Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Buy Organic

Articles like this one, “Organic food is no healthier,” frustrate me. The gist – “Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority.”

Ok, maybe organic produce is not “healthier” in terms of actual nutritional content, but what about taste? What about those chemical pesticides you’re ingesting? What about the environmental impact of those pesticides and chemicals? What about supporting your local farmers? If “healthy” was only about “nutritional content,” couldn’t we all just take a vitamin-packed food pill and go on our way?

I’d also like to know how fresh the food used in this study was. We all know the fresher your produce is, the more nutrients it retains. And the best way to get fresh produce? Head to the Farmers Market, and chat up your local farmer. Produce doesn’t have to be “certified organic” to be pesticide-free. Ask! Talk to your farmers or the person in charge of produce to your grocery store.

Articles like this bug me, because I feel like people use them as an excuse to not buy organic or local foods, because they’re “expensive” and “not even better for you.” Call me paranoid, but I can’t imagine how ingesting chemically-coated produce is healthy for your body. Isn’t the “expense” worth it?

Besides, being healthy is about more than just magnesium, iron or vitamin C – it’s about the delicious food on your plate, the person who grew it, how it tastes, and how it makes you feel. Compare an organic, local heirloom tomato or farm-fresh peach with their conventional store-bought counterparts and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

And buy organic!

Watered Down

Last week, or maybe the week before, Arrowhead brought my workplace an unexpected and unwanted gift with their water delivery – two flats of plastic water bottles. Ugh! We already get the big jugs of water (which they pick up and I believe reuse) so WHY did they think we’d need these? I don’t care if they call them Eco-Shape Bottles – that’s greenwashing if I’ve ever heard it! I’m usually tap water all the way, but we don’t have a sink at work, and I just can’t bring myself to drink water from the bathroom sink. I just keep a giant UCLA cup on my desk that I refill from the water cooler throughout the day. Not difficult at all, and it even makes me drink more (water, that is)!

I told my coworkers that if I saw them drinking from one of these bottles, there would be NO baked goods for a very long time (I occasionally bake treats for the office – I work with all guys and one other girl). I also hid the bottles in another room, slightly out of sight, behind our giant recycling bin.

My threats and sneakiness apparently did not work, as I still saw a few of my coworkers drinking out of them. Yes, I gave them a hard time! I even called my boss out on Twitter. 😉 Luckily, we’re a small office and all get along really well. I really do try not to be preachy but seriously, just refill a cup from the water cooler! It’s just as convenient as picking up a bottle! Not to mention that drinking from plastic is not exactly good for you.

We’re having a sandwich potluck next week – everyone brings a sandwich or two cut into 4 pieces so we all get to try each other’s. Fun, huh? Anyway, I Replied to All with this:

I will also be baking something, provided no one is seen drinking from one of those stupid plastic water bottles all week. Seriously, people, bring a cup from home. 🙂

The amount of paper cups my office goes through for coffee and water a week is a whole other issue. One of my coworkers showed me the mug he brought from home yesterday (yay, Manoj!) and I’m hoping the rest follow suit. I’m actually thinking about buying everyone a cup with their name on it (resisting the sorority instinct to write them in colorful bubble letters), but I’m not sure if they’d use them.

Is your workplace green? Are there are any non-green habits at your job (or school, etc) that drive you crazy?