Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 If enough people care about themselves and their children to buy only organic foods, the law of consumer demand on the market will force a shift that will increase the amount of organic farming and make more organic foods available at lower prices. Fortunately, a subtle shift toward organic farming and produce is happening in many parts of the US.
Commercial Grains
RELATIVELY SAFE
Number of Residues Chipped rice cereal..........5
Oat ring cereal ... 9
Corn flakes......10
Pasta (with tomato sauce)........10
Grits.............15
Rice.............18
Farina...........21
Oatmeal......... |
| By insisting on organic foods whenever possible, we are not only protecting ourselves and our families but also encouraging support for organic farming and, therefore, directiy supporting the regeneration of our degenerating soils. A Harris poll showed that 80% of Americans want organic fruit and vegetables and over half are willing to pay for the small added cost of buying organic. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Buy organic foods. organic farming is a system of cultivation that doesn't use artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. Crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, green manures, legumes, organic wastes, mineral-bearing rock, and biological pest controls are used by organic farmers to raise whole, natural foods. |
| Provides information about organic farming and organic products.
Becoming Vegetarian and Cooking Vegetarian
Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, Maryland 21203
(410) 366-8343
Website: www.vrg.org
A nonprofit vegetarian resource group whose main goal is to educate the public on health, nutrition, and the environment.
Vegetarian Times 1140 Lake Street, Suite 500 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 (630) 516-4008
A monthly magazine that offers recipes as well as informative articles and the latest news for vegetarians. |
Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 In contrast, organic farming releases few chemicals into the environment, enhances soil quality, and encourages biodiversity of crops, thus protecting our natural resources. So, while organic produce is more costly on an immediate and personal level, it is very cost-effective for future generations.
What About Pesticides? |
John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
See book keywords and concepts |
 According to MBD documents, they include: "acid rain, clean air, clean water, hazardous and toxic wastes, nuclear energy, recycling, South Africa, the United Nations, developments in Eastern Europe, dioxin, organic farming, pesticides, biotechnology, vegetarianism, consumer groups, product safety, endangered species, oil spills." Information related to all of these topics is sifted and reviewed by company analysts, then distilled into reports and memos. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Crop-yield studies support the use of organic farming if the risk of human health is added to the equation.
Many supermarket chains and produce suppliers are employing their own testing measures for determining the pesticide content of produce and are refusing to stock foods treated with the more toxic pesticides such as alachlor, captan, or EBDCs (ethyl-enebisdithiocarbamates). In addition, many stores are asking growers to disclose all pesticides used on foods and to phase out the use of the sixty-four pesticides suspected of causing cancers. |
Marie-France Muller, M.D., N.D., Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Those who cultivate their own gardens in soil that is rich and who follow the rules of organic farming or those who purchase produce that is grown in this way can appreciate the now rare, superior flavor of products that are cultivated with respect for the earth and its balance. But in addition to enjoying the delicious flavor of such fruits and vegetables, they also are reaping a harvest in health. It just so happens that there is a close connection between flavor and wealth in minerals: The fewer the minerals, the weaker the flavor. |
Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Fortunately, a subtle shift toward organic farming and produce is happening in many parts of the US.
Commercial Grains
RELATIVELY SAFE
Number of Residues Chipped rice cereal..........5
Oat ring cereal ... 9
Corn flakes......10
Pasta (with tomato sauce)........10
Grits.............15
Rice.............18
Farina...........21
Oatmeal.........24
MARGINALLY SAFE
Number of Residues Fruit-flavored cereal.........26
Granola.........27
Saltines..........28
Biscuits..........28
Egg noodles.....30
Shredded wheat cereal.........31
Corn bread......32
Pasta (with meat sauce)........ |
John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
See book keywords and concepts |
| The amount of farm acreage dedicated to organic farming is currently very small. However, said Brian Baker of California Certified Organic Farmers, "imagine what great PR it would be for the sewage sludge promoters to say that sludge is so clean it can even be certified organic—what a way to 'greenwash' sewage sludge!"82
CHAPTER NINE
SilENciNq SpmNq
The big corporations, our clients, are scared shitless of the environmental movement. . . . The corporations are wrong about that. I think the companies will have to give in only at insignificant levels. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
See book keywords and concepts |
 Along with eliminating the pesticide residues that linger on commercially farmed foods, organic farming spares the earth from these unnecessary and destructive toxins.
