Going Organic Without Going Broke:
Saving Money While Saving Your Life
by Rose Lewinson
Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2010 Rose Lewinson
All rights reserved. Published by Organic Revolution Worldwide LLC at Smashwords.
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No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopied, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher. Exceptions are made for brief excerpts to be used in published reviews.
This publication is designed to provide general information regarding the subject matter covered. The author has taken reasonable precautions in the preparation of this book and believes the facts presented in the book are accurate as of the date it was written. However, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for any errors or omissions. The author and publisher disclaim any liability resulting from the use or application of the information contained in this book. The information is not intended to serve as professional advice related to individual situations.
ISBN: 978-0-9824733-4-4
Organic Revolution Worldwide LLC
8 Bond Street, Suite 140
Great Neck NY 11021
Phone: 516.603.1784
Email: OrganicDiscounts@gmail.com
Web Site: http://www.OrganicHealthDiscounts.com
Blog: http://www.OrganicRevolutionInAmerica.com
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my brother Salvatore Robino, who struggled with health issues since we were children. His premature passing led me to a search for answers...and ultimately to creating this book.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my husband David and my daughter Jennifer for their support and love throughout this project. I would also like to thank my mother for passing on her knowledge and wisdom of the traditional European ways of growing and preparing food.
In addition, my thanks go to Hy Bender for his advice and innovative approach to this book.
Concise Table of Contents
(click any underlined title to instantly jump to its chapter)
Organic General Resources & Overviews
Organic Food & Clothing for Kids
About the Author: Rose Lewinson
About Organic Revolution Worldwide
Detailed Table of Contents
(click any underlined topic to instantly jump to it)
The Problems with Modern Conventional Farming
Organic General Resources & Overviews
Green Guide for Everyday Living,
Organic Consumers Association,
Discounted Organic Overview, History, and Memoir Books:
Animal Vegetable Miracle—A Year of Food Life,
The Newman’s Own Organics Guide,
Finding Local Organic Food Sources:
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service,
Buying From National Organic Food Vendors:
Discounted Organic Food Shopping Books:
The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide,
A Field Guide to Buying Organic
Finding Organic Restaurants in Your Area
Notable New York Organic Restaurants:
Notable Los Angeles Region Organic Restaurants:
Notable San Francisco Organic Restaurants:
Notable San Diego Organic Restaurant:
Notable Seattle Organic Restaurants:
Notable Chicago Organic Restaurants:
Notable Philadelphia Organic Restaurant:
Certified Organic Restaurants in the US:
Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant
Getting Discounts on Organic Restaurants
Discounted Organic Restaurant Cookbooks:
Helpful Organic Gardening Web Sites:
Discounted Organic Gardening Books:
The Truth About Organic Gardening,
The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food,
Success With Organic Vegetables,
Approaches to Organic Cooking:
The Organic Seasonal Cookbook,
Discounted Organic Wine and Beer Books:
Chemicals in Cosmetics & Body Care Products to Beware
Raw and Inexpensive Cosmetics & Body Care Alternatives
Organic Body Care Products You Can Make Cheaply and Easily
Commercial Organic Beauty & Body Care Products:
Discounted Organic Cosmetics & Body Care Books:
The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book,
Pure Skin—Organic Beauty Basics,
Natural Soap Formula’s KD Gold
Cheap Alternatives to Commercial Cleaners
Discounted Organic Cleaning Books:
Organic Food & Clothing for Kids
Buying Organic Food & Clothing for Kids:
Discounted Organic Cookbooks for Kids:
The Everything Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book,
Super Baby Food—Second Edition
Natural Knits for Babies & Toddlers,
Natural Knits for Babies And Moms,
Specials & discounts from Pet Food Direct,
Discounted Organic Pet Food Cookbooks:
Discounted Diet & Healthy Lifestyle Books:
Eating Well for Optimum Health,
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Fitness Book,
About the Author: Rose Lewinson
About Organic Revolution Worldwide
The demand for organic products has become one of the fastest-growing movements in the world.
And the reasons are clear. Faced with eating compromised food laced with potentially harmful chemicals every day, and eating fresh, delicious food grown in accord with nature, who wouldn’t prefer the latter?
If you’ve hesitated to “go organic,” the main reasons were probably lack of information, inconvenience, and high cost.
This book was created to address all three of these problems—with a unique emphasis on the latter.
The book first defines the term organic, and details how organic products are substantially better for both your personal health and the well-being of the planet.
