Have you ever really wondered if what you are doing (or not doing), to live greener has any real impact on things? Do you look at the neighbors out spraying their lawns and think “how is my one little yard making any profound difference in the scope of things?” or any other “the glass is half empty” kinds of thoughts? I think if we are all honest about it, we may all have these self doubting thoughts on occasion. Even still, I would never give up trying to make greener choices for our planet even though some of my actions may seem meager on a grand scale.
It takes all of us to do our part to create a large scale movement!
The month of September is Organic Harvest Month, and with this annual event brings awareness and a chance to support farmer’s who choose to produce their crops without chemicals. I love farmers! Well, okay – not ALL farmers. Yes, I have a major crush on those that value their crops and Mother Earth at the same time – Organic Farmers. They know that they can produce crops in a natural and organic way without having to use synthetic chemicals. Chemicals that are bunk! Chemicals that only help their bottom line by creating “bunk food” for us. Bunk food that can and might just cause damage to our bodies – and especially the little tiny developing bodies of our children. Okay I am venting.
Bottom line is that organic farming helps all of us! It creates better and healthier soil and their aren’t nasty pesticides running into our ground water all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, that does happen. We can change this though by supporting these farmer’s who care about our health and the health of all other eco-systems by purchasing ORGANIC!
So often we hear that organic just costs too much. Well think of it as part of your health and life insurance policy. By paying a bit more, you might just reduce your risk for many diseases and conditions including ADHD in children, which has been linked to pesticides. See more here.
I know first hand how hard it is to live with a small budget, but I have still found ways to buy what I need the most in organic form. I am not able to purchase everything organic, but I do buy the things that we need and want the most – that have the greatest risk. Check out the EWG for a printable list or download it to your mobile phone, of the Dirty Dozen. It’s a great list of the produce that has the most and least amounts of pesticides. It’s easy to use and convenient to take on your shopping trip. We may not all be able to buy 100% organic foods all the time, but we can take steps to reduce the amounts.
In honor of “National Organic Harvest Month”, I encourage you to take a look at the foods that your family eats the most of and start from there! Organic farmers can thrive as long as we are there to buy their food. No more “Frankenstein Foods,” we deserve better.
So this weekend – stop at your local Farmer’s Market and give some support to your local farmer’s…ask hard questions about their methods and feel good knowing you are taking important steps to ensuring your family’s health! It may seem like a small step – but it can have a great impact on the future of our food system and our health if we all begin to show our support for organic foods!
Agree with it all. We just got back from a road trip and stopped at a small town because we saw there was a farmer’s market. Ended up finding organic peanuts of all things, still attached to the greens. Not sure you can cook those up, but need to research. In any case, it’s heartening to see so many farmer’s markets opening up and so many people seeking out organic for those things the EWG suggests. Our local farmer’s market takes food stamps so careful shopping whether you have a lot of money or not will help us to do the best for our families.
Hi Lynn! Thanks so much for the comment! Organic peanuts – fabulous!!! It is truly awesome to see the relationships building and strengthening between communities and their local farmer’s – I could not agree more
I am also so happy to see that more awareness is being raised about healthier options and I am so thankful for the EWG – they are a GREAT resource!