Organic or Green

[Two_Sheds]

Great thread, great debate. Not enough time to read it all now, just wanted to say that I have always based my meals around what is available on the Plot or is leftover in the fridge. I don't think "what do I fancy?" I think "what have I got?"
therefore, i am full up on my own veg and don't even think about buying string beans from Kenya. Fruit is more problematic as i don't grow it (apart from strawbs, rasps and a few apples for a couple of weeks a year). I try to buy apples from France not South Africa/NZ; Fairtrade bananas, but not every day; satsumas from Spain not SA; and British Ale rather than New World wine. I like the wine, but my taste buds have been trained to like the ale too, and my conscience is that much clearer too.

[Paulottie]

I've noticed beer making my conscience clearer too...enough of it and I really couldn't give a s**t

Hi 2 sheds, and good debate people..I hope to add something more constructive later

[jacob marley]

I do not know if this is the right thread to post this in but it has been bugging me all day why do the councils keep telling us that recycling is the way to go obviously they are running out of landfill sites but they do not seem to practice what they preach today in Coventry the good and the great unveiled a statue to sir Frank Whitle the inventor of the jet engine a man who has had a greater efect on global warming than any other .
Am i looking at the problem through the wrong coloured glases and yesterday we had George W Bush making a speech about global warming or was he trying to hijack the G8 conference for his own ends afterall he is a Texas Oilman and Leopards do not change there spots well i have got that of my chest am i wrong or what Jacob

[Stacey]

Apparently NONE of the promises made at the last G8 have been kept so far, dont know if its true, but a woman from Oxfam was telling me about it yesterday. She had set up a petition in my local organic shop. And I apologise if I am wrong (I am slightly hard of hearing, so I may have misheard).

Back to the green/organic/fairtrade issue, say you have 2 bunches of bananas, both from the same country,is it better to buy organic or fairtrade? I used to think all fairtrade was organic but reading this thread I believe I am wrong. fairtrade is something I dont know much about, but have heard it is not as ethical as is made out. Fairtrade farmers only just cover their commercial expenses,non fairtrade are in a load of debt, is that a true statement?

[heebiejeebie]

Is fairtrade the lesser of two evils?

[Alison]

Fairtrade isn't necessarily organic but the growers are encouraged to do so. As part of the deal they are not allowed to use some of the chemicals which can be commonly used in third world (in particular) countries that cause considerable harm to the poor workers. The use of these can result in causing the workers to have eye, breathing and many other problems which obviously means that they can then not easily provide for their families. One point of note is that the only fairtrade products which are flown over here are flowers, the rest all come on boats so there isn't the same negative environmental impact as sometimes we think. I know the system is by no means perfect but if I'm going to buy bananas I'll always buy fairtrade ones.

[newgardengirl]

I think they are forgetting that the environment is not the only reason to buy organic. For some people it's a human health issue, for example the consumption of pesticides isn't good for you. In particular, some people with certain food intolerances report that the problem isn't so bad when they eat organic; I know this certainly applies to me with regards to dairy products. Also, many people think that a lot of organic food tastes better, so again this isn't always out of environmental concern.

Don't get me wrong, I know humans are polluting the earth and we need to try to be enviromentally friendly etc whenever possible, but it really sounds like they've lost sight of the many other reasons to buy organic.

[zebedee]

Call me thick, call me stupid, but aren't ALL plants organic. Don't we mean chemical reduced or even chemical free? Also the problem is we are caught between a rock and a hard place. As a nation, we want cheap food. The supermarkets have responded to demand and fly it in, so it's our fault, surely. I still question the reasoning of flying stuff in from abroad when there are perfectly good suppliers here, but there we go. Price rears it's ugly head again. Organic food producers lump up the price to screw as much as possible out of the gullible public, so we are back to the cheapest. It's a growing, but circular argument. Progress of any sort comes at a price. Are we prepared to pay it?