Our Organic Experiment

Well it wasn't exactly an experiment. This is how it went down…

This past weekend we had some friends staying with us from out of town for 2 days/nights. In addition to having to feed them, we had invited another couple over on Friday night, and another on Saturday night, both for dinner. So there we were…faced with the dilemma of deciding whether to buy all the food needed for the weekend from ACME (very few organic foods available), or from Harvest Market, our organic/natural food market of choice. Given that our budget was tight, and that we knew our guests do not go out of their way to eat organics, we erred on the side of cheap sustenance. We went to ACME. Sorry Bob (owner of Harvest Market). And yes, we saved money. And we figured…"what ill effects could eating non-organic foods have on us if we were only doing it for a few days?" And we didn't think much of it. Actually, we were sort of proud that we saved money on this one occasion by choosing to go to ACME. Gasp! I thought I knew better…

As the weekend went on, I began to not feel so great. Not sick or anything. Just not as good as I have been feeling in the previous weeks and months. Then I started thinking. Hmmm…maybe it's all the refined white breads, Tostitos, non-organic non-free-range chicken, eggs and more that I ate over the course of the weekend. So I asked my wife how she was feeling, and she echoed my feeling "off". It's not to say that some of it couldn't be in my head. That was actually my first reaction. The mind is, after all, a very powerful thing. But I could definitely recognize that I felt considerably worse than I had just a day before. And now that I'm back to eating mostly organics, I'm feeling much better, much more like myself again.

My conclusion…organics absolutely make a huge difference in our day-to-day well-being. I'm 100% convinced. Not to mention they're sustainable!

Get Your Green On - Green Networking That Is

OK…the term "green" is WAY overused. We know that. But in this case, it's still cool. To many, the term "Green Networking" is a foreign one. But it's growing in popularity, and many are sitting up to take notice. Green Networking events are generally held at local bars and restaurants, and the attendees are people who are interested in living more green, sustainable lifestyles and/or running green, sustainable businesses. These events are generally held by someone who has a personal interest in sustainability, and/or owns a business in the sustainability industry. Some events have a broad focus, such as Green Drinks. And others are focused on specific topics within the realm of sustainability. We've recently started attending these events, and although we were skeptical at first whether they'd be worth it or not, we were pleasantly surprised. These events were not only productive, they were actually fun! When was the last time you went to a networking event and actually had a good time? That's what I thought.

Check out the Events page on our site for a list of the Green Networking events that we know of, plus some other green events. And if you know of one that we don't have posted yet, please contact us. We reside in Wilmington, so it's tough for us to keep tabs on downstate events. So help us keep this information we'll-rounded. We don't intend to neglect the rest of the state. We promise.

Consuming with a Purpose - The Carrot Project

Wouldn’t it be sweet if there was a credible organization out there that did the necessary legwork to figure out which national brands and companies were acting responsibly, whether financially, environmentally, or other, rather than us having to guess based on hearsay found on blogs and other “sources”?

Enter The Carrot Project. Created by some friends of ours here in Delaware, The Carrot Project aims to teach Americans to consume responsibly and with a purpose, rather than simply spending money based solely on price and convenience. It’s a very true statement that every dollar we spend is a vote. Whether we realize it or not, each day we’re voting for how we want our country to look in the future. If we think independent businesses are important and play a key role in the American economy, we’re spending our money at those businesses. If nothing is more important than a cheap price tag and convenience, we’re spending our days at Wal-Mart, Target, or any of the other countless mega-retailers that litter the American landscape, often not thinking of the consequences of our actions. This all needs to change if America is to endure the current financial storm. And The Carrot Project is here to help.

The Carrot Project is still in its infant stages, or “beta” as they like to call it. They’re working diligently to improve the site, but it is far from perfect and far from complete. It’s not yet a source of truly reliable information. That’s where you come in. In order for the project to reach its potential, the creators need to hear from you. They want you to register on the site, have a look around and offer your feedback on what they’ve built and make suggestions for future growth. So visit www.CarrotProject.com and get started! The sooner this site becomes an extensive and reliable resource, the better (for all of us). Seriously, it’s pretty awesome…check it out.

Local Company Launches Green Initiative in Wilmington

Delaware Offices, a Wilmington -based developer of unique commercial properties, is completing two green initiatives to start 2009. At their property at Ninth & Tatnall, the company recently installed a 26.5 kilowatt solar power system and at 4th Street and Greenhill Avenue they are completing Wilmington’s first environmentally-friendly car wash.

The company’s downtown location provides solar power to a commercial office building and eliminates 33.1 tons of carbon production annually. This is the equivalent of planting 45 new trees each year or eliminating the car pollution from driving 73,000 miles. Delaware Offices worked with CMI Electric and SolarDock, two leading Delaware-area providers of solar solutions, to complete these projects.

