HORROR STORY - More Lawn-Related Statistics

HORROR STORY - More Lawn-Related Statistics

Statistics (The numbers at the end of each paragraph refer to the source references, given after each page).

I. Pesticides, Herbicides, and Fertilizer

Pesticides kill between 60 and 90% of earthworms (which are important for soil health) where they are used.1

Each year in the US, over 70 million tons of fertilizers and pesticides are used on residential lawns and gardens.2

The average homeowner uses approximately 10 times the amount of chemical pesticides per acre as farmers.3

Lawn-care pesticides kill approximately 7 million birds in the US each year.4

Pesticides can be tracked into homes, where they can build up in carpets, clothing and other material, putting families, especially children, at risk of chronic exposure.5-6

“Pesticides have been linked to solid tumors (including brain cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer, among others), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, effects on the nervous system, birth defects, fetal death and intrauterine growth retardation.”7

A study of the United States major streams and rivers revealed that 96% of fish contained detectable levels of at least one pesticide.8

When fertilizers runoff into water systems, the nutrients lead to algae buildup, depleting the dissolved oxygen content, which in turn reduces the amount of fish a system can sustain.9

====================================================
1 National Wildlife Federation. Available online at
2 Ibid.
3 Templeton, S.R., Zilberman, D., Yoo, S.J. (1998). “An Economic Perspective on Outdoor Residential Pesticide Use”, Environmental Science and Technology 32, 421A.
4 Pimentel, D. (2004). Quoted in Steinberg’s (2006) American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn.
5 Wargo, J. (1996). Our Children’s Toxic Legacy: How Science and Law Fail to Protect Us from Pesticides. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
6 Nishioka, M.G. et al. (2001). Distribution of 2,4-D in Air and on Surfaces Inside Residences after Lawn Applications: Comparing Exposure Estimates from Various Media for Young Children”, Environmental Health Perspectives, 109.
7 Ontario College of Family Physicians. (2004). Pesticides Literature Review. Available online at
8 Gilliom, R. (U.S. Geological Survey). (1999). (1999). Pesticides in the Nation’s Water Resources. Water Environment Federation Briefing Series Presentation.
9 Bormann, F.H., Balmori, D., Geballe, G.T. (2001). Redesigning the American Lawn: A Search for Environmental Harmony. (2nd ed.). Connecticut: Yale University Press.

===================================================

Fertilizers can also contaminate groundwater, increasing the levels of nitrate in drinking water to unhealthy levels. “High levels of nitrate in drinking water can cause nervous system impairments, birth defects, cancer, and "blue baby syndrome," in which the oxygen content in an infant's blood falls to dangerous levels.”10

II. Water

“A standard 19L/minute lawn sprinkler uses more water in an hour than a combination of 10 toilet flushes, two dishwasher loads, two 5-minute showers and a full load of clothes.”11

The energy used to transport water to lawns can be even higher than the energy used to mow lawns. 12

In the US, lawn-watering accounts for approximately 30% of residential water consumption along the east coast and up to 60% of consumption along the west coast.13

III. Land and Conservation

Approximately 25 to 40 million acres of land have been converted to lawn in the US alone. 14

Each year, over 382,850 acres of land are converted to lawns in North America. 15

Approximately 80% of US households have a lawn. 16

Turf grass covers over 27.5 million acres in the US, of which 21 million is private lawns. 17

Lawns generally consist of 1 to 3 species of grass, whereas a single garden can contain over 1000 species of plants.18

=================================================
10 Weyer, P. (2001) Nitrate in Drinking Water and Human Health. Avilable Online at and Bowman, D.C., Cherney, C.T., Rufth, T.W.Jr. (2002). “Fate and Transport of Nitrogen Applied to Six Warm-Season Turfgrasses”, Crop Science, 42:833.
11 Environment Canada. (2006). Freshwater Website: Quick Facts. Available online at
12 City of Irvine, Community Development Department. (1991). Sustainable Landscaping Guideline Manual, 1991 Draft.
13 National Wildlife Federation. “Cut Your Lawn-In Half.” Available online at
14 Robbins, P., Birkenholtz, T. (2003).“Turfgrass Revolution: Measuring the Expansion of the American Lawn”, Land Use Policy 20:182.
15 Ibid.
16 Borman, F.H., Bamori, D., & Geballe, G.T. (2001). Redesigning the American lawn: A search for environmental harmony. (2nd ed.). Connecticut: Yale University Press.
17 Ibid.
=================================================

Lawns not only contribute to loss of habitat, but the pesticides used strictly limit the species that can grow on the applied space and surrounding areas where the pesticides spread.

The conversion of native grasslands to lawns has been a major reason why grassland birds are among the most threatened types of birds in North America.19

IV. Money, Time and Safety

North Americans spend a combined 40 billion dollars annually on their lawns-more than the entire continent gave in foreign aid in 2005.2021

The average homeowner spends approximately $220 annually on their lawn.22

The average homeowner spends more per acre on their lawn than it costs per acre to grow corn, rice, or sugarcane. 23

Over 5 billion dollars is spent annually on fossil fuel-derived fertilizers for North American lawns.24

The average homeowner works over 150 hours annually on their lawn.25

Each year, approximately 75,000 Americans are seriously injured in lawn mower accidents and 10,000 of those accidents involve children. 26

More than 30% these injuries result in an amputation of some sort, meaning more than 22,000 limbs and digits are lost to lawn care each year solely considering mowing accidents. 27

=================================================
18 Smith, R.M., Thompson, K., Hodgson, J.G., Warren, P.H., Gaston, K.J. (2006). “Urban Domestic Gardens (IX): Composition and Richness of the Vascular Plant Flora, and Implications for Native Biodiversity.” Biological Conservation 129, 312-322.
19 Sauer, J.R., J.E. Hines, I. Thomas, J. Fallon, and G. Gough. (2000). “The North American breeding bird survey, results and analysis 1966 – 1999. Version 98.1, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.” Available online at
20 Morris, K. (2005), as cited in Steinberg, T’s (2006) American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn.
21 Shah, A. (2006). The US and Foreign Aid Assistance.
22 National Gardening Association. (2000). National Gardening Survey. National Gardening Association, Burlington (VM).
23 Ibid.
24 Bormann, F.H., Balmori, D., Geballe, G.T. (2001). (1993). Redesigning the American Lawn: A search for environmental harmony (First Edition) Connecticut: Yale University Press.
25 Wood, D. (2006). “Green Green Grass”, En Route, June, 2006.
26 University of Michigan Health System, “U-M experts warn about the dangers of lawn mowers, especially with kids” (June 2, 2003). Available online at
27 Costilla, V., Bishal, D.M. (2006) “Lawnmower Injuries in the United States: 1996 to 2004”, Annals of Emergency Medicine, 47(6).
=================================================

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2004, you are more likely to be fatally injured on the job mowing lawns than as a police officer.28

V. Consumption, Emissions and Pollution [See Table 1]

Each year, over 800 million gallons of gasoline are consumed by lawn mowers in the United States, which can produce the equivalent of 10 billion kWh.29

Lawnmowers are responsible for approximately 5% of the US’s air pollution, and an even higher percent of the air pollution in metropolitan areas. 30

“A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars (or as much air pollution as driving a car for 100 miles).”31

Over 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled in North America every summer while lawn equipment is being refueled, which can lead to contamination of groundwater.32 (This is more than all the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, in the Gulf of Alaska.)

Gas lawn mowers emit 10 to 12 times more hydrocarbons than a typical automobile per hour of operation. Weed-eaters emit 21 times more and leaf blowers emit 34 times more.

“One hour of lawn mowing will produce approximately 2 kg of carbon dioxide, 1.8 kg of carbon monoxide, 178 g of VOCs, 6 g particulate matter and 1.8 g of nitrogen oxides.”34

=================================================
28 U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Sept. 9, 2004). “Fatal Occupational Injuries.” Available online at
29 US Environmental Protection Agency. “Lawn and Garden(Small Engine) Equipment.” Available online at and People-Powered Machines. “Gas Mower Facts.” Available online at
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid.
32 U.S. EPA. (2003). A Source Book on Natural Landscaping for Public Officials. Available online at
33 National Wildlife Federation. Available online at
34 City of Louisville, Kentucky. (2006). Lawn Care for Cleaner Air Program. Available online at

=================================================

“Leaf blowers (voted as 'one of the worst inventions ever' in 2002) emit roughly 26 times the carbon monoxide and 49 times the particulate matter per hour than a new light-duty vehicle.”35

Seven gallons of gasoline must be used just to manufacture enough fertilizer to cover one average-sized family yard.36

The breakdown of nitrogen fertilizers releases nitrous oxide -a greenhouse gas and contributor to acid rain, the ozone hole, and smog.37

Yard waste accounts for approximately 18% of municipal waste.38

"The World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) both recommend that people limit their total exposure to noises as loud as a lawn mower to 45 minutes per day for the quieter gas mowers, 15 minutes for the average mowers, and five minutes for the loudest ones."39

VI. American Green

In the US, April is National Lawn Care Month-“It’s the perfect time to honor the environment both through Earth Day and National Lawn Care Month.”-Representative from Professional Lawn Care Association of America.

Amount of turf-25 to 40 million acres-size of Kentucky to Florida, twice the acreage of planted cotton in the US.

Between 1994 and 2004 estimated average of 75,884 Americans/year were injured with lawn mowers, roughly the amount injured by firearms.

Using a gas-powered leaf blower for a half hour emits as many hydrocarbons as driving a car 7700 miles at 30mph.

In the process of refueling their lawn equipment, Americans spill about 17 million gallons of gasoline every summer~ 50% more than marred the Alaskan coast during the notorious Exxon Valdez disaster.

