currently account for 32% of landfill space
by volume.
If you must buy plastic, avoid buying plastics with numbers 3-7.
They are difficult to recycle and their manufacture is very polluting. Be
conscious of what type of plastics in your area can be recycled (e.g. #1 and 2)
and buy accordingly.
Avoid buying food packaged in plastic. Except for plastics made
from PET(1), the EPA cannot allow plastics used for food to be recycled back
into food containers because plastics cannot be heated at a temperature that
will kill all contaminants that may remain. With the exception of PET plastics,
all plastic food containers are produced using virgin resources. Using virgin
resources for the production of plastics uses more energy than any of the
sector of the chemical industry and generates the most hazardous waste as well.
For more plastic
recycling tips:
www.greenmatters.com |
|
| |
Buy Items Made from
Recycled Materials
Buying items or packaging made from recycled materials completes
the recycling process. Without a market for products made of recycled
materials, local recycling programs will become more costly and fewer
recyclables may be collected and processed. Many products are identified
recycled or partially recycled on the label or the product itself.
The first and foremost reason to buy recycled products is
because recycling helps conserve natural resources. Every ton of steel cans
recycled saves 1.36 tons of iron ore and 3.6 barrels of oil. And recycling one
glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours.
Another reason to buy recycled goods is because the
manufacturing process creates less air and water pollution than making goods
from virgin materials. For example, making paper from recycled materials
instead of wood pulp reduces air pollution by 75%.
If a product you like doesn’t come in a recyclable
container, call or write the company. Because recycled products use less energy
and resources, they can be cheaper in the long run, but only if enough of us
request them and buy them to make it economical for the manufacturer to produce
them in the first place.
Along with seeking out recycled items, make an equal effort to
avoid disposable or non-recycled products. Materials that are difficult to
recycle vary from community to community, but may also include aseptic drink
boxes, Styrofoam, blister packs and multi-layered packaging. |
|
| |
 Take a Breath of Fresh Air…at Home!
Air in our homes is filled with fumes from
pertochemical solvents added to cleaners to dissolve dirt. The average
household contains 10 gallons of toxic materials, most of which are in our
cleaners. To detoxify your house, first rid yourself of cleaners that are toxic
or that you suspect might be toxic. When you buy new cleaning products, look
for products that list ingredients on the label and purchase cleaners
containing non-petroleum-based surfactants, that are chlorine and
phosphate-free, that claim to be "non-toxic" and that are biodegradable. Also
make sure to buy nontoxic cleaning supplies in bulk or condensed forms, in
recycled or recyclable containers. You may also want to try making your own
cleaning products out of common household items such as baking soda, vinegar
and lemons!
For more information on green cleaning:
Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a
Day the Safe Nontoxic Way by Karen Logan
Clean and Green: The Complete Guide to Nontoxic and
Environmentally Safe Housekeeping by Annie Berthold-Bond
For more information on eco-friendly products:
www.greenpages.com
|
|
| |
 A Word on
Fair Trade
The Fair Trade Program provides a sustainable model of
international trade based on economic justice. It offers consumers the
opportunity to purchase goods from producers who were paid a fair price for
their work. Fair Trade means an equitable and fair partnership between
marketers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and
the Caribbean.
Fair Trade Criteria include:
- Paying a fair wage in the local context
- Offering employees opportunities for advancement
- Providing equal employment opportunities for all people
- Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices
- Being open to public accountability
- Building long-term trade relationships
- Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the
local context
- Providing financial and technical assistance to producers
whenever possible
- Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor
Fair Trade Benefits:
- Values and preserves traditional cultures
- Generates fair income for thousands of artisans around the
world
- Educates consumers about trade and cultures
- Promotes people-to-people ties among artisans, traders, and
consumers
- Gender equity: 70% of craft artisans are women
- Provides resources for education, health care, and community
development
- Promotes environmental stewardship
- Supplements income in between harvest cycles, when rural
communities most need income
- Promotes democratic participation in cooperative group
structures
- Ensures that artistic technologies in indigenous cultures are
passed on to the next generations
What you can do:
Make a commitment to Fair Trade.
Challenge yourself to shift a percentage of the money you spend on food and
goods to Fair Trade products. This will make a big difference in the lives of
artisans and farmers worldwide.
For more info:
www.globalexchange.org
www.fairtradefederation.com/
www.sweatshops.org |
|
Why Buy Eco-Friendly?