At the company’s Greenhill Car Wash, Delaware Offices is installing a comparable solar system and a water recycling system. In addition to this environmentally-friendly equipment, the Greenhill Car Wash uses eco-friendly chemicals. Car washes are a green alternative to washing your car at home as they use less water and limit the chemicals that enter the city’s sewer system.

Delaware Offices, established in 1998, creates unique commercial properties to meet the needs of the area’s business, government and non-profit organizations.

Why is Buying Organic More Expensive? And is it Worth it?

This is a question many are asking, especially during the current economic slowdown. And for good reason, as we all need to be more responsible with our spending. But it is our belief that, while we need to not spend money frivolously, we need to be purchasing healthy, nutritious foods for ourselves, and ESPECIALLY for our kids. The cost of organics can be deceiving, as explained in the paragraphs below. It's not merely a matter of the dollars and cents printed on the price tag of the item as it sits on the shelf at the market. It's much, MUCH more complex than that. So we did some research, and gained some insight as to why organics are more expensive. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether it's worth it for you and your family.

The reality is what I had expected…that the problem isn't that organic foods are too expensive. It's that non-organic foods are artificially cheap. You see, regular produce is typically sold at an artificially low price because conventional, industrial farming is heavily subsidized by the government (i.e. your tax dollars). As a result, the small and midsized farmer has been put out of business at an alarming rate. From 1993-1997, an average of 50 midsized family farms went under every day. Giant farms benefit most from subsidies and tax breaks, and yield food that’s relatively cheap. They also yield a far less diverse range of crops.

Organic farming, on the other hand, which is far more labor intensive, gets very few, if any, federal subsidies. Organic farmers can’t spray herbicides to get rid of weeds; they do it by hand. Hard labor costs money, as does certification saying that you don’t spray chemicals (read more on this in a later post). So, in fact, the retail price of organic produce more accurately reflects the true cost of growing food the RIGHT way, which is what I have suspected all along.

The cost of buying organic, including milk, is more. But the cost to our health will most definitely be far greater in the long run. In the case of conventional dairy products, most concerning are the adverse health effects on children who drink milk from cows injected with hormones and antibiotics. To boost production, dairy farmers inject their herd with recombinant bovine growth hormone or rBGH, which tricks their bodies into making more milk. Also, these cows are frequently given antibiotics to keep them from spreading disease. As with meat, organic dairy products come from animals raised without synthetic interference. Organic milk comes from cows not injected with rBGH, over-medicated with antibiotics, or fed grains that are genetically modified or grown using pesticides. The result? Organic milk has been proven to have more vitamins, more antioxidants, more omega-3s, and more overall health protective qualities.

The bottom line, and our challenge to you, is this…take a minute to think of all the things you spend your hard earned money on. In the end, are any of them more important than the health and well-being of your own body, and those of your family?

Now let's bring it home…
Fortunately there seem to be an increasing number of local farms in Delaware and surrounding states, where you can buy fresh, local, organic foods straight from the farmer. And there are more and more local markets popping up who carry locally produced organic foods. So the availability of locally grown organics is increasing up and down the state, leaving us fewer excuses for not buying organic. Check our Sustainable Products & Services Finder for a partial list of these businesses. More will be added as we continue to develop the site. If you have any that you would like to recommend, please contact us. Cheers!

What's an Ecovillage?

To many, the term "ecovillage" is unfamiliar. But it's gaining popularity nationwide, and for good reason. As far as we know, there are not currently any ecovillages being planned in the First State, but just across the border, in West Grove, PA, one is well underway…Concord Ecovillage.

Concord Ecovillage is an organization of local people seeking to build and reside in an environmentally and socially sustainable neighborhood. Though it may sound like a pipedream to some, the planners of this community are making it a reality. "But this blog is about sustainability in Delaware", you may be thinking. Yes, you're correct. And Delawareans should sit up and take notice as this community becomes a reality, as we would benefit greatly from such a community, setting an example for other sustainable communities nationwide. So visit Concord Ecovillage's web site, and start dreaming of a sustainable lifestyle.

Breakwater Trail Connects Lewes & Rehoboth

To some this may be old news, but I just recently heard about the completion of the Breakwater rail trail that now connects the quaint, seaside town of Lewes to Rehoboth Beach.

It seems that many of the students working in Rehoboth for the summer who live in Lewes have been riding their bikes down Route 1 to get to work. Given how busy that stretch of road gets during peak season, it's not a surprise that many students have been hit by cars, and some have even been killed. This new trail now provides safe passage between the two towns for people who make that daily trek, or simply a quiet, scenic alternative to motorized transportation for those who want to visit one town or the other for the afternoon.

So next time you're staying at Hotel Rodney or The Inn at Canal Square in Lewes, think twice before hopping in your car when you want to hang out in Rehoboth. Rent a bike (or bring your own) and enjoy the new trail (and the fresh air)! Visit the Cape Gazzette's site for the whole story.