Green Energy TV Blog

Happy New Year everyone!  Along with many Holiday well wishes and cards, I recently received a catalog from a company offering non Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds.  I know it seems like the planting season is still far away, but I always like to know the availabilities of seeds and plants for my spring season.  My goal is to provide wholesome healthy fruits and vegetables to my family by growing most of these products in my own backyard.  

I started my journey of an eco friendly living by trying to purchase as much of locally grown produce as possible.  But as I learn more about variety chemical toxins found in our foods, I started to look for organic natural foods.  Since then, phrase liked GMO, heirloom, free range, all natural, certified humane, etc. have been popping up in my research.  What do all these mean and what are the benefits, if any?

Organic farmers produce agricultural products without use of conventional farming methods such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, growth hormones, and antibiotics.  Instead, they use more “labor intensive” methods of crop rotation, use of beneficial insects and birds for pest control, hand weeding, natural fertilizers such as compost, and feeding of organic natural foods to animals while providing natural grazing and good housekeeping to minimize disease.  Organic farmers also use methods of conservation to minimize pollution while avoiding water and soil contamination by using natural fertilizers.  The proponents of conventional farming and FDA argue that small amounts of pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and chemical fertilizers are safe to use.  But I wonder, when does it become enough? When “small amounts” of these harmful chemical toxins and unnecessary hormones and antibiotics are in every food and product that we touch, when does the “small amount” become too much?

Then, there is Genetically Modified Organism.  GMO generally means that the organisms have been altered using genetic engineering technique.  For those who are familiar with GMO, this is one area that is creating more and more controversies.  Genetically modified methods are used to produce crops and livestock that are more resilient to harsh environment, pests, grow faster and bigger, etc. using unnatural methods.  And each process of genetic modification is pushing the limits further and further.  For example, many of our crops have been injected with pesticides into their genetic makeup so that any pests that consume the crops are immediately killed.   Also, FDA recently approved public consumption of cloned animals, without requiring any form of labeling.  If the phrase “we are what we eat” has any substance, I hate to think what we’ve become as a society.  There are many ethical and potential health hazards of GMO and many countries around the world have strict labeling of GMO products, if not banning them altogether.  However, in the US, such products are readily available without long term studies nor proper labeling for the consumers.  Here is a link to a website that describes the GMO products more thoroughly.  http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/dangers.html

As for my family, I’m going through my catalog of seeds to pick out various non GMO, as well as some Heirloom seeds.  Heirloom generally means that the seeds have been introduced before 1951, when first hybrids were introduced using inbred lines. I can’t provide the scientific information about the nutritional value of non GMO/heirloom versus the conventional products. I can tell you that those veggies and fruits that I grow in my small back yard garden tastes a heck of a lot better than any available in the grocery stores.  And these seeds do not cost any more than GMO seeds.  In the end, I hope you have a wonderful and healthy eco friendly living in the coming year!
Below is a great video that will help you understand a little more about organic foods and how to decode them at your local grocery stores.

Link to Video:  http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=3659954001