=================================================
35 Glassman, S., Vanitzian, D. (2002). “Fed Up With Noisy Leaf Blowers”, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 17, 2002 and California Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Report -Exhaust Emissions: Report to the California Legislature, 40, 50.
36 Perry, L. (2006). Fuel-Efficient Lawns and Landscapes. Available online at
37 Environment Canada. (2006). Nitrogen Oxides -NOx. Available online at
38 Perry, L. (2006). Fuel-Efficient Lawns and Landscapes. Available online at
39 The Noise Pollution Clearing House. (2004). The Quiet Zone, Summer, 2004.
=================================================

In Tampa, FL, a single golf course uses 178,800 gallons of water per day ~ more than the daily water needs for over 2200 Americans.

Lawns are founded on two resources the US is running short on-oil and water. Keeping a lawn green takes an average of 1-2 inches/week, easily over 10,000 gallons each summer for a typical 1000ft2 lawn. Natural gas is used to produce fertilizer, petroleum powers our mowers, oil is used in leaf blowers, weed whackers, and edgers, not to mention the gas used in landscape crews pick ups.

“You plant Arnold Schwarzenegger and five years from now you have Danny DeVito. Turfgrass is not native to North America and this fact combined with the continent’s highly diverse climatic conditions, makes the perfect lawn an elusive goal.”

2,4-D most extensively used herbicide in the history of the world.

A man weighing 180 pounds burns nearly 500 calories/hr pushing a nonmotorized reel mower.

Noise pollution-freeway traffic at a distance of 50ft = 68-76 decibels leaf blowers = 98-106 decibels. Every increase in 10 decibels equals a doubling in loudness, and anything over 85 decibels is considered harmful to hearing.

Leaf blowers-26 times the amount of CO/hr as new vehicle and 49 times more particulate matter-“among dirtiest engines on the face of the earth”-California Air Resources Board A morning mowing ban was part of Texas SIP for Houston area, but was revised and removed before implementation. In LA, leaf blowers have been banned for over a decade and continue to be illegal although cops generally turn their head.

The Southwest, once highly recommended to the allergic, Bermuda-grass lawns have been steadily increasing pollen counts. According to Dr. Slavin, a St. Louis allergist, “Now when a patient says that maybe he should move to Tucson, I pull out my physician’s directory and show them the 28 allergists in Tucson—all, presumably making a good living.”

Change in Tide Could Be on the Horizon

Severe droughts and diminishing water supplies have caused several localities to put bans on lawn watering, planting, etc. In Las Vegas, new homes are limited to 50% turf in their front yards, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority now offers rebates to homeowners who rip their lawns. In Aurora, Colorado, sprinklers were banned in 2002, along with the planting of any new lawns the following year.

Several cities across the Midwest have recently restricted the fertilizer and pesticide use on lawns

VII. TruGreen ChemLawn - A true horror story

“TruGreen ChemLawn is the largest lawn care provider in the United States serving more than 3.4 million households and annually generating more than $1.3 billion in income. Think of it! Just ONE company is making $1.3 Billion a year "caring" for "lawns"...

TruGreen ChemLawn contributes to the yearly application of more than 70 million pounds of pesticides on some of America’s 30 million acres of lawns. The amount of pesticides applied is significant; the rate of pesticides used on lawns is on average ten times more per acre than what is used on agricultural land.

TruGreen ChemLawn’s standard customer receipt lists 32 pesticides available for use through its residential lawn care program. An analysis of these pesticides by Toxics Action Center based on information from the pesticide manufacturer’s Material Safety

Data Sheets reveal:

17 of 32 (53%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are possible carcinogens, as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

All 32 of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that pose threats to the environment including water supplies, aquatic organisms, and non-targeted insects.

9 of 32 (28%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are known or suspected reproductive toxins (7/32 known, 22%).

11 of 32 (34%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are known or suspected endocrine disruptors (4/32 known, 12.5%).

13 of 32 (41%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are banned or restricted in other countries.

Despite these dangers, TruGreen ChemLawn continues to grow and recruit new residential and commercial customers.” 40

VIII. Suggestions : 41

I. To the very least, reduce lawn size : Leave as much land as possible in its natural state. Or, much better, transform all that wasted land into a productive Organic & Sustainable food-producing Garden!

II. Choose native and drought tolerant species : Native species require little if any watering, fertilizer, and maintenance since they are adapted to the climate and soil. 42

Planting native species protects natural biodiversity and ecosystems while also attracting wildlife. 43

III. Watering : Water your lawn in the evening or early morning to minimize evaporation. Water slowly and at least one inch at each watering. Collect rainwater for landscaping needs. Water on sloped areas with care

IV. Mowing : Leave clippings on the lawn to provide nutrients equivalent to one application of fertilizer.

=================================================
40 Refuse to Use ChemLawn. (2005). “Be Truly Green.”
41 Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture. “Water Use and Conservation Facts.” Available online
42 Go for Green. (2006). Fact Sheet #6: Gardening with Native Plants. Available online at
43 Ibid.
=================================================

“Clippings do not cause thatch. Mulching mowers are also available which help the clippings hide in the grass. If you mow the lawn before it gets too tall, the clippings left on the lawn will quickly disappear from view. Of course this technique also saves hauling yard waste to the landfill -some states have banned yard waste from landfills.”44

Use Alternative Mowers : “Push mowers (reel mowers) used to be heavy, clunky contraptions which required great effort in cutting the lawn. A new generation of reel mowers has been designed, however, which operate much more effectively with a fraction of the effort. The added benefits include a good light exercise and pollution-free lawn care.”

The Bully Push Mower : “This 15" Easy Push Mower has a five-blade reel for a perfect cut, hardened steel blades, ball bearing wheels, and easy spin gearing. At 18 lbs., it's much lighter weight than other reel mowers on the market.”45 Price? $99.95

=================================================
44 Earth Easy. (2007). “Natural Lawn Care.” Available online at
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_lawn_care.htm
45 Ibid.
=================================================

But more than anything else, the self-evident conclusion to all this should be quite self-evident: Get rid of that lawn, and replace it by Edible Landscaping and a food-producing Organic and Sustainable Garden!

******

Table 1 - Fuel Consumption from Lawn and Garden Equipment, 2005 Equipment Classification Gasoline Diesel Total fuel consumption (in million gallons)

Mowing Equipment
Front mowers Commercial 19.24 90.77 110.01
Lawn & garden tractors Commercial 214.86 18.74 233.59
Lawn & garden tractors Residential 523.91 0 523.91
Lawn mowers Commercial 144.52 0 144.52
Lawn mowers Residential 194.27 0 194.27
Rear engine riding mowers Commercial 15.74 0 15.74
Rear engine riding mowers Residential 38.69 0 38.69
Total 1,151.22 109.5 1,260.72

Commercial turf equipment
Commercial 686.16 14.56 700.73
Rotary tillers over 6 HP Commercial 80.73 0 80.73
Rotary tillers under 6 HP Residential 18 0 18
Total 784.89 14.56 799.46

Wood Cutting Equipment
Chain saws over 6 HP Commercial 80.52 0 80.52
Chain saws under 6 HP Residential 19.5 0 19.5
Chippers/stump grinders Commercial 37.44 123.52 160.96
Shredders over 6 HP Commercial 8.55 0 8.55
Total 146.02 123.52 269.54

Blowers and Vacuums
Leafblowers/vacuums Commercial 200.68 0.01 200.69
Leafblowers/vacuums Residential 19.49 0 19.49
Snowblowers Commercial 30.08 1.61 31.69
Snowblowers Residential 15.92 0 15.92
Total 266.17 1.62 267.79

Trimming Equipment
Trimmers/edgers/brush cutter Commercial 64.1 0 64.1
Trimmers/edgers/brush cutter Residential 28.11 0 28.11
Other lawn & garden equipmentb Commercial 22.39 0.34 22.73
Other lawn & garden equipmentb Residential 18.76 0 18.76
Total 133.36 0.34 133.71
Total All Equipment 2,481.66 249.56 2,731.22

Source:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NONROAD2005 Model, www.epa.gov/otaq/nonrdmdl.htm .
a Includes equipment such as aerators, dethatchers, sod cutters, hydro-seeders, turf utility vehicles, golf course greens mowers, and sand trap groomers.
b Includes equipment not otherwise classified such as augers, sickle-bar mowers, and wood splitters. Available online at http://www-cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb26/Spreadsheets/Table2_10.xls

* Note: There are slight variations in EPA estimants and National Wildlife Federation estimants of annual fuel consumption most likely due to differences in data year collection and classification of lawn care equipment.


Copyright OSL 2008. All rights reserved. Standard license.
Permalink for the present post: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/horror-story-more-lawn-related.html

CALLING FOR A "HOLY WAR" AGAINST LAWNS

CALLING FOR A "HOLY WAR" AGAINST LAWNS

When you really think of it, lawns certainly end among some of the most foolish and ridiculous creations of the human mind...

The concept of lawns arose from the fact that the dominant power from roughly 1750 to 1950 was Great-Britain. There, it rains all the time, and there, the green grassy areas that gave birth to the idea of "lawn" are more or less natutal occurences. The idle rich landowners of the landed gentry were intent to show off their wealth, and huge green areas put to no particular use were a way to do just that. They were in turn copied by increasingly less wealthy people, as lawns became a sign of status, slowly trickling down the social scales.

The rest is history. People like and tend to reproduce the familiar. As Englishmen of Imperial Britain tried to recreate a semblance of their native environment and customs wherever they went, the lawn as an universal "must" was unfortunately born. Even in semi-desert or desert climates such as say Australia or the American "South-West" (read, Southern California), where lawns and these super-lawns known as "golf courses" are nothing short of monstrosities...

In fact, believe it or not, the amount of space, time, energy, water and other resources yearly invested in lawns are absolutely staggering, making them the number one "agricultural" endeavor in the United States.

