A simple, surefire way to drastically reduce GMOs and dependence on fossil fuels

Monday, January 13, 2014 by: Lance Johnson
Tags: GMOs, fossil fuels, organic farming

(NaturalNews) There's a simple solution to drastically reducing GMO food in America and abroad. That solution would also lessen dependence on fossil fuels.

You're probably wondering, "Weren't GMOs and large subsidized factory farms supposed to be more energy efficient, producing greater quantity of food for the nations?"

How does reducing GMO food production also reduce our dependency on fossil fuels? How could both goals be achieved simultaneously? Aren't we saving energy already by genetically altering seeds that are lab designed to withstand Roundup?

A massive 10 to 1 loss of energy

For starters, the GMO model of farming isn't producing real, whole food, so the health of people is compromised from the get-go.

Just as important, energy is lost en masse because of long-distance travel from farm to plate.

The average plateful of food obtained from the grocery store has traveled 1,500 miles before making it to your plate. Reliance on grocery store food from faraway factory farms makes the country dependent on processed GMO food and long-distance food transportation that is wasting energy 10 to 1.

As a matter of fact, it takes 10 kcal of fossil fuel energy to provide 1 kcal of food energy for a person to consume. This is beyond wasteful on a grand scale!

"We are spending far more energy to get food to the table than the energy we get from eating the food. A head of lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley of California and shipped nearly 3,000 miles to Washington, D.C., requires about 36 times as much fossil fuel energy in transport as it provides in food energy when it arrives," says Worldwatch Research Associate Brian Halweil.

To make matters worse, most of the food that is shipped from hundreds of miles away is often picked unripe and then gassed to "ripen" after transport. Most of this long-distance food is processed with preservatives and is irradiated to the core.

The solution is simple

While transparency through labeling of GMO food is important, an outright ban on the corporate conglomerates who manipulate the food might not be necessary. Why?

Because liberty can prevail.

Here's the free market solution: grow food locally using organic methods and heirloom seeds.

Not only will this cut back on lost energy, but it will also encourage non-GMO small farming practices that are accountable to local communities. Community gardens could utilize heirloom seeds and produce real food. Organic co-ops could form and provide grocery stores with organic food. When local food production begins tipping the scale, pushing back hard, GMO food could be bumped right out of grocery stores and be considered too costly, inefficient and disgusting. Grocery managers only buy what sells.

The basic plan

How could people work together to provide their community with fresh, local, unadulterated food?
To start the revolution, more people would have to become educated on what they put into their body. More people need to see the problem and care about the future of health for themselves and their families.

Awareness must spread. Transparency, through GMO labeling, will help people reach that goal.
More people will need to grow their own food to reduce global loss of energy. This could really bring people together, as appreciation for nature and relationships begins to grow.

People could form networks, community gardens, farmer's markets and co-ops that use heirloom seeds and organic gardening methods.

These small networks could link with other networks and trade for food that their region cannot grow.

In the big picture, overall travel can be reduced, including fossil fuel consumption. A generation of awareness and communication can destroy corporate factory farming greed that is wasting energy and health. Compassionate liberty is the future.


About the author:
Passionate about holistic wellness, Lance Johnson and his wife invite you to www.allnaturalfreespirit.com, where you can buy clean, chemical-free body care products.