Green Voyage II - The Hidden Green

In my research of organic food, I heard a lot of talk about how organic food is expensive and some of it is. However, a lot of it is not so expensive.

We live in the Arctic where produce is hard to get, so for two years we have been subscribed to a CSA farm which sends us a box a week by plane. So nearly all of our produce is organic. We have virtually eliminated processed food and have become more vegan since we moved to the Arctic, so even where food is VERY expensive our food budget for five is between the USDA Thrifty Plan and their Low-Cost Plan. (It really doesn't take that much work either, I spend about the same amount of time processing produce a week as I do making bread, sauces, and beans, etc.)

I did an extensive calculation of our monthly food usage by ingredients and weight and discovered that we can eat about 60% organic for less than 50 dollars more a month. Most of the other 40% is not even available organically. We are waiting to see if we will be able to switch to a closer CSA. If we do switch, we will probably save at least $50 a month, so it really will not cost us extra after all. Of course, if we could have more than a postage stamp garden...

Eating organic really doesn't have to be that expensive if you eat unprocessed, vegan food.

Saving the earth is not such a cut and dry issue. So it is comforting to me that Carnegie Mellon reported in 2008 that eating vegan one day a week has more impact than eating local every day since transportation only accounts for 10% of food's greenhouse gas emissions. What is good for your heart is good for the earth.

It bothers me that so little talk about being green includes thrift stores, yard sales, home canning, and not eating meat and dairy. These have a greater impact than things that satisfy people's love of spending, convenience, and gluttony. (Meat eating has always been a luxury until this last century.)

Yet the greatest issue to me is people. Though the Bible tells us God cares about how we treat the earth. He told the Jews to let the earth rest (Lev. 25) and castigated them for not doing so

(2 Chr. 36:21). He also says in Revelation 11:8 that he will destroy those who destroy the earth.

But God cares more about people, they are the ones he gave his life for and are the only ones who will be left when the earth is destroyed when he comes. So while, I am not going to ignore environmental issues, I need to devote my energy to my family and the people around us and just enjoy God's green earth and its bounty.