Ok..is it just me or are others experiencing negative comments about trying to live an organic life style?Many people think its just hype to get people to spend more.Funny how when you try to do/live right..there are still those to tear down.Sad!

ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE UNEDUCATED ABOUT THIS STUFF AND THEY DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED, THEY WANT CONVEINENCE. IT IS KINDA FUNNY THAT THEY HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE LITTLE OR NO KNOWLEDGE ON.

MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE ABOUT EATING ORGANICALLY AND TRYING TO LIVE GREEN, HOWEVER YEASTERDAY WE GOT INTO A DEBATE B/C HE DOESN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYTHING "ORGANIC" IS SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE. AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW BESIDES TO SAY THAT IT IS HARDER TO MAKE ORGANIC STUFF AND THE GOV MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR SOMETHING TO BE ORGANIC, IS THAT RIGHT? LIKE I WAS LOOKING UP ORGANIC MATRESSES AND THEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVE WHEN ORGANIC, HE SEEMS TO THINK THAT SOME COMPANIES JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON AND SAY THEY ARE ORGANIC JUST TO CHARGE MORE. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THE EXPENSE? WILL IT EVER BE LESS EXPENSIVE?

My mother's husband rolls his eyes at anything organic. But like someone has said, he is completely uneducated on the matter. I do get strange looks sometimes when I mention that we try to eat organic foods and meats/dairy that are hormone/antibiotic free. I try to educate most of the time, but some people just don't get it.
A lot of people immediately state that they cannot afford organics. In general, I think if I am buying mainly organic whole foods and cooking more from scratch, I am spending less on groceries.

Yes, when you start eating organic/unprocessed foods it can SEEM very expensive, but when you really get down to it, I have saved so much money! Eating UNPROCESSED food is a big one... for example, making everything from scratch rather than buying mixes or already made goods. Packaged junk food is another big cost that goes away when you buy organic. Yes, it takes more time to make things from scratch or buy unprocessed, but it is MUCH HEALTHIER FOR YOU and the environment! And cheaper! Yes, some things are more expensive, but it evens out. And you find tricks around things... coupons.. buying in bulk.. or so what if you have to take a few extra minutes to go to the store a few blocks down to get a better price? I just feel better knowing all the benefits, even if it does cost more. And if you really can't afford it- you will only buy certain things, such as meats and produce organic. Since I am a college student and am in the process of getting rid of all my cleaners and beauty products, I will be MAKING both of these until I can afford to stock up on everything. If a person really wants to do it and really cares, they will educate themselves and find a way. "I cant because...." is just an excuse! People in this country are lazy and they don't care!

Even my own boyfriend thinks I am crazy. I am very into organic chemistry and really knowing the science behind all of this stuff helps. He thinks it has to be ok if you can buy it off the shelf! If he only knew! Educated people make educated choices- for themselves and our world. We have to stay strong =)

I was visiting a friend at the hospital last weekend. Somehow eating organic came up in the conversation. The head nurse said you mean you spend all that money to buy that expensive food? Well, I said I guess I just like my food clean. Peoples rudeness never ceases to amaze me. Anyone got a better response?

I haven't really gotten into conversations with anyone (other than my husband) about organic food, but I am the subject of much guffawing when it comes to diapers. I use cloth and when I decided to do so during my pregnancy, all I heard was, "You'll never stick with it" from everyone. Bear in mind, not one of them had ever even seen a modern cloth diaper, let alone tried it.

A year later, I'm the one guffawing!

I also get teased for buying and bringing my own reusable grocery bags. They can't understand why I paid money for bags when I can get them for free at the store.

I am a prominent member of a small community. I have found people are more curious than negative. I also think it is important not to overwhelm people, especially those wed to the status quo, with too much information. I tell people of all things to be passionate about, this is certainly a postive one. A healthy rate of disclosure - for example, I started by getting a few of my friends to recycle by making a presentation to the local women's league. I have also shared information with people I know about the local food co-op. If you set a good example of finding balance in all this, I think it makes it easier for others to follow.

