There are many reasons why buying organic is a good decision. At Connie’s Green Grocery, we understand these reasons and have included just a few of those for you here.
HELP SMALL FARMERS
Although more and more large-scale farms are making the conversion to organic practices, most organic farms are small, independently owned family farms of fewer than 100 acres. It’s estimated the United States has lost more than 650,000 family farms in the past decade. Organic farming is one of the few survival tactics left for family farms.
KEEP CHEMICALS OFF YOUR PLATE
Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered long before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 4 million cancer cases among Americans. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can also harm humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutations.
SUPPORT A TRUE ECONOMY
Although organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods, conventional food prices don’t reflect hidden costs borne by taxpayers, including nearly $74 billion annually in federal subsidies. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and cleanup, and environmental damage. For instance, if you add in the environmental and social costs of irrigation to a head of lettuce, its price would range between $2 and $3 dollars.
SAVE ENERGY
American farms have changed drastically in the last three generations, from family based small businesses dependent on human energy to large-scale factory farms. Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12 percent of the country’s totally energy supply. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate and harvest all the crops in the United States. Organic farming is still based on labor intensive practices such as hand weeding and green manure and crop covers instead of synthetic fertilizers to support soil.
PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices you make now will impact your child’s future health.
*Source: California Certified Organic Farmers www.ccof.org.
As you can see and may already know, organic produce is better for you, your family, the economy, and the environment. This is why Connie’s Green Grocery makes it easy for you to have organic produce for your family or business. If you are interested in receiving organic produce, Connie’s Green Grocery offers organic produce delivered to your home or office. There is no commitment or contract. You can cancel at any time. We guarantee the quality of our produce 100%. The selection of produce will change weekly based on what is in season and fresh.
For questions or to sign up, please visit our website at ConniesGreenGrocery.com.