While we're often happy to shell out for organics that are on the dirty dozen list, when it comes to other products, we prioritize a little differently. So when we saw that one company was offering organic bottled water, we wondered—just where do you draw the line?
You read that right. Organic. Bottled. Water.
Green washing at its finest (or not, considering the product comes in decidedly not-eco-friendly plastic bottles).
It's often easy to see the merits of buying organic fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, and even clothing (at any rate, keeping pesticides away from our close-knit environment), but sometimes our budget dictates otherwise. So we cave on things (like opting for local, non-organic peaches rather than the organic ones from a few states over). And we'd most certainly not opt for purchasing organic water.
But what about you? What pushes your organic buttons (or doesn't)?
Read more: Organic Water: A New Marketing Wave at NPR
Related posts:
• Recognizing the Nine Types of Green Washing
• Deciphering Organic Labeling
(Image: Flickr member ilovebutter, licensed under Creative Commons.)
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We live in Southern California but a year round growing season, a huge number of organic famers, and many farmer's markets. With a little discipline, I can buy local, organic, and seasonal year round at a pretty decent price.
I do buy some imported tropical fruits (organic bannanas) but not a lot.
Things that say "made with organic stuff"
It could be a pile of crap, wrapped in a million layers of plastic, but if they used one drop of organic oil, Bam! they slap on that organic label.
So I draw the line at many processed foods where I can't get a good feel for actually organic the product is.
I try to weigh organic v. local and make the best choice on a case by case basis. I do organic when possible, but not when it's been shipped halfway around the world.
On the water issue, GOOD did a write-up on it a few days ago. http://www.good.is/post/don-t-drink-the-water-organic-h20-is-a-total-sham/ Personally, I stick to my Klean Kanteen.
I always opt for local first, organic second. I find that most local farmers at our local markets are very clear about if and how they treat their produce if you just ask.
I live in WI, so we are much more limited than many other areas in terms of our ability to eat local year round. I opt for local first, organic second and try to keep our local coop in business year round, since they try to source as close to us as possible.
And thank goodness for Will Allen's Growing Power, which keeps me in greens year round!
I must stress an important point here. If I buy a piece of land, then grow food on it, I have the right to sell that food. Maybe I can put a label on it, although the term Organic requires that in some countries, government regulators inspect the farm and the soil.
In regards to water: and sorry to shout, but NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO OWN WATER. In the future we may have droughts, more heat waves, natural disasters, water should be treated like the air. Everyone living animal has the right to clean drinking water. Everyone.
I don't care what you label water - to steal water, bottle it up and sell it back to people who pay taxes on its regulation, should be a crime.
Emmi, you make me wish there was a "like" button for comments.
organic water...WT#%%^
@Amarque cheers, mate! :)