Earth Walker
September 23rd, 2001, 06:03 PM
I'm passionate about natural food. Adamantly opposed to
chemical-based factory farming. Militant in my belief that plants
should not be genetically modified and unleashed to the four
winds. I support land reclamation efforts and take hope in
movements like community supported agriculture (subscription
farming), permaculture ( a design system for creating sustainable
human environments in balance and harmony with nature), and
biodynamics (Rudolf Steiner's agricultural approach, with a goal
of achieving balance and healing through the principles of nature).
So why am I afraid I'll bore you with my ode to organics for
Celebrate Organics month?
I don't know. Organic. It just sounds so bland. Of course I
know how exciting, beautiful, and important the subject is, but
how can I make it sexy enough for you to care about it in the
posting here? How to explain that when I think of organic
agriculture, I actually breathe a sigh of relief and think to myself,
well, we're winning that one.
To me, it's nothing less than that: an epic war over topsoil,
groundwater, and air. After all, it's pretty much the consensus
now, isn't it, that whatever we do to the Earth will come around
and punish us as a species later? Now, more than ever, we need
sane and sustainable ways to manage what's left of our natural
resources.
But selling the organic concept to the consumer? That's hard.
Every September the organic industry tries, with its Celebrate
Organics campaign, to bring attention to the benefits of organically grown food. They know people don't always have
positive associations with their product, and certainly most haven't yet made the connection between their own appetites
and the fate of the planet.
What a marketing conundrum: a product that saves the
environment, is highly nutritious, costs next to nothing, and
tastes great! Why isn't everyone eating this way?
Some people have a block against all things organic because to
them it seems just short of entering a mystical realm in which one
involuntarily grows dreadlocks and start chewing astragalus root.
This particular demographic will always be difficult to convince,
for they are unable to look past their fearful associations into
what is really there. Besides, they're on to something.
Coming to love Earth, and care for her, takes root in your soul.
You are changed. If they aren't ready for the real thing,
let them eat Safeway.
If organics have an image problem, then price is number one on
the spin list. Serious shoppers know that organic food costs more,
and some, of necessity, are forced to give up the good stuff to
maintain a budget. Me, I've justified it many times over.
Sure, I occasionally wince at the checkout line, but only momentarily, because I know my actions are improving the
viability of our culture. Remember: I take this very seriously!
And I know, too, that if enough people truly embrace organics,
the price will come down for everybody.
We're only thirty-odd years into the Canadian organic movement,
and despite no real support from the government, it's turned into
the largest-growing niche in supermarkets today.
Somebody's buying it.
Now, the organic people understand your position. They know you have no idea that the very fabric of our civilization is at
stake, so they patiently continue to spread the word that planting
and harvesting in harmony with nature works because, as much
as possible, the natural ecosystem is undisturbed.
Unlike commercial fields, there are no harmful poisons accumulating in the plant, and the soil, free to flourish in its balanced state of teeming microbes, fungus, earthworms, and
decaying plant matter, thrives. With the organic label, you know
you've contributed to keeping toxins out of our air, soil, and
water supplies.
Chemical farming came into the mainstream in post-World War ll
Canada, when older farming methods that seemed outmoded
(but were actually sound, centuries-old practices like mulching
and composting) were abandoned in favour of harsh chemical
compounds that attacked weeds and insects.
Lured by the promise of higher yields, Canadian farmers embraced
the new technology en masse. But far from being the saving grace
of a burgeoning agricultural society, this new dependence on
deadly chemicals set in motion a chain of events leading not only
to super pests that developed immunity to the original pesticides,
but a whole new area of science, the genetically modified organism (GMO). These untested, unregulated new species pose a very real threat not only to organic fields (where cross-pollinating plants have already been contaminated) but also to
the safety and health of virtually all living things. Like mutant
pollen blowing onto a pristine organic field, in a few short decades
the family farm has become a giant chemical brew.
So now you know what the organic people are doing: trying to
reclaim the tortured land and nurture it back to health.
It's slow, it takes time, and it isn't very glamourous, although the
rewards are great. Now consider one of the leaders in the
biotechnology field, Monsanto, the folks who brought us Agent
Orange, PCB, and DDT, and who still are unregulated by any federal agency, including the Food and Drug Administration, The U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency! No one is watching them but a few consumer groups.