It then describes how you can conveniently and affordably purchase organic products, ranging from food to alcohol to cosmetics.
More specifically, each chapter:
• Explains the basics of the organic subject it covers (organic food shopping, organic gardening, organic cleaning, organic pet food, etc.).
• Points you to the best free information sources about the topic on the Web.
• Identifies vendors that sell related organic products at low and/or discounted prices. (And, when appropriate, tells you how to create homemade versions of the product yourself for pennies.)
• Describes heavily discounted books you can turn to for more in-depth information.
We’ve packaged this book as an eBook because the electronic format allows you to easily interact with the text.
For example, the Concise Table of Contents of this book lists its chapters. You can jump directly to any chapter by simply clicking its title.
Similarly, the Detailed Table of Contents lists both the chapter titles and the topics covered within each chapter. You can jump directly to any topic by clicking it.
Within each chapter you’ll find numerous Web site links, set off by underlined text. Clicking any text Web link will take you directly to the pertinent site.
In addition, you’ll find references to particular sections of this book in the form of text links. Clicking any such internal link will take you directly to the pertinent section of this book.
This book is organized into a dozen chapters (not counting this one). The following are their titles and brief descriptions of their contents:
• Why Organic?: Explains how modern farming came to rely on chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and other potentially toxic shortcuts; the dangers of using such artificial methods for food growing; the benefits of an organic approach that works with natural ecosystems; and what procedures a farm or ranch must follow to be USDA certified organic.
• Organic General Resources & Overviews: Describes some of the top organic Web sites you can access entirely for free; and points you to discounted copies of some of the finest books ever written about organic living.
• Organic Food Shopping: Tells you how to find local and relatively low-cost sources for organic food, provides organic food shopping tips; points you to top national organic vendors that sell at a discount; and describes discounted books that provide in-depth information on organic food shopping.
• Organic Restaurants: Explains how to find organic restaurants in your area, and how to quickly determine which of them are inexpensive; describes notable organic restaurants in nearly a dozen major US cities; and recommends two discounted cookbooks that are based on the menus of nationally famous organic restaurants.
• Organic Gardening: Describes several top Web sites that provide free information about all aspects of organic gardening. Also describes several sites that help you buy low-priced tools & materials for organic gardening; and points you to nearly a dozen discounted books on the subject.
• Organic Cooking: Points you to thousands of free recipes you can use to create organic meals; briefly discusses approaches to organic cooking; and describes popular discounted books that focus on organic cooking.
• Organic Wine and Beer: Describes several vendors that sell organic wine and beer at discount; and identifies discounted books on how to make your own organic wine and feel noble about drinking beer.
• Organic Cosmetics & Body Care: Identifies chemicals routinely used in cosmetics & body care products that you should beware; details raw alternative products that you can make yourself for pennies; points you to online resources that provide additional organic beauty tips & tricks; profiles some top commercial organic beauty and body care companies; and describes discounted books that provide hundreds of additional recipes for making your own organic products.
• Organic Cleaning: Describes several popular organic cleaning products, and how to find low prices and/or discounts for them; and points you to two discounted books on organic cleaning.
• Organic Food & Clothing for Kids: Points you to some top sources of discounted organic food and clothing for your young children; and describes discounted books that tell you how to create homemade organic food and clothing for your kids.
• Organic Pet Food: Tells you how to save money when buying organic pet food via five major mail-order vendors; and points you to food & treats you can make yourself via two discounted cookbooks for pets.
• Living a Healthy Life: Offers some brief suggestions on developing wise eating habits and exercising regularly; and describes discounted books—including several bestselling classics—about diet & healthy lifestyle strategies.
• Organic Discount Coupon: Identifies sources for across-the-board discount coupons for organic products.
You don’t need to read every chapter, and you don’t need to read the chapters in any particular order, because each chapter is designed to work independently. Therefore, simply read whichever chapters are of the most interest to you.
To learn more about us, please visit our Web site at http://www.OrganicHealthDiscounts.com.
We hope you enjoy this book, and that you recommend it to your friends.
If you send anyone our way who buys this book, please tell your friend to mention your name and email address when prompted for referral information. To thank you, we’ll email you a $5 credit that you can use on future purchases from us.
If you have any comments about this book—whether they are praise, criticisms, suggestions for improvements, or pointers to resources we missed—we’d love to hear them. If you’re a vendor who wants to offer a discount to our readers, we’d love to hear from you too, as this book is updated regularly.