My parents raised my sisters and I living very green and eating all organic foods. We definitely were teased for being different(natural peanut butter always grossed out my friends) but now I'm so proud of that lifestyle that I love telling people about how we live. My best response to the price I guess is just that we value what we put in our bodies and the impact creating it puts on the earth...and you pay for what you get. People pay for their priorities, and mine happen to be how I live. I am not exactly sure why organic foods are necessarily more expensive...but I know to get certified organic(my friend just went through this with a product of hers) it is verrrrrry expensive up front. So perhaps that has a bit to do with it as well? Good question though.

It is a lifestyle , just like a religion and either you believe or you do not and to the non believer your position is laughable at best and heretical or dangerous at worst.

I get mixed replys/comments when people find out we do try to live as greenly as we can. We buy organic foods, plants for our garden etc. In the begining we changed our ways to aid our young sons health...the more we learn the more we make changes.
We continually educate ourselves on matters of the environment and health.
On another post I read this comment and could not disagree more,
"while there is an increasing amount of organic products available ; this is primarily for the wealthy consumer who can afford to pay a premium price for it".
NO, you do not need to be a wealthy comsumer to eat organic. Many large chains are now carrying very affordable organic items. Wal-mart,Costco,Publix,yes,even Wild Oats IS affordable! Yes, even in a small town of 3,000 old fashion southern folks(as they say here)our local chain store(Food Lion) has begun to carry more and more organic goods.Supply and Demand, people from all economic levels/walks are buying organic goods. My family is not wealthy and I don't mind sharing with you that my food budget is $400 per month to feed a family of 4 ORGANIC (food & cleaning items)
We can choose to better our selves,our lives and the lives of our families...by any definition.
If you are a firm beleiver in the benefits of organic and green living...then does it really matter what others think of YOUR choice?
...I step off the recycled soap box now...LOL
and join the rest of my tree huggin' hippy compound now : )

I couldn't agree with you more!!! And as far as the expense of organics.... WE VOTE WITH OUR DOLLARS!!!! So the more we purchase organics now, even if they are more expensive than conventional, The more accessible and cheaper they will become later. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!! Besides, I am changing my ways for the future of my children. I want them to grow up and be healthy and to be taught how to live healthy.

That's right Unsinkalblemb...the almighty dollar...your almighty dollar(s) can speak volumes. I'll admit I am a savvy shopper, hunting ads,letting my stores know what I want to buy-ORGANIC,clipping coupons etc. Many of the organic goods we buy let you go to their sites and either print online coupons or join their mailing list and recieve coupons. www.mombosprouts.com has coupons. Plant an organic veggie garden, or better yet start a community or classroom garden to help teach kids and others who also have the desire to learn/change. Even if you have a patio/balcony...there are veggie varieties for container planters too. We have an organic garden and we suppliment what we get from it with fruits and veggies from our local farmers market.
Recycling materials and composting is so EASY and kids love to get involved and help out. Since we started doing this we were able to cancel our trash pick up service(saving $216 a year)...we have reduced our waste to only 1-2 Kitchen size bags of trash a week! It amazed us...we used to fill one of those huge commercial cans and still have some bags setting on the can at pick up time. Plus, in a lot of communities like ours, the items you recycle earns money for local schools. Our children will pattern themselves off of us so the changes for health and to the environment (local and global) will impact you children's actions. WHat an awesome role modle you are for your children!! way to go!

Happy Earth Day! I just finished watching the 20/20 "Planet Earth 2007" special. It talked about small changes people can make so the Earth will in 50 years the same or better as it is today. I feel like I need to do more than the "small changes" to make up for the people who are not making any changes (like my dad who drives his old beat up, gas guzzling, toxic emitting jalopy 100+ miles to/from work 5-6 days a week). My family gives my husband and I a hard time when we talk about things like eating organic, buying local, natural cleaning, ect. I am looking for some suggestions of comebacks to their critisizms. Something in regards to how our changes benifit everybody, not just our own health. I'm just not sure how to phrase it.

I also believe it's all about education. Although my husband is supportive of me mostly, he takes convincing. He doesn't just believe something because I say it. He finally let me put a recycling bin in his office in the house!! Which I'm very excited about He is just SO skeptical of life and good things in general, so he needs hard core education and evidence when it comes to most things, and going green is definitely one of them.