The Monsanto people claim that their billion-dollar investment
in genetically engineered food is to fight hunger and reduce
pesticide use, but for good measure, they, and other biotech
firms, have invested $50 million in public relations, too.
In his new book The Food Revolution, John Robbins (author
of Diet For A New America) takes Monsanto to task for everything from false advertising and biased poll-taking to legal
extortion, the latter in the company's gutsy contract specifying
that farmers who buy their genetically altered seeds must also
agree to use only Monsanto's herbicides on their crops, which,
incidentally, are dependent upon those very herbicides for
survival.
Robbins also points out that Calgene, a division of Monsanto,
has developed a strain of cotton that can withstand direct
spraying with an herbicide the EPA lists as a carcinogen.
What happens when these ever-harsher chemicals are unleashed
on fragile ecosystems that begin with microscopic life forms and
travels through rodents to birds to humans and other mammals?
The worst-case scenario Robbins hopes he never sees is the
day that certain crops designed to produce their own pesticide and already in fields today will mingle genetic information with the plants in neighbouring fields. As Worldwatch Institute puts
it, the potential for genetically altered and non-altered plants to
multiply is "one of the true nightmares of technology gone
haywire -- toxic chemicals that reproduce."
Among their many "innovations," companies like AstraZeneca,
Novartis, and Monsanto have patented genetic processes that
create seeds that automatically become sterile with time.
This effectively blocks the centuries-old tradition of saving seeds
to plant in the next season. Within one growing season, farmers
would be locked into a lopsided commercial transaction, dependent on these companies for new seeds every year.
When public outcry grew intense enough in 1999, plans to market
these "suicide seeds" were scrapped, at least temporarily.
But lest you be lulled into thinking their mission is an altruistic
one, consider this telling remark by the co-president of Monsanto's agriculture department. After overseeing the buyout
of another of their seed competitors, Robert T. Fraley said, "This
is not just a consolidation of seed companies. This is a
consolidation of the entire food chain." I told you they were
scary, didn't I?
Still not convinced organic is the way to go? How about
nutritional appeal? It isn't sexy, but it's good news. In a famous
study done at Rutgers University, organic produce was compared
to commercially produced fruits and vegetables. The organically
grown foods had higher nutritional values across the board, at
least 50% more in most cases. This work was recently re-validated by a study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition, which stated that magnesium from the organic foods
they tested was 138% higher than the supermarket variety.
Potassium was 125% higher, calcium 63% higher.
The Rodal Institute's 14-year-long corn trials released data
showing that the organic fields they studied were generally found
to produce as much corn as a comparable commercial field, or if
not, averaged the same market price because the organic fields
saved money on pesticides.
Can we reverse the landslide of excesses caused by insane
farming methods? Will we rise up, as The Campaign to Label
Genetically Modified Foods has, monitoring parliamentary
hearings, bombarding provincial and federal legislators with
letters of concern about GMO foods, promoting passage of a
soon-to-be-introduced bill demanding that GMO's be labeled?
Will we ignore the entire European Union, Australia, Japan, and
China, all of whom require GMO's to be labeled. Or will we stand up and reclaim what belongs to nature?
It all comes back to that: the wind in your hair, the bees in your
flowers. If your only reason for going organic is to counteract big
agribusiness, well, that's a start. But don't miss the big picture:
if you don't love the land and support her in all your daily practices, you won't stick with organics anyway. It's got to be about the food.
So here's the pitch: Don't let our soil stay in the hands of a few
wealtyh people who want to farm out of a laboratory and then
make farmers pay exorbitant prices for their products.
Don't let it happen! Don't turn your back on this vitally important
issue that will help determine how our population navigates the
21st century. Either you get it now or you don't yet care.
I hope you will someday. In the meantime, I urge you not to walk
away from what you know, but to seek out your neighbourhood
organic produce market this month. There, consciously select the
fresh foods that call to you. Then go home and create, lightly and
in love, an earthly feast. Celebrate Organic by falling in love with
food again. Do it for the Earth, do it for yourself, do it for all of us.
Go organic, baby.
