Organic Foods are killing our Environment

OK, so some of you no doubt read my post about "going green" and how ridiculous I think people are getting about it. The next logical thing for me to rant about is organic foods.

I'll reiterate what I said to preface my last post on going green. I don't hate the environment and I actually encourage smart use of our natural resources... but people are kinda stupid when it comes to it. No offense, but especially big city dwellers.

This is how the media wants you to view non-organic foods

I'm hearing more and more on the TV and from people I meet and know that they are going to start shopping for and eating exclusively organic food products. I always thought the idea that one apple is organic and another is not sounds like complete idiocy. They both come from a seed, check. They both require nutrients and water, check. They are both the same species, check. So how is one organic and the other not? Well apparently someone decided that it would be cool to trick people into thinking that an apple grown naturally without the use of pesticides and other non-natural processes is better for them. Yeah, and Dr. Kevorkian was a saint that only wanted to help people. Think of your average apple as being like Roger Clemens (highly productive, bigger, juicier and overall better) whereas the other (organic) apple is more like you or I. We are stepping onto the mound to hurl a few 68 mph fastballs at opposing hitters. Meanwhile Clemens is reaching triple digits on the gun. Which one will be more effective? Which one stands a better chance of lasting longer than 1 inning? That's right, the steroid enhanced one... stay with me here.

People will claim that they are saving the environment by eating organic when I argue they are destroying it even further. They argue that the pesticides and herbicides harm the environment (a half-truth) and that growth horomones that genetically alter plants and animals to be more productive somehow harm humans (false indeed.) They argue that it will make them unhealthy if they drink milk from cows that use BST's or eat beef from beef that have had a steroid shot to get them bigger, faster. In fact, people have gone so far as to only eat cows that have grazed "naturally" in a pasture and not a feedlot. If this sounds stupid to you, then we are on the same page.

Here is my argument for them. Instead of saving the environment they are destroying it. Heres how. It takes much more land to range cows, pigs, chickens or any other kind of meat "naturally." This uses more water and land resources to produce the same product. For an orchard to produce as much fruit as one that uses pesticides and other additives it will take roughly twice the land and water resources and so on because a lot of the fruit will go to waste from bugs eating it. Couple this with the fact that it is not clinically proven that eating only organic foods is any healthier for a human and you have someone who is tricked into thinking they are saving the environment and themselves. See how I can flip the coin.

So for any of you out there that want to pay double the amount for less food I say go for it. But remember that the only one your really cheating is yourself. If it made you feel good about saving the environment, keep in mind that you are probably doing just the opposite. At the very least, your just like everybody else... except for the fact that you just gave your left pinkie finger to purchase those organic bananas at Albertsons. Cheers!

Think I'm full of it? Check this link out: Organic food