Our contact information is as follows:
Organic Revolution Worldwide LLC
8 Bond Street, Suite 140
Great Neck NY 11021
Phone: 516.603.1784
Email: OrganicDiscounts@gmail.com
Web Site: http://www.OrganicHealthDiscounts.com
Blog: http://www.OrganicRevolutionInAmerica.com
Seventy years ago, it wouldn’t have even occurred to anyone to ask the question above—because all farming was organic.
In other words, for nearly the entire history of mankind, it’s been common practice to grow food without the use of artificial pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and other chemical replacements for natural processes.
What changed everything was World War II. Military-driven research invented modern pesticides—most notably DDT—and produced them in mass quantities to protect troops from mosquitoes spreading malaria and lice transmitting typhus. The results were enormous reductions in both diseases—so much so that chemist Paul Hermann Müller was awarded a 1948 Nobel Prize for recognizing DDT’s effectiveness at combating insects. After the war, DDT was redirected to protecting crops, and its use became widespread in farms and gardens around the US.
World War II was also responsible for the mass production of ammonium nitrate, which was a key ingredient in explosive weapons. Afterwards, the abundance of ammonium nitrate made it a very cheap nitrogen-based chemical fertilizer, and it also became used in farms and gardens across America.
These chemicals were inexpensive and effective, and so were embraced by thousands of farmers. They were followed by numerous other products—herbicides, fungicides, other chemical fertilizers—that were also quickly adopted by farmers seeking to reduce costs and increase productivity.
The government assured everyone that while these products were strong enough to kill insects and trigger explosions, they were too mild to affect humans, pets, fish, and wildlife. So children used to follow DDT trucks servicing gardens around their neighborhood...chasing and inhaling the trucks’ toxic spray.
The truth, however, is that these products were rushed to market without adequate testing of both their short- and long-term health effects.
It wasn’t until 1962, with the publication of Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring, that large numbers of people began to question the safety of these new farm practices. Carson’s book documented the detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation, and pointed fingers at public officials accepting industry claims uncritically.
Ten years later, the US banned the use of DDT as a pesticide but still allowed, and continues to allow, the use of many other chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Our government also allows produce to be irradiated, genetically manipulated, and treated with chemical additives and preservatives.
Plus it lets livestock (e.g., cows, pigs, chickens) be given growth hormones, massive doses of antibiotics, and feed that is at times hideous (e.g., the ground-up carcasses of their own species—including ones that died of disease).
The Problems with Modern Conventional Farming
Modern food growing techniques have led to great reductions in production costs, and have made our current system of efficient mega-farms possible. But the large-scale yields are accompanied by less obvious costs.
First, chemical pesticides are poisons, and too many of them will have a serious impact on your health. Pesticides can compromise your liver’s ability to clean toxins from your body; limit each cell’s ability to produce energy and do its job in your body; compromise your nervous system and its ability to send necessary messages throughout the body; damage your immune system; decrease fertility; and wreak all other kinds of havoc. In a nutshell, too much poison in your system can lead to weakness, deadly diseases, and premature death.
No one truly knows whether the level of chemicals used by conventional farming is safe or not. For example, most pesticide-residue levels are set for individual pesticides, but conventionally grown fruits and vegetables typically contain the residue of multiple pesticides. Emerging research indicates the collective power of such toxins can be dramatically more destructive than a solitary pesticide. Considering you’re probably consuming dozens of types of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides designed to kill all manner of life, who can say what effect this chemical “cocktail” will have as it impacts your body, year after year?
Of course, food advice can be confusing. It used to be hamburgers and hot dogs were considered the most American of foods; now many caution against a diet too rich in beef. We used to treat kids with cookies; now even the Cookie Monster is on a fruit diet. It’s hard to know what to believe.
Equally confusing is that, so far, there haven’t been definitive scientific studies proving organic food is safer than conventionally grown food.
That said, it took centuries for scientists to definitively conclude smoking is one of the most dangerous things you can do to your body. But savvy consumers threw away their cigarettes long before then.
Further, you’re unlikely to encounter any respected scientist who’d advise you to consume more pesticides than you already do.
You may believe conventionally grown produce is harmless as long as you wash it. Pesticides go deeper than the skin of a fruit or vegetable, though. They’re woven into the fabric of the produce, having been used in every step of its development from the seed onwards.
And given the US is currently experiencing an epidemic of catastrophic diseases such as cancer, heart attacks, and strokes, do you really think it’s wise to spend each day putting more chemicals designed to kill into your body?