SOME LAWNMOVER STATISTICS:

EPA Statistics: Gas Mowers represent 5% of U.S. Air Pollution
---------------------------------------------------------------

FACT 1: Just one hour of mowing is the equivalent of driving 350 miles in terms of volatile organic compounds.

Fact 2: One average gas mower spews 87 lbs. of the greenhouse gas CO2, and 54 lbs. of other pollutants into the air. Every year.

Fact 3: Over 17 million gallons of gas are spilled each year refueling lawn and garden equipment – more oil than was spilled by the infamous Exxon Valdez.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Each weekend, about 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 MILLION gallons of gas per year. And producing millions of tons of air pollutants in the process. Garden equipment engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit the highest levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation's air pollution. And a good deal more in metropolitan areas.

According to the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), one traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as forty-three new cars each being driven 12,000 miles. That's *1* lawnmover and *43* CARS and 12,000 MILES. 1 lawnmover, 43 cars... Think of it!

Speaking of gas, the EPA states that 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year while refueling lawn equipment. That's more than all the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, in the Gulf of Alaska. In addition to groundwater contamination, spilled fuel that evaporates into the air and volatile organic compounds spit out by small engines make smog-forming ozone when cooked by heat and sunlight.

Until 1995, lawnmower emissions were unregulated. Older more powerful, less efficient two-cycle engines release 25-30% of their oil and gas unburned into the air. Gas mowers emit hydrocarbons (a principle ingredient of smog), particulate matter (damaging to your respiratory system, and even worse for children), carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) and carbon dioxide (contributing to global warming). The health toll includes cancer as well as damage to lungs, heart, and both the immune and detoxification systems. In addition, smog inhibits plant growth. EPA regulations are beginning to reduce mower emissions, but there is still a very long way to go...

And all this were just lawnmover statistics. [If you want to know more about this, just go here: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/faq-environment.htm ]

And of course, it does not stop there. Far from it!

In fact, just here in the USA, there is something like 30 to 40 MILLION acres [12 to 16 Million Hectares, for readers elsewhere] of lawns. Making them the most-planted U.S. "crop" ever.

Lawns also use, in average, 10 times MORE toxic chemicals than the most intensively chemical-based conventional agriculture.

Actually, being in the "lawn care" business is one of the most dangerous occupation there is, perhaps more dangerous than being in the military in time of colonial wars. In fact, according to the US government, you have significantly more chances to be injured on the job working as a lawn maintenance worker than working as a police officer.

To begin with, if dealing with lawns is your job, cancer is not a possibility, but almost a certitude. And the host of lawn-"care"-related chronic and acute diseases almost reads like a list of everything bad you can develop.

This is to say nothing yet about the fact that, in 2001, lawns COST about $37.7 BILLION a year to maintain. A little of that money was actually used on non-lawn "garden"-related purchases, but with the runaway inflation since 2001, one can evaluate that the cost of "lawns and gardens" for 2008 will probably be in the vicinity of $50 BILLION, with the purely "lawn" part of that money over $45 BILLION.

That's over the yearly budget of many countries, and one could have a nice medium-priced war for that amount of money. If this same amount was invested four years in a row into the creation of solar power or wind power systems in suitable locations, say Nevada for solar and North Dakota for wind, it would be enough cash to actually create the infrastructure to generate the entire electricity used in the USA in a whole year, renevably and free to the consumer, for as long as the system will be maintained. Just imagine... a world with no lawns, but free electricity to all households! And from the fifth year on, of course, that same money could be used to... well, you name it. That gives you an idea of the actual money hole that lawns represent!

This, of course, is all a little bit theoretical... So, the very same thing could be said in a different way: Assuming you are a homeowner and have a lawn, if you stopped "caring" for your useless lawn, and invested wisely all the money so saved, for retirement or a college education for your children, you could create quite a sizeable nest egg that way. To say nothing about the enormous amounts of time also so saved, in addition.

In short, lawns are definitely things of the past. They need to go the way of the horse and buggy, of DDT and Agent Orange, and of the 8 or 10 miles a gallon gas-guzzler. It's time for us all to grow up! Lawns are definitely OUT.

Eliminating lawns should of course first and foremost be done by educating the public at large, and experience proves that many people are quite receptive when exposed to the facts. But it could also be done by more "persuasive" approaches, that is, by a positive use of the often highly abused coercive power of the State, what we usually call "government".

Since "the power to tax is the power to kill", lawns as contemptuous wastes of space and resources are prime candidates for taxation, and, in fact, should be taxed. And taxed heavily. By the square foot.

To the contrary, every amount of land dedicated to organic food production, and particularly, to personal and family gardens, should to the very minimum be taken off tax roles completely. Not be taxed at all, or even better, perhaps subventioned from the proceeds of redistributed lawn taxes.

Such an approach to the lawn problem would create a powerful incentive toward the disparition of lawn waste, as well as encourage the advent of personal organic food production, with quite predictible yet truly momentous consequences for public health and the common well-being.

However, you don't have to wait for such measures to start taking action yourself now!

DO IT YOURSELF & DO IT NOW: First, of course, start with your own lawn. And spread the word. What's most remarkable with community approaches is that any municipality or county can create and implement laws and regulations to this effect. There is no need to wait for State or federal laws that might never come, considering in whose pay the average professional politician is.

Educating oneself and one's family, friends and neighbors about lawns does not take much effort. It's impossible for anyone who thinks rationally to read the three first posts in the present blog, and not be convinced that there is indeed sort of a "small problem" at hand when it comes to lawns... Taking action about it yourself and sharing the information are both easy steps to take -- as it will only save you and your friends and family lots of time and money, and that, right away.

Even more formal and "persuasive" community action is also something that can be done locally, completely at the proverbial grass-roots level. All it takes is the will to do it, and get to the very roots of that grass.


It's something simple and easy to do, and you can decide to start doing it right away! Don't be surprised if suddenly you can envision yourself, a few months from now, looking back to this very moment as you are enjoying the products of your brand new organic and sustainable garden, a garden that flourishes where that useless time & money lawn thief once was, as you start congratulating yourself for having taken the decision to get rid of that lawn and replace it by something useful, beautiful and healthy right away. You will see how glad you are for having taken the right decision right now! It was probably one of the best decisions you ever made! It's like quitting smoking and truly have lost the habit... No one who ever got off lawns ever regretted to have replaced these unhealthy money and time sinks by an Organic and Sustainable Garden!

And wait until you read the crushing statistics coming in the next post! Once you get to real statistics, lawns really read like a horror story!

Copyright OSL 2008 - All rights reserved. Standard non-commercial license to reproduce freely. Permalink of the present post: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/calling-for-holy-war-against-lawns.html

[PG-Ovw01] OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY OF BLOGS BROUGHT TO YOU BY "HEALTH THRU GARDENING"

[PG-Ovw01] OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY OF BLOGS BROUGHT TO YOU BY "HEALTH THRU GARDENING"

HEALTH THRU GARDENING is the entity who brings you the present blog here at http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/ . This blog is part of our family of related blogs and is the one focusing on "Personal Gardens" and "THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL GARDENING".

HEALTH THRU GARDENING is a (for the time being) small grassroots non-profit, currently centered on Santa Monica and Malibu, CA. We focus on the relation between Nutrition and Health, and the best ways to insure optimal nutrition, namely, the creation, maintenance and continuous use of food-producing Organic & Sustainable Gardens.

Hard science demonstrates that the relation between the way we eat and the way we feel as well as the quality and length of our lives is indeed very close. So close that the best experts in the field have come to the conclusion that 95% or more of all chronic or acute diseases and illnesses that afflict us are, in the end, directly or indirectly function of our diet. We definitely are what we eat...

We are currently developing several blogs related to these subjects, the material of which will later be used to create a specialized portal, and for media syndication.

Because the quality of what we eat is so important to our health, we believe we should all follow the command once given to health seekers by Pr Dr Otto Warburg, the only physician to ever get TWO Nobel Prizes (missing a third by a hair width): "Get as much food from your own garden as you possibly can!"

Pr Warburg did not add the word "organic" in that command, because he could not even conceive that anyone would be foolish enough to even think about introducing chemicals in their own garden. For him, the very reason why one would want to and actually needed to have their own garden was precisely to avoid chemical contamination and other adulterations of our own foods! Dr Warburg's specialty was cancer, and he saw man-made chemicals and contaminated or adulterated foods as the direct or ultimate causes of most if not all cancers, and of a host of other medical conditions as well. A fact that has now been completely demonstrated in countless peer-reviewed publications since Pr Warburg's death in 1970.

Unfortunately, for many of us, our dietary habits are sacred cows, untouchable, sacred even if we have to die for them. And indeed, die we do!

But if health, longevity and quality of life are of any interest to you, this is something you need to face. Even if you love your fast foods, snacks, dairy, ice cream and "diet" soda. What we are talking about here is not just opinion, feelings, fad or fancy, like about everything you are accustomed to hear about when it comes to nutrition.

This is not another introduction to some other fad diet.

This is hard science, science as hard as it will get, and facts so unavoidable that you can only ignore them at your own peril.

Now, although a personal Organic & Sustainable Garden is not the only possible way to go, it is by far the safest and most cost effective, and this is why we focus on it.

Now, whether that Organic & Sustainable Garden is in your own backyard or rooftop, at a friend's place, in a Community Garden space, or even is a form of Guerilla Gardening on public or unused land, is not really very important. The only important fact are whether that garden exists, has been created and maintained as optimally as is possible, and if you eat out of it as much as you can. That's it!

Of course, not everyone will be inclined to maintain their own Organic & Sustainable Garden, so we will explore as well all possible forms of teaming up with friends or neighbors, barter deal, crop sharing deals and "Community Supported Agriculture".

How you get your unadulterated, fresh and functional food does not matter, as long as you get it!