My mother-in-law is the same way (hmmm, wonder where he gets it from, LOL). When she comes to our house and wants milk, she'll say "Do you have the REGULAR kind?" When I say that it's organic, she opts for diet coke. She says organic milk tastes bad. And when we're at the beach with them in the summer time and I buy all whole wheat bread, organic milk and other such things, she will not touch it and will buy her own groceries.

There really just needs to be more education. With my husband, I just make sure he watches things on TV with me that I find a good educating tool. I don't make him sit through every one of Sara Snow's episodes, but I do record every single one and sometimes I see one that I know my husband will click with and I'll re-watch it with him. I have one saved for him right now. And one of the Planet Earth episodes was about conservation and I made sure he watched that with me and he got it! I'll put magazines in the bathroom and he ends up reading them! I can even put a book in the bathroom, put sticky tabs on pages with highlighted text, and he'll read it all because he knows I put it there just for him. But he's difficult and skeptical, so he takes some HUGE convincing. I imagine there are lots of people like him in the world....and they don't have someone like me trying to get through to them like I do with my husband

As for what to tell people when they mention how much money you're "wasting" or Organic foods and items, just tell them that you don't put a price on your health or your family's health! Then they might ask another question, and you might be able to educate.

I think organics are more expensive because the food is harder to grow and usually takes more man power and less machine power, so the farms are paying more people. And by using no harmful chemicals, I can only imagine that they lose more of their crops than the farms who use pesticides and other chemicals. So they do have to charge more since they are losing more of their crops. Even beef and eggs and dairy just takes more man power. And like one person said, they do have to pay to get the organic certification and the cost is added onto their foods/items.

Everyone who knows me knows that I have always been an avid recycler. Ever since my DH and I got married (over 30 years now), I have recycled EVERYTHING. I have gotten many comments over the years, but I know I am doing the right thing. My DH has always been supportive because he hates to see landfills getting full. Some of it has rubbed off over the years and now more of my family recycles, too.

I have to agree with everyone that has posted so far on the green backlash. I get it all the time from my parents who will buy their hormone inflated Popeye's chicken and not think anything of it. They balk at the idea of healthy. I politely remind them I don't want to end up with the health problems that they have (diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterel issues).

You know organic isn't that expensive if you do your homework. We just joined a CSA and our produce will not cost us as much if we purchased it at the store.

quote:

Originally posted by booboo-chubbsmom:
You know organic isn't that expensive if you do your homework. We just joined a CSA and our produce will not cost us as much if we purchased it at the store.

You're right. If a lot of people would not "impulse" buy and live a little bit more simply (and the benefit of that is not adding a lot of excess clutter), they could afford to "go green" a little easier. I used to get a few magazines occasionally at the store (maybe once a month...but NOT the scandal sheet ones) and it added up after awhile. I also condensed down to my one favorite subscription and let the others go.

Over the past few months I have been trying to live green, and somewhat organic. I've found that a lot of organic and healthy foods (like natural peanut butter) are actually really good! The cost issue doesn't bother me because I know it's well worth paying for being healthier, and to save the environment. Sure I still eat out occasionally, and I'm a sucker for sweets, but that's just fine with me; I think it's mentally healthy to treat yourself every once in a while. I try to run about 1-2 miles every day, I take vitamins and calcium, and I've grown to love Kashi, fruits, and veggies. I also drink a lot of water, and 95% of the time it's the only drink I consume! I feel really proud of myself for making these healthy changes to my life, especially since I've always been addicted to fast food and everything else under the sun that's bad for you. Thankfully I've been small all of my life, but I realized that just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm healthy, so I'm making small steps that will hopefully create a huge impact on my well-being!

It really irks me whenever I hear "green" or organic backlash. I don't see anything wrong with it - only positive. I always say you pay for what you get, and when you spend a bit more for something organic, you're buying that extra benefit. Why someone would bash being "green" is beyond me; it helps you and it helps the earth - enough said!

I'm so glad i found this forum It makes me realize i'm not alone out there! My friends and family think i have gone over board. It's hard going against the flow. But knowing all i know now, i can't go back to my unhealthy life style. I just wish i would have started this earlier. My kids are 17 & 18. Hopefully they will see the change in me and want to jump on board