Wanting to reduce your carbon footprint? Then growing organic food can be a great way to green up your life so that you are well and truly fit for 21st century living.

In a world that is threatening on the brink of environmental destruction, the 21st century has seen a sudden rush to adopt environmentally-friendlier tactics in many walks of life. Growing your own organic food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner has risen in popularity and it is safe to say is one approach being adopted in order to get on the ultra-fashionable and highly imperative green-living bandwagon.

If you are deliberating about whether to grow your own organic food then take a look at the following ways embarking on the organic trail will not only prove beneficial to your health but will also go a long way in your achieving your goal to reduce your carbon footprint.

Conventional agricultural practices cause contamination
It is an alarming but true statistic that only 1% of the pesticides used in growing common crops, such as tobacco, soybeans, cotton, corn and fruit, actually reach the pests they target and a whopping 99% of these chemicals end up entering the environment, through one way or another.

Not only do these environmentally damaging chemicals contribute to water pollution, thus adversely affecting aquatic life, but they also contaminate soil and as a consequence pose as a threat to native wildlife. In fact as a result of fertilizer ‘run off,’ the Gulf of Mexico now comprises of an 8,000 square mile “dead zone,” whereby tonnes of fish have been killed through lack of oxygen.

A build-up of toxic residues in ecosystems affects the food chain, as species at the bottom of the chain consume the chemicals and the animals at the higher end of the chain ingest these creatures. The levels of toxins build up, often with lethal consequences. In fact pesticides are responsible for the demise of certain species, causing some to become endangered. For example, the now banned pesticide, DDT, almost led to the extinction of the peregrine falcon, due to its harmful effects on the bird’s eggshells.

Sustainable methods

By contrast, organic farming protects the environment from the risks posed by conventional farming methods and their use of pesticides by relying on sustainable methods, including pest predators, natural soil enrichment, well-timed cultivation, hand or mechanical weeding, and crop rotation.

Not only do such methods protect the environment’s biodiversity and promote soil fertility, but, unlike conventional farming practices, they prevent essential nutrients from escaping from the soil.

Flourishing wildlife

By growing your own organic produce instead of buying conventionally grown produce from the supermarket or greengrocers, you will be effectively encouraging diversity of wildlife. Reports have revealed that by using a strict control of certain pesticides and by using effective systems of crop rotations to improve soil fertility, certain species of birds are beginning to thrive in areas where organic produce is cultivated.

Food’s carbon footprint

From growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of, certain food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than others. According to research, approximately 25% of every household’s total carbon footprint, derives from the food they consume. Dairy, meat and fish have significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions than fruit and vegetables, and therefore means that growing your own organic produce and adopting a more vegetable-based diet, will have a large impact in reducing you own carbon footprint.

Qlawns are specialist turf suppliers, who are very environmentally conscientious and are trying to educate a wider audience on the benefits of sustainability.