Bringing you the best possible information about these and all related subjects is what we will pursue here through the publication of a family of related and interconnected blogs:

OPTIMAL GARDENS http://optimalgardens.blogspot.com/
This is the "General Knowledge" section of our blog family. It's already a treasure trove after only a few months existence, and everything we publish there can be freely reproduced and used by anyone so inclined, anywhere in the world, as long as the material remains unchanged, as our copyright notices are also licenses for non-commercial use.

Everything published there will be brought to the community in a manner than makes emulating what we do as easy as can possibly be.

PERSONAL GARDENS - THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL GARDENING
http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/ This is the "HOW TO" section of our blog family. And also where the technological aspects will be discussed.

Technological aspects? Of Gardening??? Indeed! In fact, it is our conviction that in a not too-far-away future, when the quality of the food we eat will be recognized by everyone at all interested in health issues, as the primary factor of Health, we believe that almost every health-conscious person will have an Organic and Sustainable "Personal Garden".

Exactly like everyone today has a "Personal Computer", and, in fact, several of them (desktop, laptop, iPod, cell phone, etc). And we also believe that these "Personal Gardens" will often be bought ready-made, be automatized and, actually, robotized. A necessary convenience.

We think of these "Personal Gardens" as the PCs or iPods of Nutrition. And we personally want to be at the forefront of that revolution. In dot-com veteran parlance, we see this as a "killer app'". Perhaps the ultimate killer app'. A paradigm shift of momentous nature, significance, and impact. A meme that has the potential to spread like wildfire. And, obviously, prime IPO material, particularly considering how many patents beg to be applied for around the general concept of "Personal Gardens". Plus, for a host of reasons, it seems fairly clear that the worse things will go for the economy at large, the more Personal Gardens will sell. Considering where we are headed, it should be clear that there is a lot of potential momentum to tap here...

Once you understand the issues at hand and the potential of the whole concept to completely change the way we eat, and in fact, the way we live, we believe you will be as excited as we are, particularly if you are a bit of the entrepreneurially-minded mindset.

And if all you want is to find out how to do-it-yourself optimally and at the least possible cost, you sure found the right pages!

HEALTH THRU GARDENING - COMMUNITY SERVICES & ADS
http://htgcommunityservices.blogspot.com/
This is the instrument through which we will bring replicable models of what we do to the community, in a way that will allow to emulate them effortlessly. Our goal is to create models that are truly easy to replicate, for anyone so inclined, anywhere in the world.

HEALTH THRU GARDENING - THE DATA
http://healththrugardening.blogspot.com/
This blog is currently in development, and will focus on the scientific data linking Health with Diet & Nutrition. A major article about "The Warburg Imperative" is in preparation, as well as an in-depth analysis of the "China Project" data brought to us by Oxford and Cornell Universities and the Chinese Academy of Sciences under the leadership of a man who has been hailed as "the Einstein of Nutrition, Pr Dr T. Colin Campbell.

Finally, there will be a couple related blogs focusing on specialized issues. The first one is a related blog focusing on Compost & Composting at:
http://biocomposts.blogspot.com/

Interested? Wonderful! You can contact us by email, each blog's URL is also the corresponding email @gmail.com. For example, to discover what the email address for a blog named optimalgardens.blogspot.com/ is, you simply replace ".blogspot" by "@gmail" on the model: optimalgardens[.blogspot].com/ giving you [blogname]@gmail[.com]. This is valid for all our blogs.

[HC-Site00 - V100-080921] Permalink: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/pg-ovw01-overview-of-family-of-blogs.html

Copyright 1964-2008 OSL. All rights reserved, worldwide. LICENSE IS HEREBY GRANTED to all to freely link to or to reproduce this page by any means of one's choice, virtual or physical, and to republish it, including in a compilation, etc, as long as the entirety of the page is NOT MODIFIED in any manner (except of course your location if you are republishing a community ad of your own). This includes not modifying the present copyright notice and license, and the permanent link (permalink URL) or “web address” of the page, the present license being granted as long as reproduction or use are not part of a commercial venture, that is, as long as you do not charge for it in any way, be it directly, or indirectly, for example in commercial publications. Commercial licenses are available from the copyright holder.

===========================================
WEB DESIGNERS --GRAPHICS ARTISTS -CODERS -SEO & MARKETING -Etc
If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more advanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)
===========================================

[Need00] "HEALTH THRU GARDENING" IS SEEKING LAND DONATION

"HEALTH THRU GARDENING" IS SEEKING LAND DONATION

[Need00 V100-090920]

Health Thru Gardening, the grass roots non-profit which publishes the present blog and its sibblings, is currently LOOKING FOR SOME LAND IN OR NEAR W. LOS ANGELES (SUCH AS MALIBU, SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS CANYONS, ETC) TO OPERATE A MODEL FACILITY TO SHOWCASE HOW TO GROW FUNCTIONAL FOODS AS WELL AS SPECIFIC "MIRACLE PLANTS" WITH IMMUNE SYSTEM BOOSTING PROPERTIES -- A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE TRULY ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING & GARDENING, AS WELL AS WHAT IT CAN BE USED FOR.

THE PROCESS OF CREATING THIS MODEL FACILITY WILL BE THOROUGHLY DOCUMENTED THROUGH MULTIMEDIA RECORDINGS, AND MADE WIDELY AVAILABLE THROUGH ANY AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY, SUCH AS DVD RECORDINGS, RSS FEEDS, ETC, SO IT CAN EASILY BE REPLICATED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.


If any of you readers owns a piece of land in or near Los Angeles, or if you know someone who does and might be so inclined (at least 1 acre of land, the more the better, and ideally, but not necessarily zoned agricultural or horse property), Health Thru Gardening just partnered with one of the best available experts on bio-dynamic organic agriculture, Jack McAndrew, whose biodynamic composts have been the secret behind some of the most beautiful gardens in "Hollywood" and on the Westside for many years, the sort of gardens of the rich and famous you can see depicted in Better Homes & Gardens.[Please email us if you need some, we will forward all requests to him.]

Mr McAndrew is ready to start a serious model composting facility for us of the type of what Dr Ehrenfried Pfeiffer ran for the City of Oakland for many years in the past century, and this, at absolutely no costs to us! We also have volunteers lined up to help us with the workload... but we still need to find suitable land!


More, if space permits, the place will be used for a pilot "Community Supported Agriculture" project, and for pilot projects growing "miracle plants" and "miracle trees" such as Agaricus Blazei [an immune system booster, a mushroom delicious to eat, close cousin to the common supermarket mushroom, A. Campestris, currently building great interest because of its effect on AIDS and HIV+ patients, particularly in form of added longevity]; Artemisia Annua [a form of wormwood, which has similar effects, but with cancer]; Paulownia [a tree that has varieties which can grow to 80 feet in 7 to 10 years, producing rich animal feed and very valuable wood, and a 100 feet long taproot very useful for hill management, landslide prevention, etc, plus leaves that are valuable as a base for nutraceuticals]; or Moringa Oleifera and Moringa Steganopetala, trees which are *entirely edible* and also immune-system boosting: The leaves are delicious and contain more iron than spinach, 2 times more calcium than milk, 3 times more potassium than bananas, and 7 times more Vitamin C than oranges, among plenty of other things(the list goes on and on) plus numerous compounds of medicinal value -- and it can grow 15 feet a year too! This is the famous tree that population reductionists hate, because it is already making a significant dent into the development of the AIDS pandemic in Central and South Africa, which was promising to depopulate the entire continent... If it can save the life of a malnourished African child with little or no medical support, and of his mother too, *imagine* what it could do for a well-fed, well cared-for person in West Hollywood!


If you have a piece of unused land, donating it for a substantial tax deduction, or simply making it available at low or no cost for a reasonably long period of time could make a HUGE difference in many people's lives... In fact, this is probably one of the single most widely-useful and compassionate thing you could ever do! Think of it! One acre of land could save many lives, right here, right now, including of people you personally know... and perhaps even *yours*!


You can find more details on this at any of the three following sites:
http://optimalgardens.blogspot.com/ and http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/


PS: If you know html, graphic design, RSS, PHP, PERL, MySQL, etc, and would like to volunteer some of your time for a great cause, or are a writer/editor, please email us! Our emails are the names of our blogs @gmail.com

[Need00 - V100-080919] Permalink: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/need00-health-thru-gardening-is-seeking.html

Copyright 1964-2008 OSL All rights reserved, worldwide. LICENSE IS HEREBY GRANTED to all to freely link to or to reproduce this page by any means of one's choice, virtual or physical, and to republish it, including in a compilation, etc, as long as the entirety of the page is NOT MODIFIED in any manner (except of course your location if you are publishing a community ad of your own). This includes not modifying the present copyright notice and license, and the permanent link (permalink URL) or “web address” of the page, and license is granted as long as reproduction is not part of a commercial venture, that is, as long as you do not charge for it in any way, be it directly, or indirectly, for example in commercial publications. Commercial licenses available from the copyright holder.

===========================================
WEB DESIGNERS -GRAPHICS ARTISTS -CODERS -SEO & MARKETING -Etc

If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more ad-vanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)

===========================================

[PG-Info06] COMPOST TEAS - AN OLD SECRET TO LET YOUR GARDEN EXPLODE... THE SECRETS OF COMPOST TEAS

COMPOST TEAS - AN OLD SECRET TO LET YOUR GARDEN EXPLODE... THE SECRETS OF COMPOST TEAS [PG-Info06 V100-080919]

COMPOST TEA? WHY IS IT SO GOOD FOR YOUR GARDEN OR FARM?

Compost tea is ancient. You can find references to it in texts dating back to the Roman Empire (in Cato's "De Agricultura"). So says a real doyenne of dirt, microbial ecologist Elaine Ingham, who wrote this to Ketzel Levine in a recent e-mail:

(Cato the Critic) describes a liquid extract of compost. He also describes adding slaves' blood to the liquid applied to the vines. We would add liquid fish today to get a similar effect.

