The Solution: Part 5

The Solution: Part 5

Here at The Organic Hype, we understand the arguments of all three of these writers. Each bring profound insights to this discussion. In the end, we as human beings must be conscious of our effect on the world and on other non-human persons. Northcott provides evidence showing how detrimental the consumption of beef alone has become due to our diets in America. Singer provides a great example for why we should treat non-human persons with as much respect and dignity as we do to our fellow human beings. On the other hand, the decentralization of food production in America would increase the price of food dramatically. Many families already struggle feeding themselves and this would have terrible effects on the poor. A question that must be addressed is whether or not decentralizing food production in America will solve all of the problems that come with climate change. The answer is no. Modern societies have created many different avenues of destroying the environment and this one change, no matter how drastic, will not ensure that climate change will discontinue.

A second question that must be addressed is the cost of organic, free range beef if America were to move to a decentralized model. We were unable to find academic studies which project the cost of beef in this hypothetical model, so we decided to investigate for ourselves. At our local grocery store, we found the cheapest beef at $3.49 per pound. This is obviously not organic, grass fed, free range beef, so we used this as the base price of a pound of meat currently available in our grocery store. We then looked for organic, free range, grass fed beef. The cheapest we found was $7.25 per pound. This is more than twice the cost of the cheaper beef selection available. There are many economic factors that would affect whether or not this would be the standard price of beef if the whole country moved to a decentralized model, so we cannot say with certainty what the price would be.

What we can say on this matter is that, as of right now, grass fed, organic, free range beef is a luxury item. It is not necessary at this time to purchase this more expensive beef if one is on a budget trying to feed a family. Our projection is that with the decentralization of food production in America, the average American’s diet would change drastically. Since the price of beef would increase significantly, our population would be forced to turn to different forms of protein. Quinoa, for example, has nearly eighteen grams of protein in one cup. Beans, lentils and legumes are also great sources of protein which would all be relatively cheap. This would make beef a product that we eat once or twice per week instead of once or twice a day. Although there may be terrible effects on the price of food, specifically beef and other meat products, in America and many people will suffer, we believe it is time for Americans to take responsibility for the world we are destroying. If we stay on this path, the amount of damage caused by global warming will result in food shortages and famines around the world. Within a few hundred years, there could be no poor to suffer from the high costs of food. If we do not change our food production processes here in America, we could be a leading cause of the destruction of our beautiful earth.

What to do now...? (Sneak Peek)
We at The Organic Hype have some ideas for what we can do to contribute to The Solution. It’s time for us to make a difference and positively impact our planet.

Check back tomorrow for the next step!