There are currently no national regulations in force governing the production or sale of organic foodstuffs. However, a fourteen-member panel called the National Organics Standards Board has been created by Congress. Its purpose is to devise national standards for organic foods and then (1) to advise the U.S. |
Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| EM™ also offers a very effective way for farmers who are using pesticides, herbicides, and other forms of toxic chemistry to productively switch to organic farming. The process takes about three to four years, yet with the use of EM™, farmers do not suffer the yield reduction commonly experienced during that transition time. On a larger scale, EM™ offers an opportunity to feed the hungry and starving people of the world by teaching them about sustainable agriculture and giving them power to feed themselves.
EM™ has many powerful effects in creating healing for the planet on a physical level. |
Earth RightH. Patricia Hynes
See book keywords and concepts |
| But the supply is tight because switching back to organic farming methods means building up organic material in the soil and an indigenous population of beneficial insects—a process that takes one to five years. In addition, many states require that soil be free of pesticides for three years before the produce grown on it can be sold as "certified or-SALPOINfV. I" : .r-biAJtt
The Mothers and Others for Pesticide Limits campaign won a remarkable victory when the International Apple Institute announced in May 1989 that U.S. |
Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 In contrast, organic farming releases few chemicals into the environment, enhances soil quality, and encourages biodiversity of crops, thus protecting our natural resources. So, while organic produce is more costly on an immediate and personal level, it might be cost-effective for future generations.
If you're buying organic because you think it's more nutritious, then the answer is not so clear. Organic soil is healthier, so the produce grown in it should be more nutritious. Unfortunately, there is little research to support this assumption. |
Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Lisa Y. Lefferts and Anne Witte Garland
See book keywords and concepts |
| After looking at some of the benefits of organic farming, the researchers concluded the report by saying, "the team feels strongly that research and education programs should be developed to address the needs and problems of organic farmers."19
Rave review for organic food
When you buy organic food, you're not just minimizing your own exposure to pesticide residues—you're also getting food that was raised without damaging the environment or threatening farmers' and farm workers' health. Organic aficionados also like to point out how simply delicious organic food can be. |
Ruth Winter
See book keywords and concepts |
 To clear up the confusion, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990 to standardize the terms and practices for organic farming. The guidelines set were:
• Livestock could be fed 20 percent nonorganic feed, yet still be labeled organic.
• Genetically engineered organisms could be allowed.
• Irradiated foods were not prohibited. |
John Robbins
See book keywords and concepts |
 It can be concluded that organic farming potentially reduces the risk of E. coli infection."18
Do pesticides help protect against E. coli 0157-.H7 and other pathogens? Do the agrochemicals designed to kill insects and weeds also kill pathogenic bacteria? No. In fact, according to research carried out at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, pesticide sprays actually encourage life-threatening bacteria to grow on crops. "Numbers (of E. coli 0157:H7) could increase one-thousandfold," says lead researcher Greg Blank, who found that the life-threatening microbes flourished in many pesticides. |
| His attitude exemplified the stance that government and agribusiness have taken in the past—that organic farming is a luxury that cannot provide enough food for our people.
But many studies have found yields from organic production to be comparable to conventional systems, especially over the long term. In fact, a recent study of grain and soybean production in the American Midwest found that organic systems were actually more profitable than conventional systems, not even counting the higher price organic food typically fetches. |
| What we know
Amount of minerals in organic food compared to conventional food:;
Calcium: 63 percent higher
Chromium: 78 percent higher
Iodine: 73 percent higher
Iron: 59 percent higher
Magnesium: 138 percent higher
Potassium: 125 percent higher
Selenium: 390 percent higher
Zinc 60 percent higher
In dramatic contrast to genetic engineering, organic farming is an expression of what Aldo Leopold called "a land ethic," extending the concept of community to include all the species of life with which we share the planet. |
| Though this was less than a fifth of the area planted with transgenics, the number of acres dedicated to organic farming was 10 times what it had been only 10 years previously. And the market for organic food had swelled to $22 billion annually.2
Leading the global organic explosion was the European Union, where a phenomenal 35-fold expansion in organic acreage took place in the last 15 years of the twentieth century. In 1999, 3 percent of the European Union's total agricultural acreage, amounting to 10 million acres, was organic. |
| For many decades, Bt has played a crucial role in organic farming and other low-input sustainable farming practices. Farmers who have wanted to minimize their use of chemicals have relied on an occasional dusting of Bt to prevent a crop from being overrun with leaf-eating caterpillars. Because Bt has been used judiciously, insects have not developed resistance. But crops that have been genetically engineered to generate the Bt toxin produce it constantly, and in every cell. This means that insects are continually exposed to the toxin and are under constant pressure to develop resistance. |
Michael Lerner
See book keywords and concepts |
 According to the Gerson Institute, the rise of modern organic farming holds out the promise of higher-quality fruits and vegetables than were available during Gerson's lifetime.