In the 20th century, compost tea makers preferred the Sock Approach. The recipe went something like this: Fill old sock with compost or manure, immerse sock in pail of water, let steep. When color is sufficiently brown, apply to plants.

But that's way too simple for the 21st century. We now take a more microbially balanced view of things (and, wouldn't you know it, a more marketable one). The Sock Approach, after all, left many with nasty-smelling brews that contained as much bad bacteria as good. So, folks in the field applied themselves to compost tea mixes with just the right combination of microorganisms.

As Elaine Ingham puts it, "Tea works because of the biology in it. If you don't have the necessary biology, you can't get all the benefits."

The benefits are well worth the effort, advocates say. We're talking pest and disease control on leaves (compost tea as foliar spray), bigger and better vegetables (compost tea as muscle juice), compost tea for soil detoxification (to undo the damage you've already done with chemical-based pesticides and synthetic fertilizers), and ultimately, for enhancing soil structure.

Few would argue against the wisdom of adding yummy bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes to the soil. Certainly, compost tea is one way to add them.

But Elaine Ingham does argue that there are charlatans in the biz.

Without naming names, she's not entirely thrilled with some of the commercial brewing kits on the market. She says the tea they make lacks the right mix of microorganisms, and are ineffective. She fears that people will abandon the whole idea of compost tea after sinking time and money into products that are duds.

I brewed up about six gallons of compost tea using the SoilSoup brew machine. I applied several cups of the stuff to strategic plants throughout my garden. I don't expect to see much of anything happen until next spring, and even then, since my soil isn't exactly dust to begin with, I'm not sure I'll see much of a difference.

Nevertheless, I have had my fair share of foliar diseases this year and just a few too many pests, so I'm willing to overcome my general reluctance to intervene (read: lazy gardener), and will continue to experiment with the brewer. No doubt, after the dew-good fades, I'll probably go buy some organic pre-mix and just follow directions. Bottom line, however good it is for me, I've always hated to cook.

Additional Resources:

SoilSoup is the manufacturer of the compost brewer we used in our demonstration. They offer a pretty lively (if decidedly commercial) Web site with useful links.

The Soil Food Web is the brainchild of microbial ecologist Elaine Ingham, author of The Compost Tea Brewing Manual (3rd Edition). You could dawdle here for hours. Skeptics rejoice, she is no-nonsense about her field, as evidenced by her reviews of microbe-brewers.

BBC Laboratories is another micronutrient-rich site and research lab. Love their summary guide for microbial analysis; amaze and impress your friends.

Woods End Research Laboratory is the oldest compost testing lab in the U.S. Stop here to learn about using compost to detoxify soil (a.k.a., bioremediation).

In the best name category, the makers of the Microb Brewer win hands down. Good links page, too.

Brewmeisters : Some of these links are a bit beyond the casual home-brewer and cater to professionals, but are worth visiting if you're interested in sustainable agriculture.

Alaska Giant: The slideshow will make you a little nuts, but John & Mary Evans clearly mean well with their mail-order compost kits for the home gardener. You can sample their brew at Landscape Supply in Palmer, Alaska. Honest!

Compost Tea: EPM Inc. manufactures both compost tea brewers and vermicomposting systems (remember the worms?).

Growing Solutions, Inc., another brewmaker. Need a 500-gallon tank?

Earthworks wins the good deed award for selling compost tea machines to dozens of U.S. golf courses. Feed your head? Way dated. Now it's Feed Your Soil.

If you've made it this far, here are a couple of articles:

Linda Chalker-Scott, from the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, weighs in on the myths of compost tea.

Homemade compost tea instructions from Organic Gardening. Here's a succinct article by Elaine Ingham about compost tea, published in the (now defunct) Kitchen Gardener.

And, not too surprisingly, tea made from John McAndrew's "McAndrew Certified Biodynamic Compost" has been hailed as "the ultimate compost tea".

[If you want to know more about compost tea, just visit Ketzel Levine's page at: http://www.npr.org/programs/talkingplants/features/2002/compost/ who compiled this information] [From a 2005 SaveGaia posting to be found here: ]


[PG-Info05 V100-080919] Permalink: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/pg-info06-compost-teas-old-secret-to.html

Copyright 1964-2008 OSL All rights reserved, worldwide. LICENSE IS HEREBY GRANTED to all to freely link to or to reproduce this page by any means of one's choice, virtual or physical, and to republish it, including in a compilation, etc, as long as the entirety of the page is NOT MODIFIED in any manner (except of course your location if you are publishing a community ad of your own). This includes not modifying the present copyright notice and license, and the permanent link (permalink URL) or “web address” of the page, and license is granted as long as reproduction is not part of a commercial venture, that is, as long as you do not charge for it in any way, be it directly, or indirectly, for example in commercial publications. Commercial licenses available from the copyright holder.

===========================================
WEB DESIGNERS - GRAPHICS ARTISTS – CODERS - SEO & MARKETING - Etc:
If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more advanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)
===========================================

[PG-Mark01] Example of market offering for a ready-made gardening unit

Example of market offering for a ready-made gardening unit [PG-Mark01 – V100-080918]

This is a typical commercial ad about a ready-made gardening unit (it even refers to us! :) The reply address has been deleted as this is an advertising-free blog, but it gives you an idea of what you can find and for how much! It will of course cost you at least 35% less if you do it yourself.)


Complete Ready-Made 4' x 8' Organic Food Garden For Sale - $499 (Anywhere! )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: [deleted, as this blog is not about selling anything]

Complete Ready-Made 4' x 8' Organic Food Garden For Sale - from $499 to $998 (and more!) per unit.

A standard unit is a 4 x 8 raised-bed wood unit filled with organic material (no need of digging the lawn or earth underneath, and it can even be installed on concrete or asphalt, or on a flat roof).

You can of course multiply these units, so to produce as much food as you and your family may need. Actually, you can even start a side business that way, growing food for other people in some sort of "Community-Supported Agriculture" deal!

Once in place, each raised-bed unit is seeded or planted according to your specifications.

Creating and maintaining your own food-producing Organic and Sustainable Gardens has been hailed as "The Key to Eating Right".

As for why you'd want to "Eat Right", there are numerous benefits to doing so. You can find them posted here:
http://optimalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/word-about-fad-diets-benefits-of-eating.html , along with a condemnation of fad diets, such as the infamous "Atkins Diet".

To put it short, Pr Dr T. Colin Campbell, the foremost American expert in Nutrition, Professor Emeritus in Nutrition at Cornell University and author of over 350 peer-reviewed papers on the subject of optimal nutrition, defines "the Standard American Diet" as "the toxic diet that has been shown to make us fat, give us heart disease, destroy our kidneys, make us blind and lead us to Altzheimer's, cancer, and a host of other medical problems." Is that reason enough for you to start to want to eat differently - something for which maintaining your own garden is the key?

IN HIS SEMINAL BOOK ON THE SUBJECT, Pr Campbell tells us: "At the beginning of this book, I said my goal was to redefine how we think of nutrition information -- eliminate confusion, make health simple and base my claims on the evidence generated by peer-reviewed nutrition research published in peer-reviewed, professional publications. So far you have seen a broad sample - and it is only a sample - of that evidence. You have seen that there is overwhelming scientific support for one, simple optimal diet -- a whole foods, plant-based diet." Basically, Dr Campbell's book is the most eloquent advocation of why we should all create and maintain our own gardens, although it is definitely not a book about gardening.


On of the book's chapters starts this way: "THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ARE ENORMOUS. I want you to know that you can :

+ Live longer
+ Look and feel younger
+ Have more energy
+ Lose weight
+ Lower your blood cholesterol
+ Prevent and reverse heart disease
+ Lower your risk of breast, prostate and other cancers
+ Preserve your eyesight in your later years
+ Prevent and treat diabetes
+ Avoid surgery in many instances
+ Vastly decrease the need for pharmaceutical drugs
+ Keep your bones strong
+ Avoid impotence [and frigidity]
+ Avoid strokes
+ Prevent kidney stones
+ Keep your baby from getting Type 1 diabetes
+ Alleviate constipation
+ Lower your blood pressure
+ Avoid Altzheimer's"

This, actually, is just a sample list! And sure, eating right does not absolutely compel you to maintain your own Organic and Sustainable Garden... However, doing so just makes it 10 times easier and lest expensive to eat right, that's all.

So, perhaps it's time YOU thought about it... And yes, you can do it yourself (just read http://optimalgardens.blogspot.com/ for ideas about how to do it!), but if you don't have the time or inclination to do it yourself, we can do it for you, at a very reasonable price.

In fact, you can even have it done for you at no costs to you in a barter deal!

However you approach the issue is of little importance.... as long as you DO IT!

Location: Anywhere!


========================================

[OG-Mark01 – V100-080918] Permalink: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/pg-mark01-example-of-market-offering.html

Copyright 1964-2008 OSL All rights reserved, worldwide. LICENSE IS HEREBY GRANTED to all to freely link to or to reproduce this page by any means of one's choice, virtual or physical, and to republish it, including in a compilation, etc, as long as the entirety of the page is NOT MODIFIED in any manner (except of course your location if you are publishing a community ad of your own). This includes not modifying the present copyright notice and license, and the permanent link (permalink URL) or “web address” of the page, and license is granted as long as reproduction is not part of a commercial venture, that is, as long as you do not charge for it in any way, be it directly, or indirectly, for example in commercial publications. Commercial licenses available from the copyright holder.

===========================================
WEB DESIGNERS - GRAPHICS ARTISTS – CODERS - SEO & MARKETING - Etc:
If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more advanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)
===========================================

[PG-Anal01] ANALYZING THE OFFICIAL 'ORGANIC' EFFORTS & PUTTING THEM IN PERSPECTIVE

ANALYZING THE OFFICIAL 'ORGANIC' EFFORTS & PUTTING THEM IN PERSPECTIVE [PG-Anal01 - V101-080919]

There is a quite interesting organisation named the OFRF, standing for "Organic Farming Research Foundation". It represents the organized "certified" organic farming interest. Its material is quite interesting to look at, from several points of view. First, because it usually contains valuable information, second, for what it does, and what it says, and for what it does NOT do, and does NOT say.

