Waving the Red Flag...

There is something Ive wanted to talk about for a while now…but Ive avoided the issue…Mostly because I predict it may piss some people off. –And I don’t like to cause a conflict. Nor do I wish to seem inconsiderate. But it is starting to piss ME off…so I need to get it off my chest.

There seem to be a general perception that organic food and clothes are nothing but a positive thing. Positive for our bodies, positive for our environment and generally the concept that is going to save our planet. Organic is the new charity case everyone wants to get in on. Our clothes should be organic and our food should be and if you don’t agree you contribute to the destruction of our planet. Period.

I find it odd that this organic food is going to make us healthier. I work, as most of you know, in a grocery store, and there is a general agreement among my coworkers that the customers buying nothing but organic all look paler and generally unhealthier than the average customer. It could be a coincidence. Of course.

Now, if you are reading this you are probably wondering where Im going with this…I sound like quite the schmuck…I know. And the reason you are feeling that way right now, is because you believe what the papers tell you. And you wont necessarily be wrong…there is a lot of truth in the general perception of organic products.

It has become common knowledge that artificial fertilizers introduced to soil cause many problems…one of which is algal blooms in lakes which kill fish and other organisms by asphyxiation. There is no arguing this. Also; avoiding the spraying of cereals and other food products reduce human-introduced toxins in our food. It also reduces the amount of human-introduced toxins in the soil…which inevitably affects various species. I am in no way denying this.

However.

What I would like you to consider, is the requirements behind organically grown products. A farmer which grows his cereal organically will need a much larger field to grow his crops organically than he would need had he used artificial fertilizers. He is in need of a certain volume on his harvest in order to sustain himself and quite possibly a family as well. Plants grow slower in poor soil…they also have less mass when grown without fertilizers than they would have with. Hence, the farmer needs a bigger area of land. He will also need to switch between fields to allow one field the rebuilding of nutrients…possibly by letting cattle graze here…but while this is taking place he is utilizing the other field. Translated: he needs a lot of land. This may in many cases require deforestation. Deforestation removes animal habitats.

Of course the presence of human introduced toxins is a no-issue with organic food. -But what about the naturally introduced ones? There is a reason farmers started spraying their crops to begin with. That reason is mold. There are also various bacterial infections one has to deal with, but mold may be the most serious one. -Serious enough to cause death in humans as well as cattle and other animals. Organically grown food does not have protection against these infections and require a much higher level of control. –A control we know tends to be sloppy…just look at the milk issue in China for instance.

My point is:

Organically grown food isn’t necessarily better for the environment…nor the human body. It certainly can be, but that depends on what type of organic food you are eating. We know for instance that nuts and especially peanuts are very susceptible to mold. Organically grown cereal may be better for the soil and the organisms living there…but what about the ones that used to live in the area before it became cultivated?

And what about areas in the 3rd world struggling with poor soil? If everyone decides to eat nothing but organic, how will they be able to sell their crops? Could this increase the division between the 3rd world and the industrialized part of the world?

The way I see it, the best solution may be 50-50. Switch between organic and artificially grown food. Wear clothes made out of organic cotton…but not only that type of clothes. You are of course allowed to stay organic in every way…but don’t say you are doing it for the environment.

You have a personal right to be selfish…but know that you are.