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Humans love food. We need it, we revel in the joy it brings, and we even enjoy competitive food eating (to the chagrin of many a hot dog and pie). So, it should come as a surprise to learn that the very culture of eating that sustains and entertains us is actually harming humanity and the very environment that makes eating possible in the first place.

This sad realization, in large part due to the industrialization and over-processing of our food system, has led to a much happier drive toward sustainable eating. Nutrient-sapped, internationally-shipped, greenhouse gas-emitting, over-packaged, genetically modified, energy-intensive and chemically-engineered foods just aren’t cutting it anymore.

Yet it is exactly these factory foods that line the vast majority of grocery store shelves. Yes, the organic food industry is growing rapidly, but it still represents a small percentage of overall food sales—one too cost-prohibitive for many shoppers, especially given high rates of unemployment and rising food costs.

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However, a growing awareness of what’s on our plate continually makes it easier to eat sustainably. Indeed, the whole process starts with individual steps, from reading a book to visiting a farmer’s market. Don’t be discouraged by a lack of sustainable options at the grocery store. Natural food stores and corporate chains are slowly catching up with the movement, but they will always be some distance behind consumer demand. Thankfully, anyone with access to the outdoors and a flower pot can begin the path to sustainable eating today. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need that. Here are 10 easy ways to become a sustainable eater:

#1 – Garden

The most sustainable food is locally, organically and ethically grown or raised. There is no better way to ensure those three food factors than by doing it yourself. If you have a yard, start a garden. If you have a balcony, try container planting. Even windowsill herbs are a good start. You can hang plants upside down from the eaves. Getting down and dirty is a big part of sustainable eating.

#2 – Eat at local-food restaurants

This one comes courtesy of SustainableTable.org. When you eat out, patronize restaurants that support the local food system, i.e. serve locally raised meats, locally grown organic vegetables and foods from local, independent farmers. Find such a restaurant near you at EatWellGuide.org.

#3 – Graze at the Farmer’s Market

When your own garden isn’t big enough, buy from your neighbors. There is simply no better place to shop for fruits and veggies than a farmer’s market. Here, all the food is locally grown. Here is the heart of the organically grown movement. And here you can often find other goodies like locally baked bread and pastries, honey, jams, jellies, preserves and more.

#4 – Join a CSA

In line with the farmer’s market is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In this model, residents buy a share in a local farm or farms’ yield. Typically, a box containing a selection of local, seasonal produce is prepared once a week and left at a predetermined drop-spot for shareholders to pick up. Sometimes, meat, dairy and fruit are also available. LocalHarvest.org is a good spot to find a CSA in your area.

#5 – Buy sustainable meat, dairy and eggs

Industrial dairies and meat factories are a huge contributor to the blight of unsustainable food production. Contaminated meat, pollution, animal cruelty, air quality, ground water contamination and low quality in general are all symptoms of this industrialization. Finding local eggs is probably the easiest to do, as these are often available alongside veggies at the weekly farmer’s market. Grass-fed, ethically treated meats are probably the hardest, simply because it is so tough to compete with corporate farms. However, makers of local meat, dairy and eggs do exist, and it is through programs like CSAs and consumers like you seeking them out that these farmers or ranchers are able to remain in business. Plus the beef, eggs and dairy taste better and are better for you. Look again at the Eat Well Guide for your own local options.

#6 – Educate yourself

You don’t have to take my word for it. The only way to do what’s best for you and your environment is to educate yourself. Read a book, such as anything by Michael Pollan, about our very unconventional and unhealthy food system. Watch films like Food, Inc. or Fresh for a big-screen glimpse into the culture of industrial agriculture. Or investigate any of the other thousands of resources at your disposal, including how-to’s on gardening and other sustainable eating/growing methods.

#7 – Compost

Part of sustainable eating is handling food scraps and leftovers. The most beneficial way to handle them is composting. You start by diverting material from the landfill (food decomposes very slowly under landfill conditions) and you end by creating the best possible fertilizer for your garden. Simply search online for a myriad of helpful tips for getting started on composting, including other avenues like worm bins or promoting curbside composting in your city.