First, we will go over their self-presentation. Later, examine their "FAQ":

All the data here is taken from "About OFRF" http://ofrf.org/aboutus/aboutus.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Our purpose: To foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems."

So far, so good. Who could object, besides the "Merchants of Death"?

"Our mission: To sponsor research related to organic farming;"
So, it's an industry group. Indeed, they even have lobbyists in Washington, a quite polluted atmosphere if there was any...

"To disseminate research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production systems;"
Again, who could object?

"and... To educate the public and decision-makers about organic farming issues." Well... Someone has to do it!

"OFRF’s integrated strategy of grantmaking, policy, education and networking initiatives supports organic farmers’ immediate information needs while moving the public and policymakers toward greater investment in organic farming systems."

They just reached the landmark of distributing their second million in grants. Over 17 years, an average of less than $10K a month. This, while a certain corporation we will not name, but which is certainly one of the most remarkable embodiments of the "Merchants of Death", and which is probably the closest thing there is to a criminal outfit incorporated as a corporation, goes from record profits to ever more record profits years after years, now making over $7 Billion a year selling various poisons, GMOs, "terminator" seeds, etc. To say nothing about the artificial hormones and antibiotics you will ingest with meat and dairy products, which have been identified as some of the leading causes of a collection of chronic and acute diseases, for example diabetes and cancer to name a few. That same corporation reportedly reinvests 15% of that amount on "lobbying", buying legislators, making "research grants" which is the way one go to buys academics, burying the media under fat advertising budgets, etc, etc. Just do the math, the relation is 10,000 to 1 or so, and try to envision what such numbers can mean in practice... And that's just ONE corporation! Is this really the world YOU want to see your children growing in? Yet, this is the world we live in!

"Following is an overview of our program areas, and related links".

"Grantmaking: Since 1992, OFRF’s grantmaking program has awarded more than $1.5 million for over 200 projects In fact, they just reached the $2 Million mark]. Our grantmaking objective is to generate practical, science-based knowledge to support modern organic farming systems."

Hmm... Since after all, "generating practical, science-based knowledge to support modern organic farming systems" is exactly what optimalgardens.blogspot.com is about, perhaps we should consider testing their grant-making process one of these days... ;)

"OFRF-funded projects emphasize grower-researcher collaboration, studies conducted on-farm and/or in certified organic settings, and outreach of project results. For deadline and application information visit: Applying for Grants.

For a list of OFRF-funded projects and available project reports, visit: OFRF-funded project reports".

"Policy: OFRF’s policy program objectives are to ensure that the public and policymakers are well-informed about organic farming issues and to increase public institutional support for organic farming research and education funding. Our policy initiatives consist of four areas of priority:

- Secure a substantial increase in government support for organic agriculture;"

In fact, if reasonable thinking prevailed, it would be quite evident that any support whatsoever to non-organic agriculture is contrary to the public interest, and should not only be discontinued, but, to the contrary, since "the power to tax ius the power to kill", such toxic ways of producing foods should be heavily taxed. A policy change of that nature should be the stated goal to be expected from anyone interested in a healthy food supply. So here is an area where the incredible timidity of "organic farming" institutions start showing...

"- Ensure that land grant universities have an organic research and extension program and workplans developed with the participation of organic farmers;"

This is actually probably the most valuable service OFRF provides, although of course they are totally minuscule, in an area that is ripe with structural problems and where structural as well as personal corruption are the norm, not the exception. To understand the issue of how agricultural research gets funded and how fundamental the issue is, please read the following article: "Monsanto U: Agribusiness's Takeover of Public Schools" to be found here: http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/76804 , and provided in .PDF format here: http://ofrf.org/pressroom/ofrf_news_clips/080215_alternet_agribusinesstakeover.pdf .

Here is a short excerpt of that article, which you should read in its entirety: "[The agricultural-industrial complex]'s relationship with the land-grant system is not an entirely new development. In 1973, former Texas agricultural commissioner and activist Jim Hightower lamented the situation in his landmark report, 'Hard Tomatoes, Hard Times: The Failure of America's Land Grant College Complex'. But the world of agriculture is today a far, far different place [read: 'far worse place'] than when Hightower wrote. For one thing, in the early 1970s Monsanto was still a decade away from genetically modifying its very first plant cell. For another, back then the federal government was still committed to providing steady research funding. And, importantly, it was neither possible nor profitable for our nation's bastions of higher learning to be players in the global agribusiness."

"- Cultivate state and federal policies that help to assure the economic viability of organic family farmers;" and

"- Support organic farmers’ rights to grow and sell their products without the threat of pesticide and GMO contamination".

To learn more visit our Policy Program pages."

The issue of GMO contamination is becoming appalling. For example, read the following article about it, from "Sustainable Food News" on February 26, 2008: "Straus Family Creamery finds 33% of organic corn supply contaminated with GMOs" at http://ofrf.org/pressroom/organic_news_clips/080226_sustainablefoodnews_strausgmocorn.pdf .

What's most remarkable is that, despite the fact that GMO-related criminality is actually always signed by its perpetrators (all GMO crops being patented and "owned"), and despite the clear health problems coming with these crops, allergies to begin with and to name the most benign issue, we have yet to see the beginning of the tsunami of GMO-related lawsuits that will undoubtedly be one of the marks of the near future. It is almost certain that the efforts of the victims of GMO-related criminality have yet to reach the 10,000 lawsuits mark, even here in the USA, the most litigious country in the world. Actually, it is perfectly possible that we might still be under the 1,000 lawsuits mark, while any reasonable but uninformed mind would probably imagine that we'd already have passed the 1,000,000 mark, and that the talk of Wall Street and the media would already be about what the true costs of the unavoidable "GMO Superfund" that will someday be needed to clean-up the GMO mess might actually be. There is little doubt in the mind of all competent independent experts that GMOs have a good chance to prove to be the greatest environmental and ecological disaster of all time...

How the GMO-industrial Complex manages to both stay under the radar and apparently scare off its victims is a mystery, and it appears, will remain one for some time. And as far as one can tell, even the people at OFRF, whom one would imagine to be extremely vocal about an issue that menaces to destroy their very livelihood (contaminated organic crops are no more "organic"), pay little more than lip service to the issue.

"OFRF encourages organic farmers to participate in the policy process by joining our Organic Farmers Action Network (OFAN). Members of OFAN will receive free policy updates and tools for communicating with representatives in Congress, to advocate for increased funding for organic research, technical assistance and marketing support, funding for organic conservation programs and maintenance and improvement of national organic standards." We can on ly encourage any stakeholder to join that effort, since grass roots efforts is actually the only thing that people can put in the way of the steamrollers of agribusiness and the mountains of cash that are behind them.

"Research: OFRF conducts original research about organic farming in the U.S. OFRF research projects include:

Since 1992, OFRF has conducted four National Organic Farmers' Surveys, collecting information about organic farmers' research and information needs, their experiences in the organic marketplace, effects of GMOs on organic production and markets, organic farmer demographics, and much more."

Having not examined the data, we don't know what's in these surveys. But hopefully they could constitute a data collection sufficiently rich to inspire some Master's and Doctoral candidates to work a bit on exploring them. 16 years is a rather short time to really observe major trends develop, but it's nonetheless time enough to allow to come to some conclusions of value.

"OFRF conducts regular inventories programs related to organic farming and land grant universities. Visit State of the States: Organic Farming Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions 2001-2003, for our latest report."

We have yet to read the report, so we can't comment on it. What is sure is that there is lots of work to do in that area, for us to have a chance to stop or at least contain the very dismal movement toward a complete control of supposedly "public" education by the most egregious corporate interests, transforming even the "Land Grant" system into little more than a less and less credible legitimation process for the overall agribusiness and "Merchants of Death" agenda of ever more chemicals, ever more GMOs, and a sicker and sicker populace.

"In 1995 and 1996, OFRF conducted conducted a study to identify and catalogue federally supported agricultural research pertaining specifically to the understanding and improvement of organic farming. This led to publication, in 1997, of Searching for the ‘O-Word’: Analyzing the USDA Current Research Information System for Pertinence to Organic Farming, OFRF's seminal work identifying the need for federal support for organic programs".

In a world where the very agency that is supposed to protect the quality of our food is widely recognized as "the Secular Arm of the Merchants of Death", that is, of Big Pharma, Agribusiness, the food adulterators, etc, believing in the need to get "federal support" might feel a bit akin to Dorothy believing in the need of "get support" from the Wicked Witch of the East, or the need of the hanged man to get more "support" from the rope... Nonetheless, just for the sake of it, like the motto of some long-dead nobleman once put it, let us firmly hold that "There is no need to hope to endeavor, nor to succeed to persevere". We certainly wish the OFRF good luck in that noble but unlikely very successful enterprise. Educating the public about the need to grow their own foods, and that today, technology could make such a thing extremely easy, would appear to be time, efforts and energy a lot better invested...

"Education: OFRF seeks to share new insights into organic farming systems with all farmers who use or want to adopt organic practices. The results of research projects funded by OFRF generate information useful to farmers who are working to develop and improve integrated, systems-level organic management practices. Every OFRF-funded project is required to have an outreach component that disseminates the results to the grower and research communities. These often include field days, farm tours, grower conference presentations and publication in grower newsletters."

This is definitely already a better way to go, even if educating the public-at-large about the need of us all to take back the control of our own personal food supply, that is, of our own health, seems to us even more important.

"The results of OFRF-funded projects are published in our newsletter, the Information Bulletin, available free-of charge both online and by regular mail.