For more information on organically grown food and genetically
engineered crops, try these Web sites:
California Certified Organic Farmers: http://www.ccof.org
The Campaign To Label Genetically Engineered Food
http://www.thecampaign.org
Alliance for Bio-Integrity: http://www.bio-integrity.org
Organic Consumers Association: http://www.purefood.org
Pesticide Action Network: http://www.panna.org
The Centre for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org
chemical-based factory farming. Militant in my belief that plants
should not be genetically modified and unleashed to the four
winds. I support land reclamation efforts and take hope in
movements like community supported agriculture (subscription
farming), permaculture ( a design system for creating sustainable
human environments in balance and harmony with nature), and
biodynamics (Rudolf Steiner's agricultural approach, with a goal
of achieving balance and healing through the principles of nature).
So why am I afraid I'll bore you with my ode to organics for
Celebrate Organics month?
I don't know. Organic. It just sounds so bland. Of course I
know how exciting, beautiful, and important the subject is, but
how can I make it sexy enough for you to care about it in the
posting here? How to explain that when I think of organic
agriculture, I actually breathe a sigh of relief and think to myself,
well, we're winning that one.
To me, it's nothing less than that: an epic war over topsoil,
groundwater, and air. After all, it's pretty much the consensus
now, isn't it, that whatever we do to the Earth will come around
and punish us as a species later? Now, more than ever, we need
sane and sustainable ways to manage what's left of our natural
resources.
But selling the organic concept to the consumer? That's hard.
Every September the organic industry tries, with its Celebrate
Organics campaign, to bring attention to the benefits of organically grown food. They know people don't always have
positive associations with their product, and certainly most haven't yet made the connection between their own appetites
and the fate of the planet.
What a marketing conundrum: a product that saves the
environment, is highly nutritious, costs next to nothing, and
tastes great! Why isn't everyone eating this way?
Some people have a block against all things organic because to
them it seems just short of entering a mystical realm in which one
involuntarily grows dreadlocks and start chewing astragalus root.
This particular demographic will always be difficult to convince,
for they are unable to look past their fearful associations into
what is really there. Besides, they're on to something.
Coming to love Earth, and care for her, takes root in your soul.
You are changed. If they aren't ready for the real thing,
let them eat Safeway.
If organics have an image problem, then price is number one on
the spin list. Serious shoppers know that organic food costs more,
and some, of necessity, are forced to give up the good stuff to
maintain a budget. Me, I've justified it many times over.
Sure, I occasionally wince at the checkout line, but only momentarily, because I know my actions are improving the
viability of our culture. Remember: I take this very seriously!
And I know, too, that if enough people truly embrace organics,
the price will come down for everybody.
We're only thirty-odd years into the Canadian organic movement,
and despite no real support from the government, it's turned into
the largest-growing niche in supermarkets today.
Somebody's buying it.
Now, the organic people understand your position. They know you have no idea that the very fabric of our civilization is at
stake, so they patiently continue to spread the word that planting
and harvesting in harmony with nature works because, as much
as possible, the natural ecosystem is undisturbed.
Unlike commercial fields, there are no harmful poisons accumulating in the plant, and the soil, free to flourish in its balanced state of teeming microbes, fungus, earthworms, and
decaying plant matter, thrives. With the organic label, you know
you've contributed to keeping toxins out of our air, soil, and
water supplies.
Chemical farming came into the mainstream in post-World War ll
Canada, when older farming methods that seemed outmoded
(but were actually sound, centuries-old practices like mulching
and composting) were abandoned in favour of harsh chemical
compounds that attacked weeds and insects.
Lured by the promise of higher yields, Canadian farmers embraced
the new technology en masse. But far from being the saving grace
of a burgeoning agricultural society, this new dependence on
deadly chemicals set in motion a chain of events leading not only
to super pests that developed immunity to the original pesticides,
but a whole new area of science, the genetically modified organism (GMO). These untested, unregulated new species pose a very real threat not only to organic fields (where cross-pollinating plants have already been contaminated) but also to
the safety and health of virtually all living things. Like mutant
pollen blowing onto a pristine organic field, in a few short decades
the family farm has become a giant chemical brew.
So now you know what the organic people are doing: trying to
reclaim the tortured land and nurture it back to health.
It's slow, it takes time, and it isn't very glamourous, although the
rewards are great. Now consider one of the leaders in the
biotechnology field, Monsanto, the folks who brought us Agent
Orange, PCB, and DDT, and who still are unregulated by any federal agency, including the Food and Drug Administration, The U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency! No one is watching them but a few consumer groups.
The Monsanto people claim that their billion-dollar investment
in genetically engineered food is to fight hunger and reduce
pesticide use, but for good measure, they, and other biotech
firms, have invested $50 million in public relations, too.
