Now that's just gross!

I pretty much have a cast-iron stomach and seem to be immune to most gross-out types of things. I dissected cats in Anatomy lab no problem, and happily watch programs on the Body Farm and other gross delights, usually while eating something. Suffice it to say I have a pretty high tolerance for the gross.

Last night, though, I read something that really, truly grossed me out. So much so that I swear my stomach actually turned over in disgust. Where did I find this gem of a fact? Organic Manifesto. Ready for it?

It comes from a section describing the cycle of chemical farming and how so many farmers end up in a cycle of debt with poorer and poorer soil quality and eventually smaller yields. Coming from a family of farmers, this made me quite sad. Even farmers that want to go organic can't, because it's too expensive to break the cycle of debt and difficult to break the relationship with Monsanto and/or Cargill, the companies that create the GMOs and the weedkillers that farmers need. Add to that that it takes 3 years to purify the soil to become certified organic, and most farmers don't do it. No wonder there aren't organic farms popping up more often!

That's not the gross part, though. That comes in a section about the products of the chemical farming, including the food itself and the waste from the farm. Are you ready for this?

"Most farm waste (including dead animals) is fed to animals or sold for fuel. Some farmers fertilize their fields with sewage sludge, or municipal waste. It contains human waste, which is contaminated by pharmaceutical drugs and cleaning supplies that have literally been flushed down the toilet, as well as industrial waste."

!!!

I swear, every unwashed grape or other bit of produce I have even eaten flashed through my mind in that moment. Why in the world is this okay? Why are we not only intentionally putting chemicals on our food, but growing them in human waste that contains other nasties? Is this some subconscious masochist trend we have going on? Because it seems to be working.

This latest nugget just once again reaffirmed my belief in eating organic. I need to know where my food is coming from and in what it was grown. The health benefits are great, sure, but it's the control freak in me that needs to be watching over what my family is putting in its mouths. I've abdicated responsibility too long and I need to wrest that control back.

This whole food business has gotten me thinking in a larger sense about how we're living and how we can be better stewards of the earth and of our bodies. I saw this article today about alternative food containers and I love them! I'm kind of an organization nut anyway, and these all look so pretty and neat. I've been suspicious of our Gladware for a while (even though it's better) and I think when that wears out, I may need to buy some of these.

In the comments section of that blog, there's a link to another blog with a wider look at living green. The quote “If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz. petroleum-based liquid laundry detergent with our 100 oz. vegetable-based product, we could save 460,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 27,000 U.S. homes for a year” really gave me pause.