OFRF also manages OrganicAgInfo.org, an on-line information source for research and information on organic production and marketing.

If you'd like to receive OFRF's free newsletters by email or by regular mail, please sign in through our subscriptions page."

We strongly encourage everyone to make use of these resources. Sure, OFRF appears to be about as timid a champion for organic food production as one could imagine possible to be, but their resources contain lot of useful and usable data. And, as we see it, anyone who decides to create and maintain their own Organic and Sustainable Garden qualifies as an "organic farmer", that is, a potential constituent for OFRF.

"Media: OFRF regularly serves as a media resource for topics related to organic farming research, farm policy, and the organic industry. We also track important organic media stories. Visit our pressroom for more on OFRF- and organic-related media."

In fact, the most interesting part of their pressroom is this one: http://ofrf.org/pressroom/organic_news.html , where quite a few truly interesting storiescan be found.

"Networking: OFRF is coordinating efforts to develop a national research agenda and a farmer-scientist network for pursuit of multi-disciplinary research & extension on working organic farms. The Scientific Congress on Organic Agricultural Research (SCOAR) has conducted a series of national and regional meetings with farmers and scientists to discuss and design a plan for basic, applied and developmental organic research".

There is definitely more to do in that direction, but it's a site well-worth visiting!

"OFRF also takes part in other networking in support of organic and sustainable farming. Examples include the Sustainable Agriculture Working Group [1] and the Organic Agriculture Consortium [2]".

"Support: OFRF is supported by your donations from individuals and by grants from family foundations. We hope that you "will choose to support OFRF’s work to meet the information and policy needs of organic family farmers -- the foundation of a healthier agriculture for the future. Please make a gift to the Organic Farming Research Foundation today."

We can only encourage you to support them in any possible manner, including financially. However, if you do so, make sure they get a clear message from you insisting that:
1/ OFRF needs to be a lot less timid and more assertive in the struggle of The People to assert our inalienable right to unadulterated foods and to Therapeutic Freedom.
2/ That, even if they are an industry group, it is their moral duty to also support the organic "micro-farmer", including the people who take charge of their own health in the most radical and revolutionary manner, that is, by creating and maintaining their own Organic & Sustainable Garden.

--------------------

[1] The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a national alliance of farm, rural development and conservation groups organized in 1988 to interject grassroots sustainable agriculture perspectives into federal agricultural and environmental policies and programs. SAC member groups advocate for federal policies and programs to support small and mid-sized family farms, protect natural resources, promote healthy rural communities, and provide nutritious and healthy food to consumers. [ http://www.msawg.org/ ]

[2] The Organic Agriculture Consortium (OAC) was established in September 2000 with a $1.8 million grant, “Revitalizing Small and Midsize Farms: Organic Research, Education, and Extension,” from the USDA Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) program. Partners in the consortium are The Ohio State University, Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, Tufts University, the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), and leading organic farmers. The goal of the OAC is to assist farmers with small to midsize operations to transition from conventional to organic production systems through integrated multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach programs. Please see OAC Accomplishments and Impacts for more information about the Consortium. Scientific abstracts presented at the final OAC meeting in August 2005 are listed at http://ofrf.org/networks/oac.html

--------------------


Now, we will finish this overview of OFRF by examining their "FAQ", which you can find here: http://ofrf.org/resources/organicfaqs.html under the title:

"About Organic -- Frequently asked questions about organic food and farming"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There, we discovered an absolute gem -- of sorts, which will be discussed in detail when we get to that point... But let's take questions and answers in the order they come:


Q "What is organic farming?" A: "Organic farming refers to agricultural production systems used to produce food and fiber. Organic farming management relies on developing biological diversity in the field to disrupt habitat for pest organisms, and the purposeful maintenance and replenishment of soil fertility. Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. All kinds of agricultural products are produced organically, including produce, grains, meat, dairy, eggs, fibers such as cotton, flowers, and processed food products. Some of the essential characteristics of organic systems include: design and implementation of an "organic system plan" that describes the practices used in producing crops and livestock products; a detailed recordkeeping system that tracks all products from the field to point of sale; and maintenance of buffer zones to prevent inadvertent contamination by synthetic farm chemicals from adjacent conventional fields."

A bit over-simplified, but, so far, so good.

Q "What does "certified" organic mean?" A: "Certified organic refers to agricultural products that have been grown and processed according to uniform standards, verified by independent state or private organizations accredited by the USDA. All products sold as "organic" must be certified. Certification includes annual submission of an organic system plan and inspection of farm fields and processing facilities. Inspectors verify that organic practices such as long-term soil management, buffering between organic farms and neighboring conventional farms, and recordkeeping are being followed. Processing inspections include review of the facility's cleaning and pest control methods, ingredient transportation and storage, and recordkeeping and audit control. Organic foods are minimally processed to maintain the integrity of food without artificial ingredients or preservatives. Certified organic requires the rejection of synthetic agrochemicals, irradiation and genetically engineered foods or ingredients. Since 2002, organic certification in the U.S. has taken place under the authority of the USDA National Organic Program, which accredits organic certifiying agencies, and oversees the regulatory process. To find out more about the national organic certification requirements and organic program, please go to the USDA National Organic Program website www.ams.usda.gov/nop ."

Well, there would be a lot to say about the shortcomings of the official "Organic" system, as it exists today, but that would take a book, not a single post on this website, so we will refrain to do so for the moment.

Q "Is organic food more nutritious than conventional food?"

The answer to that one is the true gem of sorts we mentioned earlier. Commenting upon it in details would legitimately also deserve a whole book, so this will just be a short comment, which will be developed later if and when circumstances allow.

A "The definitive study has not been done, mainly because of the multitude of variables involved in making a fair comparison between organically grown and conventionally grown food. These include crop variety, time after harvest, post-harvest handling, and even soil type and climate, which can have significant effects on nutritional quality. However, a 2002 report indicates that organic food is far less likely to contain pesticide residues than conventional food (13% of organic produce samples vs. 71% of conventional produce samples contained a pesticide residue, when long-banned persistent pesticides were excluded). For more information on this 2002 report (Baker, B.P., C.M. Benbrook, E. Groth III, and K.L. Benbrook. 2002. Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic food: insights from three US data sets. Food Additives and Contaminants 19:427-446.) go to the Organic Materials Review Institute website http://www.omri.org/ ".

Now let's go over this remarkable statement:

"The definitive study has not been done, mainly because of the multitude of variables involved in making a fair comparison between organically grown and conventionally grown food."

This could have been (and probably HAS) been lifted word for word from some Diktat "Cease and Desist" order, or whatever it was, probably originating from the Food and Disease administration.

Let's get this clear in our mind... We are to believe that "mainly because of the multitude of variables involved" "the definitive study" "making a fair comparison between organically grown and conventionally grown food" "has not been done". In other words, hey, since there is really no discernable difference between "organically grown" and "conventionally grown" food, a "definitive study" which "has not been done" would be needed to figure out what that "difference" between the two could possibly be. You know, it's like "fluoridation is good for you" (even if was hailed as "probably the greatest scientific fraud of all time" by the leading EPA scientist specialized in the matter). And aspartame, sucralose, MSG and bisphenol A are "perfectly safe" too. Exactly like, "no difference has been shown" between milk laden with artificial hormones and natural milk...

Let's see... GMO foods, (better known as "frankenfoods"), loaded with a witchbrew consisting of a good sampling of hundreds of herbicides, perticides, conserving agents and other man-made chemicals, half of which are very well "known" to cause cancer, birth defects, and a host of other such small inconveniences, need a "fair comparizon" with food which is not supposed to contain any of that. So we can be sure there is really some reason to prefer the one to the other...

For what complete idiots do our Masters really take us?

And what sort of (very domestic) terrorism has been exercized on a non-profit dedicated to the defense of organic food production to make them publish a phrase as patently absurd as "The definitive study has not been done, mainly because of the multitude of variables involved in making a fair comparison between organically grown and conventionally grown food."

Which, in addition, is also a patent lie. The study in question HAS been done, and more than once too. Done so well that in fact, even the London-based "Times", probably the world's most prestigious of all powers-that-be-controlled newspapers, had on October 28, 2007 to admit that: "Official: organic really is better"! You can read it yourself here: http://ofrf.org/pressroom/organic_news_clips/071028_londontimes_organicbetter.pdf .

" October 28, 2007 'Official: organic really is better', by Jon Ungoed-Thomas"

"The biggest study into organic food has found that it is more nutritious than ordinary produce and may help to lengthen people's lives. The evidence from the £12m [ $ 25M ] four-year project will end years of debate and is likely to overturn government advice that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice.

The study found that organic fruit and vegetables contained as much as 40% more antioxidants, which scientists
believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease, Britain’s biggest killers. They also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.

Professor Carlo Leifert, the co-ordinator of the European Union-funded project, said the differences were so marked that organic produce would help to increase the nutrient intake of people not eating the recommended five portions a day of fruit and vegetables. “If you have just 20% more antioxidants and you can’t get your kids to do five a day, then you might just be okay with four a day,” he said.

This weekend the Food Standards Agency confirmed that it was reviewing the evidence before deciding whether to change its advice. Ministers and the agency have said there are no significant differences between organic and ordinary produce. Researchers grew fruit and vegetables and reared cattle on adjacent organic and nonorganic sites on a 725-acre farm attached to Newcastle University, and at other sites in Europe. They found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic herds were up to 90% higher than in milk from conventional herds.

As well as finding up to 40% more antioxidants in organic vegetables, they also found that organic tomatoes from Greece had significantly higher levels of antioxidants, including flavonoids thought to reduce coronary heart disease.

Leifert said the government was wrong about there being no difference between organic and conventional produce. 'There is enough evidence now that the level of good things is higher in organics,' he said."

