Moo-ve Over Conventional Farming!

The most obvious culprits of global warming are transportation and energy, but what exactly does that mean? If we all change our light bulbs and buy a hybrid the problem is solved? That certainly would help, but we have to start thinking about things that use a lot of energy. One of the biggest energy hogs is the food industry. Think about it. Farms are usually located in rural areas and the food that is grown there is planted, watered and harvested with the aid of machines. And food has to be transported by train or truck or even air to get onto local grocery shelves. That uses a lot of energy and transportation. But we need to eat, so what is the solution?

Yes, it’s that simple. According to a study conducted over 22 years by the Rodale Institutes Farm Systems organic farming increases soil carbon storage 15-28%! Organic farming also uses 37% less fossil fuels energy inputs. Buying food that is grown in your region and them making sure that it was grown organically makes a big impact. And NWF Fellows have known this for awhile.

Fellow Daniel Feinberg from the Class of 2001, started a project at Occidental College in Californiato encourage use of organic produce in the dining halls on campus. In 2004, Philip Aroneanu instituted a small-scale composting system in Middlebury’s greenhouse using food waste from on-campus dining halls. The composting system produced fertilizer for campus and community organic gardening. Buying locally and buying organic are one of the healthiest ways to fight global warming. So treat yourself to something organic!