The perennial argument of which is greener, Organic or Local food?
This is a new discussion based around an
old ecolocal post by
Jane. My view is that Local food is better, even if it's not Organic, the lesser food miles still count. In that respect, the
100 Mile Diet is great resource for eating local if you're in the United States. For those of us in the UK, have a look at this postcode-based search engine for local producers.
Elsewhere, there are more and more articles cropping up on the web about this issue, like this one:
"Sometimes, though, local versus organic is a false choice--sometimes you can't find organic, or the local choice is bad"
The more I read, the more the 'local' choice is the better one, especially now that more and more supermarkets are pushing organic food in large quantities, causing the producers to cut corners once again.
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Hi there,
I'm a 23 year old ovo-lacto-pescatarian (I only discovered I had a title a year ago: I eat eggs, dairy, and fish, but no poultry, pork, or beef). I have been focussing on local-organic eating. Both reasons are mainly environmental, but I'm also very conscious about my health. I am beginning to doubt my logic for stopping eating meat as an effort to be more environmentally friendly, since a large component of my diet is soy products. I am also completely lost about what to focus on: local, or organic. Your posts are all very insightful, but they seem to simplify the issue.
Here's my take on it:
Local decreases food miles, supports local farmers, and supports the local economy as a whole. I live in an urban centre and do not have a car, therefore I am restricted to the grocery stores on a bus/bike route (the farmer's market is out in the country). I can't, therefore, talk to the local farmers to see what chemcials they use, and how they minimize harmful environmental impact. Organic food availability has increased noticeably in the past 2-3 years in the grocery stores here. I like to think that the organic-certified farms, even if they are large corporations, follow proper sustainable farming practices (rotation, thoughtful irrigation, minimal chemical application, etc.) but I am skeptical - especially USDA-approved food. But what choice do I have? I don't want toxins to build up in my system, yet I don't want to be polluting the air with transportation toxins (I also developed asthma 4 years ago). I have started to choose local non-organic over organic that's made on another continent (I live in Canada) but neither choice makes me feel completely satisfied. I like to put my money into what I believe in, even if it means supporting large corporations who are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
After that large ramble, I'm hoping to do some reading to make more educated decisions in the future. My environmental vegetarianism came about after reading "Natural Capitalism", and seeing the Woody Harrelson documentary "Go Further." Does anyone have any suggestions on reading material to help me out?
Thanks, Emma
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