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• Supporting local farmers who follow sustainable farming methods

• Investing in your local community rather than the factory-farm powerhouses that are screwing up our planet

Organic goods are like music to nature’s ears. They are biodegradable, and come straight from the ground without shipping harmful pollutants off into our atmosphere and water supply. Rock on, organic. Rock on.

How Do I Know Produce Is Organic?

Often, buying from your local farmers’ market or farming community is a good sign you are purchasing organic produce. However, many major commercial supermarket chains are changing their ways to meet the growing consumer demand. Look closer at the labels.

The USDA abides by three important factors to identify the labeling of organic produce:

• 100-percent organic: Made with 100 percent organic ingredients

• Organic: Made with 95 percent organic ingredients

• Made with organic ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70 percent organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30 percent, including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms)

Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients may list those ingredients on the side panel of the nutritional information, but cannot brag they are organic on the front of the packaging.43 Remember to do your due diligence and read the packaging rather than throwing it into the cart like She-Who-Knows-Her-Shit. Keep in mind that it is always in your best interest to buy the most raw, true-to-form produce with 100 percent organic ingredients.

Does Organic Taste Better?

Hello?! Are puppies cute? Are thong bikinis uncomfortable? Yes, organic tastes like heaven! Especially when you consider the good you are doing for your body, your mind, the environment, and your community.

But, do-gooding aside, award-winning chefs across the world have been turning to organic food for years for its superior taste and quality. Let’s look at the why: They are not shot up with chemical fertilizers and bloated with water to force the rapid growth factory farmers rely on. These fruits and veggies grow the old-fashioned way on a slow timer. Like soaking in a good marinade, they have the chance to absorb and select all the complex elements and nutrients found in carbon-rich soil, giving them time to develop thicker cell walls and more concentrated flavors. They sunbathe in minerals that make them juicy and enriched. In the end, we get a winner: Natural, plump, zesty, fresh produce that contributes to a nutritious, well-balanced diet. Yes, I did say nutritious. Studies are showing that organic produce is packed with more antioxidants, vitamins, and phytochemicals than chemically grown produce.44 As if you needed another reason.

HOW DO I BUY LOCAL?

Purchasing produce locally does not imply finding the supermarket chain closest to your home. Sure, that’s local and it does follow the path of least resistance, but still no cigar.

Buying locally refers to where the good was grown and produced. Back in the days when Grandpa walked shoeless in the snow to get to school (uphill both ways), local farms were the only option. As populations grew and a fast-food culture swallowed up the food chain, small-scale, traditional farmers were pushed to the side to make room for the big boys—the farms that would produce three times the amount in one-third the time. In the U.S., just four companies produce most of the nation’s animal products—81 percent of beef, 73 percent of lamb, 57 percent of pork, and 50 percent of chicken.45 But all hope is not lost. The “little guys” have survived, though they have not flourished. As we build global awareness of the problems factory farms pose to our generation, we’re seeing a return of sustainable, local farmers who believe in the way business used to get done. They also tend to practice more sustainable methods, such as protecting our air, water, and soil quality; minimizing energy consumption; and recycling or composting their waste. Small farms have even been shown