#8 – Solar cooking

Perhaps more of a fun, educational tool or renewable barbecue theme than a real way to cook on a daily basis, solar cooking is nevertheless the ultimate way to sustainably cook and eat. Of course, another way is to power an efficient electric stove with a home solar power system mounted on the roof.

#9 – Bring your own bag

The simplest step to take on the path to sustainable eating is bringing your own bag. Plastic bags have become a blight on everything, from landfills to city streets to our waterways and the oceans themselves. It’s amazing the difference you can make simply by bringing your own reusable bag to the grocery store. Even paper bags require a significant amount of energy to recycle. The same sort of notion can be applied to what you buy as well. Focus on products with limited packaging, especially plastic, as much of this cannot even be recycled. Also, avoid cramming all the produce you buy at the store into those plastic storage bags; it’s usually unnecessary (you should wash them before use anyway), as cashiers have lists of PLU codes at the register if a small sticker isn’t already adhered to the product.

#10 – Eat organic

It’s been mentioned several times already but it can’t be stressed enough. Pesticides and herbicides are a major environmental problem. Even organic farmers are struggling to avoid contamination by nearby industrial farms as toxic chemicals blow on the wind. These same chemicals pollute soil and groundwater as well, not to mention the nutritional value of the final product that makes it to your plate. The organic food industry is growing precisely because consumers are taking note of those environmental hazards and the effects on long-term health for their family and environment. Local and organic should be inextricable in any sustainable eaters shopping credo, but if local is hard to find, organic at least is easier to come by.

Dan

Dan Harding is a well-versed veteran of solar critique, commentary and reporting. CalFinder Residential Solar Power is proud to tout Dan as their solar expert. He has published well over 1,000 articles on a wide variety of solar industry topics, ranging from cutting-edge technology and gadgetry to political satire and powerful editorials. He holds a B.A. in English from Michigan State University, and enjoys reading, writing and home construction.

10 Easy Ways to Eat Sustainably is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

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The roots of the organic food industry were sown in the late 1960’s with the dawn of a new wave of environmental awareness.

The industry has since shown astonishing growth that has surprised its critics. According to the Organic Food: Global Industry Guide published in February 2009, the industry has a global value of $52 billion with a forecast to reach $83.1 billion by 2013.

The growth in organic foods from a fringe industry to a mainstream part of the food supply is partly the result of growing environmental awareness and partly the result of the growing scientific evidence of the superior nutritional value of organic food.

These benefits include superior health and nutrition, environmental protection and improved animal welfare.

Health and Nutrition Benefits

Many scientific tests of organic foods against conventional foods have been inconclusive. In his article, Health Benefits of Organic Food, Shane Heaton examined much of this testing. He found that many of the tests lacked rigor and were poorly conceived and conducted. Those tests that were executed to a high standard support the belief that organic food is indeed healthier.

Heaton himself has no doubts about the health benefits of organic food. As he says, “decreasing one’s toxin burden and increasing one’s intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can have a significant impact on health, especially when trying to improve or restore health.”

In a comprehensive study of the nutritional value of organic against conventional foods, a March 2008 report “New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods,” State of Science Review, cites strong evidence of the nutritional superiority of organic foods. In particular, organic foods were found to contain more than 20% more antioxidants, polyphenols, quercetin, vitamin C and vitamin E. Conventional foods contained higher quantities of nitrogen, again favoring organic foods. Of course, organic produce is largely free of the pesticide residue cocktails found in great quantities in conventional foods.

A 2009 report conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine concluded that there were no nutritional benefits of organic foods. However, the organic scientific community disputed the conclusions of this report. The London report did not consider pesticide or fertilizer residues in its study.

Organic milk has been shown to be healthier as it has been found to “include more Omega 3, more CLA, more antioxidants and more vitamins than conventional milk” in research by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Research. In addition to superior nutrients, organic milk is free of the hormones and antibiotics found in high quantities in conventional milk.

