One of the things that surprised me when I started eating organically is that I didn’t see the connection between how I eat and the environment. It seems obvious now, but I wonder how, for all these years of recycling and conserving, I didn’t make the obvious connection. Since today is Earth Day I figured I would make a short, but not necessarily definitive, list of how choosing organic over conventional will help the environment.
- Organic food is grown without chemical pesticides which leech into our water ways and ground water.
Only a small percentage of pesticides sprayed on crops are actually useful for pest control. The rest of the pesticides are released into the environment through runoff and by sinking into ground water. This greatly impacts water quality. While conventional farms produce lots of these pollutants, organic farms do not. - Organic farms do not use chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers are a major nitrogen pollutant. These nitrogen emissions go into our air and water supply. Nitrogen strips water of oxygen and this impacts sea life. In the Gulf of Mexico there is a 6000 – 7000 square mile dead zone where algae can’t grow. If algae can’t grow, oxygen production is decreased, and fish can’t feed. Large scale fish kills have been documented because of this phenomenon.
- Organic farming decreases the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air. Carbon Dioxide is a green house gas. While idiots dispute the evidence of global warming, it’s hard to dispute the significant increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since industrialization. Organic farms help reduce this by sequestering carbon within the soil, not the air.
- Organic farming assists in soil conservation. According to a USDA study, organic farming yielded soil that is richer in carbon and nitrogen which in turn increases crop yields. Soil conservation, while not glamorous, is important for the environment. The simple fact is that our food is less healthy now than ever simply because the nutrients in the soil our being depleted and this means fewer nutrients in our food. Instead of taking nutrients out of the soil, organic farming enriches the soil. Healthier soil is an environmental issue.
Anyone have anything to add?