That said, reasons to eat organic go beyond avoiding toxins. For example, there’s growing evidence organic food is more nutritious than what’s produced by mainstream methods. (See, for example, the 2001 study Nutritional Quality of Organic Versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains at http://www.ioia.net/images/pdf/orgvalue.pdf Organic fruits and vegetables are grown from richer soil, so their mineral content is higher; and because they must develop their own strong defenses against pests and disease, they contain more vitamins, phytonutrients, and antioxidants which, when ingested, help your body do the same. Also, artificial fertilization increases the water content of produce so, in terms of dry weight alone, organic produce is more nutrient-dense.
And along the same lines, organic food tends to be more flavorful and delicious. So if you take your taste buds seriously, or want to be applauded for your cooking, organic is your best choice.
Further, in addition to doing yourself and your family immediate good, buying organic products is a vitally positive action you can take for our planet.
Pesticides deplete the soil of valuable micro-nutrients and macro-nutrients. As a result, the produce that comes from this soil contains fewer nutrients. But in addition—as pointed out by such experts as David R. Montgomery in his 2007 book Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations—long-term damage is being done to the soil. The earth’s supply of nutrient-rich topsoil is being depleted at least 10 times faster than it takes for the lost soil to be replaced. This kind of damage obviously cannot go on indefinitely.
Pesticides also kill beneficial microbes. Many of these fragile soil-borne microorganisms are helpful and necessary for human health, specifically in building healthy immune systems in children. In fact, these organisms are now sold in health food stores in supplement form to help treat immune system ailments. Yes, you read that right—conventional produce has become so impoverished that some of us now have to buy pills filled with bugs normally found in dirt.
Conventional farmers use millions of pounds of pesticides and other toxic chemicals every year, much of which ends up in our oceans and drinking water. Again, pesticides are poisons designed to kill living things; and while they’re targeted at parasites, bugs, and animals that may eat crops, they create a kind of chemical “friendly fire” that also destroys beneficial insects and animals, thus doing further damage to the environment.
At the same time, the overuse of pesticides is causing new super-resistant bugs—and combating these uber-bugs will require even more powerful and toxic chemicals.
Another problem is that many pesticides and other chemicals used in conventional farming are based on fossil fuels—a decidedly finite resource. Further, these chemicals kill friendly microorganisms that would otherwise hold carbon, thus releasing carbons into the atmosphere that increase global warming. Organic farming uses up to 60% less fossil fuel per unit of food and avoids the global warming problem.
Bottom line: Modern farming methods are in many ways disastrous for the environment.
And they might be slowly tearing away at your personal health as well.
Even our nation’s First Family, the Obamas, have championed organic food—they’ve planted an organic vegetable garden by the White House! (To learn more, please visit http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17317.cfm)
So the real question isn’t “Why organic?” Given all the negatives and potential dangers of conventional farming, the more sensible question is “Why not organic?”
The main downsides to going organic are convenience and cost. And that’s why we’ve created this book—to help you find the many organic resources available, and to save money while pursuing your new, vibrant organic lifestyle.
For more about this, please see the previous chapter, How to Use This Book.
If you first want additional information about what organic means, though, please read the next section.
There are a number of elements involved in defining organic food.
To be certified organic by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), food must be:
• Produce grown on a field which, for at least three years, has been free of chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and synthetic (e.g., petroleum-based) fertilizers.
• Produce grown on a field free of sewage sludge (i.e., human waste, which includes toxic chemicals and heavy metals, and is used by many non-organic farmers as fertilizer).
• Produce grown following manure-composting techniques that prevent against transmitting food-borne illnesses (which many non-organic farmers skip to lower production costs).
• Dairy, eggs, and meat from animals fed 100% organic feed (e.g., cows grass-fed on an organic pasture).
• Dairy, eggs, and meat from animals given access to the outdoors and/or pastures (i.e., are spared the severe confinement conditions often used in non-organic factory farms).
• Dairy, eggs, and meat from animals free of synthetic growth hormones (e.g., beef growth hormones, or genetically engineered bovine growth hormone that forces dairy cows to produce more milk).
• Dairy, eggs, and meat from animals free of excessive antibiotics (the animals at non-organic factory farms are often kept under such terrible conditions that they develop severe disease problems, which are addressed by the routine overuse of antibiotics).
• Free of irradiation (as opposed to non-organic farms, which may irradiate to destroy microorganisms due to unsanitary conditions in their factories that contaminate beef and poultry with diseases).
•
• For beef, processed in a certified plant where organic cows are handled separately from conventional ones.
• 100% organic for each particular organic ingredient.
•
• At least 95% organic overall (excluding water and salt).
•
Put more concisely: Organic food means food that comes from a system of feeding and farming that works with natural ecosystems, and that maintains and replenishes nutrients in the soil.
For example, organic farmers often create diversity within their farms by planting certain flowers and bushes to attract helpful insects that then eat or drive out crop-destroying pests—thus eliminating the need for chemical pesticides. These farmers also rotate their crops to continually replenish the soil. By working with, rather than against, nature, organic farmers produce healthy and bountiful crops—as well as maintain healthy soil, air, water, wildlife...and customers.
Please be aware that there are thousands of small farms and ranches around the US that don’t have the time and money to get official USDA certification but nonetheless follow organic principles. These producers might refer to their food in any of the following ways:
• Naturally Grown: Following organic principles, but not certified.
• Certified Naturally Grown: Has received certification from the grassroots organization CNG http://www.naturallygrown.org, which was created specifically for small farms that sell locally and directly to their customers. CNG’s certification standards are similar to the USDA program but have some variations, including requiring better livestock living conditions. To learn more, please click visit http://www.naturallygrown.org/faq.html.
• Grass Fed/Pastured: http://www.localharvest.org/features/pastured.jpg animals are raised on pastures, as opposed to being kept in confinement and primarily fed grains. Pasturing livestock and poultry is the traditional method of raising farm animals, is ecologically sustainable, humane, and produces the most nutritious meat, dairy, and eggs.
• Biodynamics: Based on a series of lectures given by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924, biodynamics http://www.biodynamics.com is a method of agriculture that seeks to actively work with the health-giving forces of nature. It predates the organic movement by around two decades, and has spread throughout the world.
• Transitional: Seeking USDA certification, but in the midst of a waiting period while the chemical residue from previous conventional farming methods is slowly broken down and leached out of the soil.
Bottom line: Get to know your local farms and ranches!
If you live near a small food producer who doesn’t have USDA certification but is following organic practices, don’t hesitate to buy directly from and support that producer. You’ll be eliminating the middleman, and getting your food fresher and cheaper.
Along the same lines, seek out farmers markets, because they’re one of the best places for get affordable organic food. A 2002 USDA study found that about 40% of sellers at farmers markets don’t charge a premium. Imagine that—buying superior and super-fresh organic produce at conventional food prices!
For details on how to find farmers markets and other organic resources in your area, see this book’s Organic Food Shopping chapter.
Of course, food isn’t the only area of our lives that’s a cause for concern. This book therefore also devotes chapters to avoiding worrisome chemicals in wine & beer, cosmetics & body care products, household cleaners, products for kids, and products for pets. For a complete overview of this book’s contents, please see the previous chapter, How to Use This Book.
Organic General Resources & Overviews
It’s estimated there are over 50 million people in the US alone actively interested in organic products. It’s therefore not surprising there are many excellent resources available to help you pursue an organic lifestyle. This chapter describes some of the top information sources online that you can access entirely for free; and it also points you to discounted copies of several of the finest books ever written about organic living.
There are a number of free Web sites available to ease you into an organic and/or “green” lifestyle. The following are seven of the best.
• Ideal Bite: This site emails you a practical tip every weekday for living a healthier and/or more earth-friendly life. In its own words: “Ideal Bite offers bite-sized ideas for light green living—ideas for real people who lead busy lives and want to make small changes that add up to big results. Our Daily Tips cover everything from biodynamic wine to eco-pet products to organic cosmetics. The secret sauce? A spoonful of “incremental environmentalism” combined with a keeping-it-real attitude. The mission of Ideal Bite is to create a more sustainable world by connecting enlightened companies with responsible consumers who are ready to make small changes that add up.” To learn more, please visit http://www.idealbite.com.
• Green Guide for Everyday Living: Run by the National Geographic Society, this site “shows people how to make small changes that add up to big benefits for their wallets, for their health, and, of course, for the health of the planet. Not political or activist, the GREEN GUIDE is chock-full of simple, useful, ideas, broken down into achievable steps, that make going green a gradual and affordable process rather than an all-or-nothing plunge.” Among its most powerful features is a Go Local http://www.greenguide.com/golocal option that lets you find organic & green companies in your area. The site also provides product reviews, an email newsletter, and articles on such topics as food, home & garden, cosmetics & body care, kids, and travel. Visit the home page at http://www.thegreenguide.com.
• Organic Consumers Association: This nonprofit organization founded in 1998 works to represent the interests of the tens of millions of people who seek healthier lives via organic and green choices. Its current political goals include “the conversion of American agriculture to at least 30% organic by the year 2015...a global moratorium on genetically engineered foods and crops...(and) a phase-out of the most dangerous industrial agriculture and factory farming practices.” In addition to such activism, OCA is a superb source of information; for example, to locate hundreds of vendors for organic food, organic gardening, organic children’s products, organic body care products, organic housekeeping, organic clothing, organic pet products, and more, please visit http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/BuyingGuide.cfm.
• WhyOrganic.org http://www.whyorganic.org: This site is run by the Soil Association, a UK-based group which since 1946 has been “a small but influential voice challenging the orthodoxy of chemical-based intensive agriculture” and “an international authority on the principles and practices of organic farming.” Among the site’s most popular features are seasonal organic recipes, nutritional advice, organic farming advice, an http://www.whyorganic.org/involved_organicDirectory.asp (a large database of organic companies that you can search for free), and Organic Places to Stay (a searchable database of over 600 organic vacation spots in the UK and Ireland).
• OrganicAuthority.com: This Web-based organic magazine features articles on organic food & gardening, health tips, organic product reviews, lifestyle suggestions, and more. It also provides a free email newsletter...and if you sign up, will give you a $5 off coupon for shopping in its store. To explore this resource, please visit http://www.organicauthority.com.
• The Organic Pages Online: This extensive database run by the Organic Trade Association http://www.ota.com lets you search for organic companies and products using a wide range of criteria, including location, company name, brand name, business type, organic ingredients, and products & services. To access it, go to http://www.theorganicpages.com.
• The Beyond Organic Show: Unique hour-long environmental radio show that ran from 2003 through 2006, “with guests ranging from award-winning author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), to Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, to organic farmers and sustainable seafood specialists, and covering diverse-yet-interconnected issues including genetic engineering, Mad Cow Disease, dead zones, health, nutrition, Slow Food, cooking, gardening, and international trade policy.” You can listen to any of the hundreds of episodes online anytime, for free, with just a few mouse clicks. To access the 2006 episodes, please visit: http://www.beyondorganic.com. After the list of shows appears, click the title of any episode that interests you, read its description, and then click the Listen Now! option to hear it. Especially recommended: The April 2006 Michael Pollan interview, which you can listen to immediately by visiting: http://www.beyondorganic.com/shows.
Discounted Organic Overview, History, and Memoir Books
If you want more in-depth information about how the organic movement began, and why it’s so important to both your personal health and the health of our planet, check out the following discounted books. Some of them, such as Silent Spring, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Animal Vegetable Miracle, are classics that have helped shape the thinking and behavior of millions of thoughtful consumers. You can click any title to jump directly to the book description.
The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World
Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating
The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life
How to Go Further: A Guide to Simple Organic Living with Woody Harrelson
In addition, if you’re interested in learning more about the most healthy ways to eat and diet, please see this book’s section on Discounted Diet & Healthy Lifestyle Books, which includes such classics as Eating Well for Optimum Health, What to Eat, Fast Food Nation, and Skinny Bitch.
by Michael Pollan
2007, Penguin, 464 pages
List price $16.00, 3/2/09 lowest price $7.00 (56% off)
Publisher’s Description:
A national bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us— whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed—he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.
For more on this revolutionary book, please visit http://www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore.php.
Sale Page: http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Omnivores-Dilemma_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ57072508
by Rachel Carson
2002, Mariner Books, 400 pages
List price $14.95, 3/2/09 lowest price $2.94 (80% off)
Publisher’s Description:
First published by Houghton Mifflin in 1962, Silent Spring alerted a large audience to the environmental and human dangers of indiscriminate use of pesticides, spurring revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. “Silent Spring became a runaway bestseller, with international reverberations…[It is] well crafted, fearless and succinct…Even if she had not inspired a generation of activists, Carson would prevail as one of the greatest nature writers in American letters” (Peter Matthiessen, for Time’s 100 Most Influential People of the Century). This 40th anniversary edition celebrates Rachel Carson”s watershed book with a new introduction by the author and activist Terry Tempest Williams and a new afterword by the acclaimed Rachel Carson biographer Linda Lear, who tells the story of Carson”s courageous defense of her truths in the face of ruthless assault from the chemical industry in the year following the publication of Silent Spring and before her untimely death in 1964.