Pughville

Our Supper Table: Organic vs. Local
******just a warning...I am no expert and the material below is just documenting my own search for answers in a sea of confusion on this topic. I am always open to hearing your opinions as well******

Food is never an easy topic of conversation in our household. There is a lot of 'that can't touch that', 'I don't like that', and 'not on your life' kind of talk coming from our kids mouths a lot of the time. And, then there's the adults. I haven't talked very often about how my ecological concerns grew, but it started out over food...well, meat to be exact. Many people who have written to me have had lightbulb moments where everything seems to click all at once, but for me it was more of a gradual process. I really started thinking about it back when I was 20 or so and I read an article about the amount of water it takes to produce one hamburger. It was an absurd amount...measured by a number of showers. Red meat, never a favorite of mine, was the first to go. Then chicken, then fish...with fish working its way back into my diet thanks to my sushi fetish of the late 90's. And, let's face it, in Alberta not eating meat is way more foreign to most people than our strange recycling obsession...it was up there with the whole driving a small car thing. It's like Albertans see themselves as SUV driving, meat loving, cowboys. Well, I never really fit into that stereotype very well.

Then I met Bob. His dad had a long career with Ducks Unlimited in Northern Alberta which was a catalyst for Bob's concerns, but also meant that his dad was a hunter. Duck's Unlimited is a conservation organization largely funded by hunters concerned about conserving their ability to hunt. I'm not saying this is a bad thing(I'm not an animal loving kind of vegetarian or I'd have to go vegan and that ain't happening anytime soon) as I see it, we are on the same side. But, the first time I went for dinner with them and I ordered the chicken quesidilla with no chicken...they did a second take. No chicken! What the?? Well, as time has gone on, Bob's much deeper understanding and concern for the environment was passed on to me. We composted...we got CFL bulbs 7 or 8 years ago...we recycled...we drove a diesel golf(and it took us everywhere)...we were definitely on the fringe of Albertan society. But, lately something has changed. That 'fringe' has become more mainstream. And, for me, if there ever was a lightbulb moment it came while reading "An Inconvenient Truth" shortly after moving here to the commune(as we like to refer to it). Everything came together and I felt the need to share our knowledge and encourage change in others. So, now I'm blogging...and blogging about food is a big one for me as I have been questioned about it for years. And, lately, Bob and I have been trying to come up with a 'family' plan where we do what is right for the environment and what is right for our family...basically meaning not two or three different meals at once.

This fresh take on food started with yet another documentary "Big Sugar: Sweet, White and Deadly" which aired on the CBC last July back when we had free basic cable for a couple of months. It got us thinking again about eating in a more socially conscious way. Like I've always said, consumers have a lot of power by how they choose to spend their money and we spend a lot of money on food. If you start to do the reading, this is a particularly complex issue. Just look at all the labels: fair trade, organic, hormone free...the list goes on and changes regularly. We have often purchased organic by default. For starters, most of these companies are ecologically minded thanks to the pressures on them by the consumers who purchase their products. So, packaging is easily recyclable and often made from recycled materials. And, organic farming, by default is more ecologically sound. That said there has been a huge change in the organic movement. Mainstream supermarkets have started making their own brands and now things seem to be really complicated. That, coupled with the fact that, oftentimes my organic lettuce has travelled all the way from Central or South America had me questioning the actual carbon output as carbon reduction is always our goal.

Yes, I know that there are other benefits to eating organic...not the least of which being certain health benefits. I recently read in "Mother Earth News" that organic ketchup has up to 50% more lycopene in it than its non organic counterpart. And, every good parent knows, there is no escaping ketchup. Another benefit being that organic growers are also concerned with worker's rights and often times offer health benefits, etc to workers in areas of the world where this is unheard of. In the documentary "Big Sugar", they really point to organic sugar producers as starting to turn things around as far as worker's conditions. And, the use of pesticides, herbicides, etc have their own carbon producing effects to add to the equation. All of this does not make an answer easily forthcoming.

I am concerned though at the distance that my food has travelled to be a part of our dinner. Living in Calgary means that we do not have the fortune of readily available locally grown produce for a good part of the year. That said, we have always been big supporters of local farmer's markets(particularly loving the one in Millarville) in the summer time and enjoy the wide variety of locally grown produce available then. So, if I switch to solely serving local food, how will I make it through the winter? Does this mean I am going to have to go back to the ways of our elders--canning in the heat of the summer so we have fruit and vegetables in the dead of the winter? Although, I see no harm in learning this technique...truth is, I can't imagine not eating cantaloupes again or pineapple. If my future only holds saskatoon berries and crabapples in it, I think I'll either move down south or keep wishing that this global warming thing brings a wider variety to my area.

In my reading, another issue has really come to the forefront of my concern. That of the amount of emissions involved in the production of processed food. It's huge--travel being a big one, but also the creation of the packaging, the actual processing, as well as, the normal emissions that result from harvesting. Like I said, a straightforward answer seems to be eluding me.

What we have decided is to eat locally when you can, eat fresh, less packaged food(slow food), and choose organic by default. This is where we, as a family, are headed. And, as far as the whole meat thing goes...well, Bob has decided to give up more meat on his end, providing, we have meat once a week as a family. Our goal here being to reduce our meat consumption as a family. Fish becoming a more and more complex environmental issue and not so much a locally available food here in the middle of the prairies, we will opt away from that. We are going with locally produced, organic chicken, pork and beef...hormone free, antibiotic free, grain fed. Readily available here in southern Alberta. Once a week...hmm...Bob is having a difficult time with the switch, but he admits to ordering falafels a lot now. In the end, he brings leftovers for lunch more often which saves emissions and money ;)