WHY ORGANIC?

WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD STRIVE TO MINIMIZE HARM TO OTHER SENTIENT BEINGS, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND OUR HEALTH.

WE'VE CONCLUDED THAT LIVING AN ORGANIC LIFESTYLE IS ALIGNED WITH THIS VALUE.

HERE ARE A FEW FACTS THAT LED US TO DRAW THIS CONCLUSION:

 

CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURE RELIES ON PETROLEUM CHEMICALS — WHICH IS THE SOURCE OF MOST PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS.

PETROLEUM IS A FOSSIL FUEL, AND FOSSIL FUELS ARE FINITE. THUS, THIS TYPE OF AGRICULTURE IS NOT SUSTAINABLE LONG-TERM (1).

 

 

PESTICIDES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ESTIMATED 200,000 ACUTE POISONING HUMAN DEATHS EACH YEAR (2).

 

 

THERE IS A HUGE BODY OF EVIDENCE ON THE RELATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES AND ELEVATED RATE OF CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCERS, DIABETES, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS LIKE PARKINSON, ALZHEIMER, AND AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS), BIRTH DEFECTS, AND REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS.

THERE IS ALSO CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE ON THE ASSOCIATION OF EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES WITH SOME OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS, PARTICULARLY ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE SUCH AS ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, CHRONIC NEPHROPATHIES, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE LIKE SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOUS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, AND AGING (3).

 

 

WHEN IT RAINS, SYNTHETIC NITROGEN RICH FERTILIZERS AND TOXIC PESTICIDES  — ALONG WITH SOIL — "RUN OFF" INTO RIVERS, LAKES, AND COASTAL OCEANS POLLUTING WATERS AND HARMING ECOSYSTEMS ALONG THE WAY — INCLUDING LAND AND AQUATIC LIFE.

THE GULF OF MEXICO DEAD ZONE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS (4,5).

 

 

CONVENTIONAL FARMERS RELY ON SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS MADE FROM FOSSIL-FUEL INTENSIVE PETROLEUM THAT CAN POLLUTE LOCAL WATER SUPPLIES AND HARM WILDLIFE.

ORGANIC FARMERS RELY ON FERTILIZING INPUTS LIKE PLANT COMPOST, HUMUS, MULCH, GREEN MANURE, CHIPPED BRANCH WOOD, AND OTHER INPUTS  INSTEAD (6).

 

 

EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES CAN CAUSE ACUTE (SHORT TERM) OR CHRONIC (LONG TERM) EFFECTS ON ANIMALS AND HUMANS — ESPECIALLY IN THE REPRODUCTIVE, ENDOCRINE, AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS.

PESTICIDES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE LYMPHOMA, LEUKEMIA, BREAST CANCER, ASTHMA, AND OTHER IMMUNE SYSTEM DISORDERS (7).

 

 

CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURE CAUSES INCREASED GHG EMISSIONS (THROUGH INTENSIVE TILLAGE), SOIL EROSION, WATER POLLUTION, AND THREATENS HUMAN HEALTH.

ORGANIC FARMING HAS A SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT, CONSERVES AND BUILDS SOIL HEALTH, REPLENISHES NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS FOR CLEANER WATER AND AIR, ALL WITHOUT PESTICIDE RESIDUES (8).

 

 

BENEFICIAL SOIL MICROORGANISMS PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN SOIL FERTILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY SUCH AS:

ORGANIC MATTER BIODEGRADATION, NUTRIENTS RECYCLING, HUMUS FORMATION, SOIL STRUCTURAL STABILITY, NITROGEN FIXATION, PLANT GROWTH PROMOTION, DISEASE BIOCONTROL, AND OTHER BIOCHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS.

MICROBIAL ACTIVITIES AND THE NUMBER OF BACTERIA, FUNGI, AND ACTINOMYCETES (SOIL ORGANISMS) HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE CONCENTRATION OF PESTICIDES ADDED TO THE SOIL (9).