Organic Products and Production
Many shoppers only seem to have an abstract understanding of the benefits of organic foods and products on the environment and their health.
Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Many people believe that genetic engineering is dangerous, unpredictable, and can reduce the nutritional value of food. But the FDA has said that the amount of hormones used in commercial livestock isn't enough to harm humans. As a result to be deemed organic, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products must come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Typically organic fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and meat products are produced within a 50-mile radius of their place of their final sale.
Organic produce refers to vegetables that are grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. Only naturally occurring fertilizer, like manure can be used to grow organic produce. While it is still better to eat non-organic vegetables than no vegetables at all, consumers are starting see the value in organic products.
The natural and organic skin care product sector has seen a growth of thirty nine percent over the last year. The product formulations rely entirely on natural or naturally-derived ingredients. These products do not use any artificial preservatives.
The FDA does not regulate skin care manufacturers, questionable ingredients often make their way into their formulas. Some of these products may claim to be all-natural, while still containing a slew of chemicals and toxins. As a consumer if a skin care product contains an ingredient that you are unsure about, write down it's name and do a little research. If a product claims to be all natural, its ingredients should be easily recognizable as natural components.
Scrutinize the first several listings in the product to be sure that they are the natural ingredients you are looking for. Dirt, dust, pollutants, and other environmental pollutants enter the body through the skin, providing a more significant gateway to your system, so it is important to be aware of what products contain. In response to a growing demand on the part of consumers, more and more organic foods and products are flooding the market. Even in mainstream supermarkets, certified organic foods and organic skin care products are available.
Organic cotton begins with living soil. This means the soil has not had any chemicals used in it for at least three years and it has been enriched with compost and other organic matter. Enriching the soil in this way ensures vigorous plants which in turn means they will be better able to be bug, weed and disease resistant.
Cotton plants need huge amounts of nitrogen; so organic cotton farmers use chicken manure or plant cover crops of Vetch or Fava Beans all of which supplies the cotton plants with the desired nitrogen. These replace synthetic fertilizers that are harmful. Organic farmers also make sure they have “good bugs” in their fields. These don’t harm the cotton; they prey on the “bad bugs” that would harm the cotton plants. These “bad bugs” are the reason that regular cotton farmers feel the need to use chemical sprays. How much better it is to use natural ways of controlling them!
Weeds are managed by mechanical or hand-hoeing methods. When it is harvest time the cotton is handpicked!
The processing of cotton is done with potato starch instead of chemicals. No chlorine is used. When spinning the cotton fiber, natural easily biodegradable oil is used. No finishes are added! It comes to you pure! Being chemical free can be a life and death matter!
Cotton is a very versatile fiber and almost any type of fabric can be made from it. It conducts heat well and soaks up to 27 times its weight in water. It is also very comfortable and durable. Think how important all these qualities are when it comes to your bedding and clothing!
Demand for organic production is increasing by at least 40 percent each year. And while in some cases the price for organic raw materials may be 3 to 4 times more expensive than conventional. If consumer demand increases, prices should continue to drop.
Carla Klepin is a Healthy Lifestyles, Leadership, and Organizational Culture Coach/Consultant who partners with people who are looking to make positive, sustainable lifestyle changes to better their future and accomplish their goals of better living and active, balanced futures. Carla believes that we all have within us what it takes to succeed, it is a matter of finding what works for each of us, individually. Carla has helped transform people’s lives for the better by helping them to create more healthful and harmonized futures. Carla is an academically trained coach, certified by ASU as a Healthy Lifestyles Coach, graduating summa cum laude, and holds an NBC-HWC credential granted by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Carla holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Organizational Leadership, both from ASU, holds a M. Certificate in Applied Workplace Psychology.