2 Patricia Spain Ward, "History of Gerson Therapy," contract report for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), revised June 1988. |
Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell
See book keywords and concepts |
 Native populations certainly knew all about quinoa, and their organic farming techniques, handed down from their pre-Columbian ancestors, have proved to be among the best in the world. Quinoa has endured among them because it co-evolved with their societies and thus fits their needs precisely. For instance, in Nunoa, a mountain valley above Lake Titicaca, native farmers continue to plant quinoa and its close relative, the even more coldtolerant kaniwa. Anthropologist R. |
John Robbins
See book keywords and concepts |
| Once it was established, consumer awareness and trust in organics grew swiftly, and the door was opened for additional support, including subsidies in the early years of conversion and research on organic farming methods at agricultural universities.
On December 20, 2000, the USDA released the United States' first official organic standards. The regulations, which formally went into effect on February 19, 2001, were a major victory for the organic movement. |
Ralph W. Moss PhD
See book keywords and concepts |
 He was a pioneer of organic farming (Biodynamic Agriculture), at a time when most of the world was yielding to artificial farming practices. He was also a sculptor and architect, who designed the astonishing cathedral of Anthroposophy, the Goetheanum in Dornach.
The Wegman Clinic still exists as a general hospital run along Anthroposophical lines. However, in 1963, Leroi established another small hospital across the street. This they called the Lukas Klinik, after the gospel writer who was also the first Christian physician. Administration of this clinic was in the hands of Dr. |
Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Lisa Y. Lefferts and Anne Witte Garland
See book keywords and concepts |
| While the goal of conventional agriculture is to maximize production, the goal of "sustainable" agriculture—which includes organic farming —is to ensure the long-term sustainability of production. Sustainable agriculture emphasizes conservation of soil, water, energy, and biological resources; protection of wildlife and biological diversity; reduction of the use of synthetic chemicals (and ultimately fewer synthetic residues on food); and better health of farmers and farm workers—all while ensuring profits for farmers and rural communities. |
Dr Bernard Jenson and Mark Anderson
See book keywords and concepts |
 By combining what I had learned from Rocine and Albrecht with Robert Rodale, publisher of
Organic Gardening magazine and owner of the Rodale Publishing empire, I was ready to give organic farming a try. The results? Great success.
At my Hidden Valley Ranch in Escondido, California, I took land, once used to grow alfalfa and graze cattle, and converted it, over a period of years, to a rich and productive organic farm.
The Ranch consisted of a flat valley flanked by boulder-strewn hills on two sides. I grew vegetables in the valley. |
Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Lisa Y. Lefferts and Anne Witte Garland
See book keywords and concepts |
| It wasn't until 1990, and many pesticide scares later, that Congress passed a law requiring a standard definition of "organic," and progress at the national level toward organic farming resumed.
Meanwhile, organic food was catching on in the marketplace. In 1980 sales of organic food totaled $174 million; by 1988 the industry was valued at $893 million, and in 1989, $1.25 billion. In 1990 suppliers of certified organic produce represented just 3 percent of the produce market, but some experts predict that figure will increase to 9 percent by 1995. |
Carl Jensen
See book keywords and concepts |
 Meanwhile, the trend toward organic farming has been growing. Richard Taylor, a commercial grower in Fallbrook, California, did a complete turnaround when he noticed his plants were turning brown because of over-fertilizing. He switched to organic growing methods, his plants thrived, and he went on to become president of the local chapter of the California Certified Organic Farmers (Los Angeles Times, 11/5/92). |
Sandra Steingraber
See book keywords and concepts |
 In some regions, this kind of protection will require new thinking about agriculture, which needs to substitute the techniques of organic farming for practices that pour soil and pesticides into river systems. In regions where cattle feedlots and hog farms periodically send lava flows of manure into watersheds, it will require new thinking about animal husbandry. In other areas, it will require new thinking about industry. |
Email this page to a friend
