Today Paul and I had the chance to listen to Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm, the organic yogurt company. He came to Yale to talk about his company and also his new book Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. It was a really interesting talk. His main idea was that a company based on sustainable and eco-minded principles and practices should be able to operate with lower costs than a company that’s not. Initially the cost of renewable energy and sustainable practices may be more, but with the increasing costs of oil (this morning it was at $112 dollars a barrel) fossil fuels will end up costing more in the long run. Some interesting points from his lecture:
-A study was done on children and organic food. 75 children were fed a completely organic diet for 90 days and then a conventional diet for 90 days. While on the conventional diet, the children had 6 times the amount of pesticides in their urine than when eating an organic diet.
-UPS saves ~ $9 million annually by changing their delivery routes so that their trucks no longer make left turns. Idling while making a left turn apparently wastes a lot of gas.
-In Brazil the price of organic sugar is the same price as non-organic sugar. This trend is predicted to spread to other foods as well. With increasing fossil fuel prices, it will be more expensive to produce the fertilizers and chemicals needed for conventionally grown crops. Check out this article in the NY Times.
-He founded Climate Counts, a non-profit organization that gives companies a score based on their environmental impact and efforts.
Those are just a few of the thought-provoking points he discussed. But what does it mean for us? We have already committed to organic milk and are fans of Stonyfield's organic yogurt (Kate especially loves her YoBaby) but are we willing to take it a step further? Being on a student budget (thus having virtually no income) we try to be frugal in our spending and organic food can be pricey. We’re trying to eat out less—it’s much cheaper to buy groceries and cook your own food at home! We think joining a CSA or food co-op is a great idea and plan to once we reside somewhere a little more permanent. I like the idea of going in with other families on a grass-fed steer. We also are trying to save money by cooking more vegetarian meals (not that we desire—or intend—to become one). Does this resonate with anyone else or are we turning into crazy East coast liberals? What have you and your family done? Have you noticed a difference?
7 comments:
Tanner is an organic milk and yogurt man. Other than that I just try to get multigrain foods, meat products that are actually meat, and I try to limit the junk in our home. We have all been eating a lot more fresh veggies and fruits. The ones we get at Costco are usually organic but at the normal grocery store we aren't always willing to pay the price.
Part of me gets frustrated trying to figure out what the "good" foods are since you hear that having something marked organic doesn't always mean it is any better. I don't think you are crazy to want to make sure your family gets healthy foods. If it is important to you I say Go Girl!!
you're crazy east coast liberals. (coming from a hick of course)
Okay those are all the same thoughts I have had lately--even down to the CSA! I wanted to join one but with being gone a whole month this summer that would be a lot of wasted veggies and money...so hopefully next summer. I do plan to shop the farmers market all summer long though! If you guys get FitTv or discovery health you should watch a show called Get Fresh with Sara Snow. She is a natural living expert and does segments on all different kinds of eco friendly stuff--it's really good and I have learned so much from her. I agree with you guys that organic can be really expensive and since we are on a budget too I pick and choose what we buy organic and then I really just try to make foods from scratch with lots of fresh fruits and veggies and grains and avoid processed foods. If you come up with tips or recipes or things that you guys are doing please post them b/c I'm always interested to see what more I could be doing!
Amen, sister. Yep, we're grappling with the same stuff. I've tried to go organic when I can--I'm especially amazed at how trader joe's can have so much organic stuff for the same price or just a tad bit more. Sounds like a great talk!
OK OK OK enough hearing about your intentions to share food and raise a cow......we want more pictures of Kate!! (hope you are smiling when you read this)(:
I loved this post Jill. Do you watch Getting Fresh with Sara Snow? Troy thinks I'm becoming too much like an Oregonian tree hugger :) I'm trying to save the planet in my own ways too. We made a clothes line in our garage and try to avoid the dryer as much as possible, we don't use the dryer thing on the dish washer but let it air dry, we try to use washcloths/rags intead of paper towles, I return plastic bags to the recycle bin at Safeway, I try to remember to bring my cloth bag when buying groceries (I try not to even use bags when shopping), and we try to take the max/bus instead of driving. Troy's not ready to spend the money on organic and he's still one of those who thinks it's a hoax/marketing ploy. Oh and we try to refuse a receipt at places where it's possible (atm's and starbucks). Oh I've fallen in love with vinegar! It's great to clean the countertops with after cooking oily meals (it kills that smokey smell). I also use it to clean the carpet after the dog has an accident :) I tried soy milk but that was a definite negative batman. That's all I can think of for now. Keep us all updated on your green thumb :) Luv, kea
ummmm...EAST COAST LIBERAL, but we love you anyways!
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