In addition, this four years, $25M study is nothing compared with the 27 years long "China Project" under the direction of Dr T. Colin Campbell, and still on-going through a partnership between Oxford University in Britain, Cornell University in NY and the Chinese Academy of Sciences assisted by China's health authorities. Although this study focuses on data collection that does not even mention the word "organic" anywhere, it is evidently clear that one of the principal difference-making aspects in people's diet is how much "organic" food people have access to -- the poorer and the more rural (and healthier) people eating naturally more "organic" than the richer and/or more urbanized ones, not necessarily because they want it to be that way, but simply because they cannot afford the price of pesticides, herbicides, chemicals and GMO seeds...

A detailed analysis of the available data would demonstrate this fact quite readily, if it was undertaken. Once one thinks about it and examines the known parameters afecting the issue, the fact is, at any rate, rationally quite self-evident.

Now let's go back to the OFRF Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q "Is organic food safe?" A "Yes. Organic food is as safe to consume as any other kind of food. Just as with any kind of produce, consumers should wash before consuming to ensure maximum cleanliness. As cited above, organic produce contains significantly lower levels of pesticide residues than conventional produce. It is a common misconception that organic food could be at greater risk of E. coli contamination because of raw manure application although conventional farmers commonly apply tons of raw manure as well with no regulation whatsoever. Organic standards set strict guidelines on manure use in organic farming: Either it must be first composted, or it must be applied at least 90 days before harvest, which allows ample time for microbial breakdown of pathogens."

Wouldn't the rational question rather be "Is conventionally-grown food safe?". And if *that* was the question, what would the answer be, in your opinion?

Q "Is organic food really a significant industry?" A "Approximately 2% of the U.S. food supply is grown using organic methods." How low have we not fallen. Only 2% of the food produced is actually certifiably edible! "Over the past decade, sales of organic products have shown an annual increase of at least 20%, the fastest growing sector of agriculture. In 2005, retail sales of organic food and beverages were approximately $12.8 billion (Natural Marketing Institute, Health & Wellness Trends Database, March 2006). Organic foods can be found at natural food stores and major supermarkets, as well as through grower direct marketing such as CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) and farmers' markets. Many restaurant chefs across the country are using organic produce because they desire superior quality and taste. Organic food is also gaining international acceptance, with nations like Japan and Germany becoming important international organic food markets".

Actually, one can foresee a time in a not-too-far future when the only places where "conventional" food will still have a market will be the United States, where honest labeling is actually ILLEGAL, and third-world countries overcome with endemic famine and abject poverty: Obviously, pesticide- herbicide- chemicals- and GMO-laden food is better than no food at all...

Q "Why does organic cost more?" A "The cost of organic food is higher than that of conventional food because the organic price tag more closely reflects the true cost of growing the food: substituting labor and intensive management for chemicals, the health and environmental costs of which are borne by society. These costs include cleanup of polluted water and remediation of pesticide contamination. Prices for organic foods include costs of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage. In the case of processed foods, processing and packaging costs are also included. Organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations governing all these steps than conventional foods. The intensive management and labor used in organic production are frequently (though not always) more expensive than the chemicals routinely used on conventional farms. There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same, or, more likely, be cheaper than conventional food. Cost, however, is very dependent upon market venue and consumer product choice. It is possible to consume a moderately priced diet of organic foods by purchasing directly from farmers at venues such as farmers markets, and by choosing unprocessed organically grown foods at the grocery store."

Grow it yourself, and it will cost a lot *less* than conventionally-grown food...

Q "Are organic yields lower?" A: "Based on 154 growing seasons' worth of data on various crops, organic crops yielded 95% of crops grown under conventional, high-input conditions (Liebhardt, B. "Get the facts straight: organic agriculture yields are good," OFRF Information Bulletin #10, Summer 2001.). This was by using organic farming methods developed and refined by years of grower experience, independent of the billions of dollars of support provided the agrichemical industries through USDA and the land grant system. If USDA would increase the small proportion of its research funds currently directed toward optimizing organic farming practices, organic has the potential to produce yields fully matching or surpassing those of conventional crops. Growers who go through the 3-year transition period from conventional to organic management usually experience an initial decrease in yields, until soil microbes are re-established and nutrient cycling is in place, at which point yields return to previous levels".

In fact, there is absolutely no question that in the intensive and well-controlled conditions of your Personal Garden, you will get higher yields organically. This would probably be the case in agriculture as well, IF the field was level, and the game was played fair. Which of course is something any of us alive today is unlikely to see happen in their lifetime...

Q "Is there a national standard for organic?" A "Yes. Since October 2002, organic regulations under the USDA National Organic Program have been in effect. This means there are a uniform set of organic production, processing, and labeling standards across the United States. Anyone who sells a product as "organic" is required by law to be certified (The National Organic Rule and other policies of USDA's National Organic Program may be accessed on the web at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/index.htm ). USDA oversees implementation of the Rule through its National Organic Program but does not certify organic operations itself; instead, it accredits independent certifiers to certify growers and processors on USDA's behalf."

There would be a lot to say here, but again, such an endeavor would take a book.

Q "How do organic farmers fertilize crops and control pests, diseases, and weeds?" A "Organic farmers build healthy soils by nourishing the living component of the soil, the microbial inhabitants that release, transform, and transfer nutrients. Soil organic matter contributes to good soil structure and water-holding capacity. Organic farmers feed soil biota and build soil structure and water-holding capacity. Organic farmers build soil organic matter with cover crops, compost, and biologically based soil amendments. These produce healthy plants that are better able to resist disease and insect predation. Organic farmers' primary strategy in controlling pests and diseases is prevention through good plant nutrition and management. Organic farmers use cover crops and sophisticated crop rotations to manage the field ecology, effectively disrupting habitat for weeds, insects, and disease organisms. Weeds are controlled through crop rotation, mechanical tillage, and hand-weeding, as well as through cover crops, mulches, flame weeding, and other management methods. Organic farmers rely on a diverse population of soil organisms, beneficial insects, and birds to keep pests in check. When pest populations get out of balance, growers implement a variety of strategies such as the use of insect predators, mating disruption, traps and barriers. Under the National Organic Program Rule, growers are required to use sanitation and cultural practices first before they can resort to applying a material to control a weed, pest or disease problem. Use of these materials in organic production is regulated, strictly monitored, and documented. As a last resort, certain botanical or other non-synthetic pesticides may be applied."

Q "How are organic livestock and poultry raised?" A "Organic meat, dairy products, and eggs are produced from animals that are fed organic feed and allowed access to the outdoors. They must be kept in living conditions that accommodate the natural behavior of the animals. Ruminants must have access to pasture. Organic livestock and poultry may not be give antibiotics, hormones, or medications in the absence of illness; however, they may be vaccinated against disease. Parasiticide use is strictly regulated. Livestock diseases and parasites are controlled primarily through preventative measures such as rotational grazing, balanced diet, sanitary housing, and stress reduction".

Q "How can I reach an organic certification agency that serves my area?" A "Depending on where you live or farm in the U.S., there may be one or several organic certifications agencies that serve your region. There are many organic certifying agencies accredited through the USDA National Organic Program, and these include non-profit organizations, state- or county-affiliated agencies, and for-profit corporations. Some agencies work solely within a particular county or state, while others conduct organic certifications regionally or nationwide. Depending on the type of agency, an organic certifier may also provide additional services to farmers and the public, such as information about organic food and farming, sponsorship of workshops and conferences, or organic marketing materials. Together with The Rodale Institute/NewFarm, OFRF has developed a Guide to U.S. Organic Certifiers or you can contact the USDA National Organic Program.

Q "Where can I find organically grown products?" A "Organically grown products are becoming more widely available throughout the U.S. Many national food store chains such as Albertson's, Safeway and Wal-Mart carry some organically grown selections. National natural food store chains such as Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Market carry a wide array of organic products, as do regional and local independent natural food stores. Farmers markets offer locally and regionally-grown organic products available directly from the farmer. Organic products may also be mail-ordered from many farms and retailers, and a web search will likely yield a variety of options for consumers who have a difficult time finding organic products in their area. The Local Harvest website is a useful resource for finding locally produced, organic, and specialty farm products throughout the U.S.".

Q "How many organic farmers are there in the United States?" A "As of 2007, there are approximately 13,000 certified organic producers in the U.S. The growth in the number of organic farmers has increased steadily, similar to the growth of the U.S. organic industry, which has increased by rates of approximately 20% per year for more than 10 years. When OFRF first began tracking certified organic producer numbers in 1994, there were approximately 2,500 -3,000 certified organic growers in the U.S. at that time. Consumer awareness of the value of organic farming and food products continues to grow, making organic a viable and attractive economic option for a growing number of producers".


All this being said, fact is that the best organic food you will ever have access to will never be certified by anyone other than you yourself, and will not need any other certification than the one you could give, for it will be the food you will have produced in your own backyard or rooftop, or community garden space, on the model of what Dr Otto Warburg, the only physician to ever get TWO Nobel Prizes in Medicine, did for the greatest part of his long life.

And that is the sort of food you should focus on having access to!

The permalink for this post is: http://personalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/analyzing-official-organic-efforts.html

Copyright 1964-2008 OSL All rights reserved, worldwide. LICENSE IS HEREBY GRANTED to all to freely link to or to reproduce this page by any means of one's choice, virtual or physical, and to republish it, including in a compilation, etc, as long as the entirety of the page is NOT MODIFIED in any manner (except of course your location if you are publishing a community ad of your own). This includes not modifying the present copyright notice and license, and the permanent link (permalink URL) or “web address” of the page, and license is granted as long as reproduction is not part of a commercial venture, that is, as long as you do not charge for it in any way, be it directly, or indirectly, for example in commercial publications. Commercial licenses available from the copyright holder.

===========================================WEB DESIGNERS - GRAPHICS ARTISTS – CODERS - SEO & MARKETING - Etc:If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more advanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)===========================================