Why Eat Organic

You hear a lot of people talking about organic food. But why? Is it worth the cost? What are the benefits of buying organic? I'll try and list some of the reasons to support organic farming...

• Organic products are typically farmed and produced by small independent family businesses.


• Organic farming limits the amount of chemicals that are released into the environment.


• Organic farming protects our water resources from dangerous chemicals and promotes a healthy environment.


• Organic farms use less fossil fuels in producing food.


• Certified Organic products meet tough standards regulated by the USDA.


• Buying organic is a direct investment in the long-term future of our planet.


• Organic farming preserves the diversity of plant species.


• Buying organic keeps the harmful chemicals out of your house and away from your children.


• Supporting local organic growers promotes a local sustainable economy.


• Organic food just plain tastes better.

Conscious Gardening and Landscaping

Spring is here and everyone is getting anxious to begin working in their gardens and on their lawns. I have been stirring the compost bin and can't wait to increase the size of my organic vegetable garden again this year.

I will be blogging about organic gardening, local community gardens, and feeding the local people in need through increased gardening. There are some great local groups in my community including Plant a Row for the Hungry and Loveland Youth Gardeners. This year the local Rotary Club is announcing a new program to increase the production of the Plant a Row program and get more local organic produce into the homes of local families in need. Check back as these programs are important for your community and they can put your extra produce to good use.

Today I would like to help promote a group who is working on clean air for Colorado. The Ozone Aware group works to create awareness of air pollution and to promote was of reducing the ozone in the air we breathe.

One major cause of ozone in the summer months is the use of gas lawn mowers. The exhaust from your gas lawn mower is increasing air pollution and causing unsafe levels of ozone. The best way to keep the air are safe for all to breathe is to mow your lawn in the evening when the temperature has cooled down. Also, consider xeriscaping your yard to limit the amount of grass. This will lower the amount of water needed to water your grass and decrease the amount of mowing you have to do.

This year The Regional Air Quality Council will be hosting three Mow Down Pollution 2009 Events in Northern Colorado. At this events consumers can trade in their old gas lawn mowers for a new electric mower. There will also be information available on Xeriscaping, Composting, Water Conservation, Earth Friendly Products, and Chemical Free Lawn Products. Check out one of the three events:

Denver Event When: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 8am - 2 pm Where: Garland Park, 1001 South Kearney Street, Denver - just off Cherry Creek Drive North

Commerce City Event When: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 10am - 1pm Where: Civic Center, 7887 East 60th Ave, Commerce City - Next door to Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Boulder County Event (tentative)When: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 12n - 3pm Where: Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Rd. Longmont, CO. - south parking lot

Get more information here.

Community Supported Agriculture

It is that time of year again. Time to sign up for your local produce from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). A CSA is a way for consumers to form a relationship directly with a local farm. It insures you will be eating the freshest local organic produce and it's a great way to provide a living income for farmers in your immediate area. By buying directly from the farm you are supporting a hard working family and cutting out the middle man and the grocery stores. This saves you money and gets you a much fresher product.

As a member of a CSA you will receive the local organic produce weekly. You can enjoy the greatest vegetables or fruits when they are in season. Buying organic vegetables in the store sometimes means you are buying food grown in South America or elsewhere on the planet. The transportation factor of this food increases your carbon foot print. The only way to truly eat healthy food and have the lightest impact on the planet is to buy your food from a local source. Having a CSA share saves you from having to go to the farmers market each week but gets you the same great items.

There are over 2200 CSA's in the United States. Many offer eggs, honey, cage free chickens, organic beef, and other meat in addition to their organic fruit and vegetables.

To find out more on CSA's check out the Local Harvest Site. My family has been a member of the Monroe Organic Farm for the last 3 years and we love it. They deliver all over the Northern Colorado and Denver metro area.

My kids favorite part of being members of the farm is that we get to go out to the farm and pick our own strawberries each year. My daughter says that she wants to pick the chocolate strawberries next year.

Is Your Organic Food Coming from a Small Company?

This is something that I came across that I thought was really interesting. Many of us think that by buying organic or natural food we are supporting small businesses. You may be surprised who you are actually supporting. Click on the link below to find out.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/OrganicTop25Jul07.pdf

That's right Kashi and Morningstar are owned by Kellog, Boca is owned by Kraft, and Cascadian Farm is owned by Gerneral Mills.

As the organic food industry continues to grow, I expect we will see even more large corporations start organic product lines or purchase some of the smaller companies. I guess this is good as long as we all have healthier choices available to us. Just remember to support your local CSA or farmers market.