Organic meat is similarly free from hormones and antibiotics. The mad cow disease epidemic that swept the world a few years ago originated by the feeding of animal derivatives to cattle.

Pesticide residues do not only affect the conventionally grown fruit and vegetables. Residues are found in conventional milk and meat products. There is growing evidence of the dangers of human exposure to pesticides.

Environmental Benefits

Conventional farming methods involve the large-scale use of pesticides and fungicides to spray crops. Chemical fertilizers are used in large quantities to maximize the crop yield. These activities damage the environment and pose a threat to wildlife in affected areas. The soil has become depleted and stripped of nutrients. Crops grow only with the addition of high levels of chemical fertilizer. Organic farming is natural, allowing for the proper feeding of the soil and keeping the air, rivers and streams free of these contaminants.

Humane Animal Treatment

Factory farming is at its worst when it comes to the treatment of animals. Animals are restricted to confined areas throughout their lives. Cattle are fed a cocktail of animal derivatives, antibiotics and hormones to ensure fast growth and high yields. The result is tragic for these animals that have no life. Organic meat production is quite different. Cattle graze freely, eating a diet of fresh nutritious grass. Chickens are allowed outdoors to gather their food.

The produce is not only healthier but tastier. By using organic meat you are contributing towards a much more humane way to treat animals.

Most organic foods cost more than the conventional counterparts. Surprisingly, a growing number of organic products are becoming available at very competitive prices. Even if it does cost you more, what price are you willing to pay for your own and your family’s health?

Barry Marcus

Barry Marcus is the author of Breathing Space, a blog about politics, human interest, and life in South Africa.

Barry lives in Johannesburg with his artist wife Lorraine, sons Adam, Joshua & Asher, and cats Minnie and Zena.

Are there really benefits from organic foods? is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

Ironically, the college chums, a couple of likable fellows with an affinity for whiffle-ball and fast food, both had a great grandfather from the same county in Iowa. So once the two find a landowner to lease them the property and a farmer to help them plant their crop, they start to explore not only their familial roots, but the roots of the corn industry. As the corn grows, so does their search, bringing them to some truly eye-opening realizations about the US food industry.

Though a lot of the information has been touched on in films like Food, Inc. and Super Size Me as well as books like Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, King Corn delivers it from a different perspective. By telling the story from a would-be farmer’s perspective, the filmmakers are just as amazed as we are when they learn firsthand some of the inner workings of the agricultural industry. From the realization that US farmers are paid primarily through government subsidies since they often actually lose money on their crops to the fact that the majority of corn grown in Iowa is so genetically altered that it is not suitable for human consumption, even for those who have heard this information before, the film delivers it in such a compelling way that it seems fresh and consistently alarming.

The filmmakers deliver an evenhanded expose of the corn industry that doesn’t seem as scathing as so many documentaries of late have. Nevertheless, by the end, when they actually have to take their harvest to market, you can really feel their heartbreak as they sell their prize crop with no idea where it will be going or what it will be used for. Will it be one of the 20,000 acres of corn it takes just to sweeten the sodas consumed in Brooklyn, NY in one year? Will it be used to quickly fatten up cattle? Or will it be used in one of the thousands of other food products made primarily of corn?

The film points out that we now spend less of our income on food than any generation in history, and fewer of us are needed to produce that food. However, considering that we are sacrificing so much of the nutritional value to keep costs down in a society with an explosion of problems like diabetes and obesity, we have to wonder if we shouldn’t reconsider our food budget. As one interviewee says of the government agricultural subsidies, “We subsidize the Happy Meals, but we don’t subsidize the healthy ones.” And yet so many of the farmers in the film insisted that if the American people demanded healthy food, they would be glad to grow it, but the current schism of quickly grown, high yield, low nutrition agriculture is going to be hard to break from. Nevertheless, considering that the impetus for the film was the realization that for the first time in history, this generation’s life expectancy is lower than the generation before, our diets need to become a higher priority.

Movie Review: King Corn is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag