Economic localvores

OK, I am not a fan of organic foods. Plain and simple I can't find any firm scientific evidence that organically produced foods offer any real health benefits, but I can see lots of economic reasons to not purchase foods labeled as "organic". Organic foods cost more, plain and simple, they are also very popular currently and so more and more food producers are jumping on the organic bandwagon. Do not be misled, just because food is produced in a way that allows it to be labeled as organic does not mean that it was produced on a small farm, by a farmer interested in protecting your health and the health of the environment. Much of the organic food we find in our local grocery stores is produced by large corporations and is produced in ways that mean it takes more land to produce the same amount of food. The simple use of land for agriculture is harmful to the environment because it displaces local flora and fauna if nothing else, and quite often it is produced half way around the world and comes with less shelf life than normal production methods and so it has to be shipped in ways that use more fossil fuels and harms the environment even more. Also the increase in organic food production could, if it hasn't already, cause an overall increase in the price of things like fresh produce making it harder for low income families and individuals to afford a healthy diet.

So no, I don't care for organic foods, I do, however, think that buying locally produced foods is a wonderful idea. Not only are you purchasing foods that took less energy to transport to your grocery store but you are also buying food that tends to be fresher, buying produce that had a chance to stay "on the vine" longer and that will probably taste better, and you are also supporting your local farmers and agricultural workers. Buying local, becoming a localvore, is a wonderful idea with very few drawbacks in my opinion.

Being a localvore can go way beyond food though. If you bank with a locally owned and operated bank there is a good chance that you won't be dealing with the people that pushed the high risk loans that helped to cause the current mortgage crisis. If you buy from a locally owned retailer you will be helping your local economy more than if the profits from your purchase are sent to another state or another country. If you deal with local companies the layers of bureaucracy you have to go through to get satisfaction if there is a problem with your purchase will probably be reduced.

Buying locally, locally produced goods, from retailers based in your area, from service providers who are your neighbors, makes sense for all of us. We all suffered because we allowed corporations to get "to big to fail". Lets instead start supporting companies that are small enough to care, it might be a little more expensive in the short run but in the long run it might help us save, not just money but our overall economy.