Optimist or pessimist

Sunrise or sunset?  Do you tend to be an optimist or pessimist?  Some things seems so unrealistic or impossible, it makes most of us feel powerless to affect our future.

Imagine a organic country.  In the United States, where only 1% farmland is certified organic, a little over 3% in the UK, this may seem like a far-away dream; this is over 18% in Austria and in Denmark, this vision is much closer to reality.

First of all, people in Denmark love organic food. This did not happen by magic, but is the result of years of patient work by optimists, people who believe there is a better way of living and want as many other people as possible to share it. 

Remember when recycling was something practised by a few utopian hippies?  Community recycling schemes started and then, when there was a profit to be made, big companies moved in and have created a 'waste management industry' where some of the original points have been lost, eg. it is better to reuse than recycle and unnecessary packaging should be avoided.

Now the Danish government is working in multiple ways to convert the entire country’s agriculture into organic and sustainable farming. They have an ambitious, plan to double organic farming, and to serve more organic food in the nation’s public institutions by 2020.

Why is this important and what lessons can other countries learn?

5 Reasons why organic food is important

1. Organic agriculture is important for your health, your children’s health, for farmworkers and for the future of our planet.  When you consider all the benefits of organic food, you might be more willing to pay more for organic options next time you’re at the shop or market.

The findings of a 2013 report from the United Nations titled, “Wake Up Before It’s Too Late,” say small-scale, organic farming is the only way to sustainably feed the world.  While some people say GMOs, chemical-intensive farming are answers to feeding the world, the findings in this report say a shift toward local, small-scale farmers and food systems is actually the only way it can be done without causing irreparable harm to soil, water, and air quality.

2.  Organic food contains far less pesticides, insecticides, anti-biotics and artificial hormones - used in non-organic farming of meat, fruit & veg.

3. Organic food is more nutritious

4. Organic farming achieves better soil fertility and biodiversity on farms and surrounding land and water.

5. Organic food has no Genetically Modified Organisms - GMO's

If we all started buying more organic produce:  more farms would convert; the environment would improve for humans, plants and animals; people would be healthier.  Who would not want this?

You can help by doing this yourself and lobbying your friends, colleagues, your company or organisation to buy organic produce.  Start with tea, coffee and milk, then see if your caterers can source organic and Fair Trade ingredients. 

The picture is actually a sunset: Round Island, Isles of Scilly about two weeks ago. But a new dawn for humanity is breaking in many parts of the world.  People are chosing to live, work and play in sustainable ways.  I am an optimist and an unashamed romantic.  Are you?