To Go Green or Not to Go Green?
Dahl 1
To Go Green or Not to Go Green? Very few people know the real definition of organic food, and most just call it “natural”. However, farmer J.I. Rodale describes it as: A system whereby a fertile soil is maintained by applying nature’s own law of replenishing it- that is, the addition and preservation of humus, the use of organic matter instead of chemical fertilizers and of course the making of a compost pile.(Schultz 35)
In short, the difference between organic and non-organic food is drastic; the lack of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and the upraising of animals greatly affects our environment, society, and health. According to author John Wargo, an additional five to six billion pounds of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and other biocides are added to the world’s environment each year, with roughly one quarter of the amount released or sold in the United States (Lipson 3). Clearly, the overuse of pesticides and other biochemicals in non-organic food, such as in large-scale farms and corporations, is damaging our environment in many ways. One example is soil erosion. The use of theses chemicals damages, depletes and eliminates the healthy sol on this Earth as well as eroding it. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that more than three billion tons of topsoil is eroded form US croplands each year (Lipson 17). Since soil is the main piece of organic farming, the use of pesticides is one hundred percent eliminated to ensure healthy and useable soil that will last and keep their foods purely organic and natural. Along with soil
Dahl 2 erosion, the use of biochemicals in conventional farming and agriculture deprives the soil of its natural pesticides and elements. With lack of its natural nutrients, soil becomes solely useable for one type of agriculture in contrast to the biodiversity of organic farming. Because organic farming is so biodiverse, farmers are able to harvest way more products than a single-crop
To Go Green or Not to Go Green? Very few people know the real definition of organic food, and most just call it “natural”. However, farmer J.I. Rodale describes it as: A system whereby a fertile soil is maintained by applying nature’s own law of replenishing it- that is, the addition and preservation of humus, the use of organic matter instead of chemical fertilizers and of course the making of a compost pile.(Schultz 35)
In short, the difference between organic and non-organic food is drastic; the lack of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and the upraising of animals greatly affects our environment, society, and health. According to author John Wargo, an additional five to six billion pounds of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and other biocides are added to the world’s environment each year, with roughly one quarter of the amount released or sold in the United States (Lipson 3). Clearly, the overuse of pesticides and other biochemicals in non-organic food, such as in large-scale farms and corporations, is damaging our environment in many ways. One example is soil erosion. The use of theses chemicals damages, depletes and eliminates the healthy sol on this Earth as well as eroding it. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that more than three billion tons of topsoil is eroded form US croplands each year (Lipson 17). Since soil is the main piece of organic farming, the use of pesticides is one hundred percent eliminated to ensure healthy and useable soil that will last and keep their foods purely organic and natural. Along with soil
Dahl 2 erosion, the use of biochemicals in conventional farming and agriculture deprives the soil of its natural pesticides and elements. With lack of its natural nutrients, soil becomes solely useable for one type of agriculture in contrast to the biodiversity of organic farming. Because organic farming is so biodiverse, farmers are able to harvest way more products than a single-crop