In his new book The Food Revolution, John Robbins (author
of Diet For A New America) takes Monsanto to task for everything from false advertising and biased poll-taking to legal
extortion, the latter in the company's gutsy contract specifying
that farmers who buy their genetically altered seeds must also
agree to use only Monsanto's herbicides on their crops, which,
incidentally, are dependent upon those very herbicides for
survival.
Robbins also points out that Calgene, a division of Monsanto,
has developed a strain of cotton that can withstand direct
spraying with an herbicide the EPA lists as a carcinogen.
What happens when these ever-harsher chemicals are unleashed
on fragile ecosystems that begin with microscopic life forms and
travels through rodents to birds to humans and other mammals?
The worst-case scenario Robbins hopes he never sees is the
day that certain crops designed to produce their own pesticide and already in fields today will mingle genetic information with the plants in neighbouring fields. As Worldwatch Institute puts
it, the potential for genetically altered and non-altered plants to
multiply is "one of the true nightmares of technology gone
haywire -- toxic chemicals that reproduce."
Among their many "innovations," companies like AstraZeneca,
Novartis, and Monsanto have patented genetic processes that
create seeds that automatically become sterile with time.
This effectively blocks the centuries-old tradition of saving seeds
to plant in the next season. Within one growing season, farmers
would be locked into a lopsided commercial transaction, dependent on these companies for new seeds every year.
When public outcry grew intense enough in 1999, plans to market
these "suicide seeds" were scrapped, at least temporarily.
But lest you be lulled into thinking their mission is an altruistic
one, consider this telling remark by the co-president of Monsanto's agriculture department. After overseeing the buyout
of another of their seed competitors, Robert T. Fraley said, "This
is not just a consolidation of seed companies. This is a
consolidation of the entire food chain." I told you they were
scary, didn't I?
Still not convinced organic is the way to go? How about
nutritional appeal? It isn't sexy, but it's good news. In a famous
study done at Rutgers University, organic produce was compared
to commercially produced fruits and vegetables. The organically
grown foods had higher nutritional values across the board, at
least 50% more in most cases. This work was recently re-validated by a study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition, which stated that magnesium from the organic foods
they tested was 138% higher than the supermarket variety.
Potassium was 125% higher, calcium 63% higher.
The Rodal Institute's 14-year-long corn trials released data
showing that the organic fields they studied were generally found
to produce as much corn as a comparable commercial field, or if
not, averaged the same market price because the organic fields
saved money on pesticides.
Can we reverse the landslide of excesses caused by insane
farming methods? Will we rise up, as The Campaign to Label
Genetically Modified Foods has, monitoring parliamentary
hearings, bombarding provincial and federal legislators with
letters of concern about GMO foods, promoting passage of a
soon-to-be-introduced bill demanding that GMO's be labeled?
Will we ignore the entire European Union, Australia, Japan, and
China, all of whom require GMO's to be labeled. Or will we stand up and reclaim what belongs to nature?
It all comes back to that: the wind in your hair, the bees in your
flowers. If your only reason for going organic is to counteract big
agribusiness, well, that's a start. But don't miss the big picture:
if you don't love the land and support her in all your daily practices, you won't stick with organics anyway. It's got to be about the food.
So here's the pitch: Don't let our soil stay in the hands of a few
wealtyh people who want to farm out of a laboratory and then
make farmers pay exorbitant prices for their products.
Don't let it happen! Don't turn your back on this vitally important
issue that will help determine how our population navigates the
21st century. Either you get it now or you don't yet care.
I hope you will someday. In the meantime, I urge you not to walk
away from what you know, but to seek out your neighbourhood
organic produce market this month. There, consciously select the
fresh foods that call to you. Then go home and create, lightly and
in love, an earthly feast. Celebrate Organic by falling in love with
food again. Do it for the Earth, do it for yourself, do it for all of us.
Go organic, baby.
For more information on organically grown food and genetically
engineered crops, try these Web sites:
California Certified Organic Farmers: http://www.ccof.org
The Campaign To Label Genetically Engineered Food
http://www.thecampaign.org
Alliance for Bio-Integrity: http://www.bio-integrity.org
Organic Consumers Association: http://www.purefood.org
Pesticide Action Network: http://www.panna.org
The Centre for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org