Organic foods are grown without the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides that can harm the soil health and ecology overall (notably the best pollinators- bees, but also many more species).

If you are a meat eater, there are some ways to keep doing so with a lower carbon footprint. We know that livestock uses more land for grazing, more water, and greater resources and produces more harmful emissions, especially due to “factory” farming methods. The first step in addressing this is to understand the issues and then make prudent choices. Eating less meat daily and only purchasing meat that is “pasture raised” rather than in factory farmed industrialized agricultural systems reduces the amount of grain-based feed animals need and is more humane. Selecting “organic meat” that is free of hormones and antibiotics with improve the quality of the product.

However, as you shop with these values in mind be wary of “humanewashing” campaigns by companies (such as Boar’s Head or Tyson) that say animals have been raised in an “ethical,” “humane,” “organic,” or “cage free” manner on their labels but aren’t tightly regulated. Finding local sources of meat can help verify the conditions of the livestock, and even how their byproducts and waste products are used, as well as requiring less transport to get to your home.

Check out your local CSA or farmer’s market for farm-to-table meat purveyors.