organic - Our Green Health

How to Convert to Organic Farming?

25/02/202225/02/2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

How to convert to organic farming is complicated. Not because of the actual agricultural transition. The final results will give most farmers much more pleasure and satisfaction. Modern conventional farming is doctored out for the farmers in the offices of banks, multinationals, and supermarkets. There is not much fun in farming like this.

No, the biggest problem of the conversion, and the consecutive organic farming experience, is the incessant bureaucracy. This should not be a problem when conventional farmers also had to go through all the same paperwork. Yet, they don’t have to.

Why we Desperately Need Sustainable Citizens’ Initiatives

28/01/2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

We desperately need more sustainable citizens’ initiatives, because we cannot trust politicians to take the effort. I explain my lack of trust in politicians by expressing my amazement about some peculiar political beliefs.

I do this to introduce a project that tries to change devastating agricultural practices for the better: GO Agrodiverso.

It’s an amazing project because it’s aimed at the conservation of as great a variety of national fruits and vegetables as possible. The participants want more biodiversity in agriculture.

7 Organic Essential Oils to Calm the Mind plus 1 to Calm the Body

22/06/202109/06/2021 by Hannie Mommers

This article is about organic essential oils to calm yourself emotionally. And as emotions at times turn into physical sensations like nausea I also mention one to solve that.

When I was the caretaker of my mother I often rubbed her hands with lavender oil. Probably the touching did just as much as the oil. Nevertheless, we both enjoyed this habit and it calmed her considerably.

It would have been better to rub her neck and shoulders with the lavender oil but she didn’t like that. Our compromise worked fine because the scent got into her nose anyway. Essential oils work so well because they act directly on the olfactory system in the brain when inhaled.

What is Permaculture Farming, and Why can it Save Biodiversity?

26/10/202117/05/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

What is permaculture farming? Although permaculture is often associated with the replication of nature, design principles are at the heart of permaculture farming. It’s one of the most challenging types of farming we know.

If only because permaculture farming contrasts highly with conventional, industrial farming in which non-renewable resources are used, air, land, and water are poisoned, biodiversity is destroyed, and the soil eroded.

Sustainable and organic farming is closely related to permaculture: the continuation of all life systems is supported (the earth component), as well as community life (the people component), and a fair share for everybody (the economic component).

The Advantages of Organic Farming Vastly Outweigh those of Conventional Farming

13/10/202105/05/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The advantages of organic farming vastly outweigh those of conventional farming. However, the conversion from conventional to organic food production is one of the most challenging endeavors of the 21st century.

To illustrate the truth of both these arguments, I will explain what the challenges are of the conversion. I use the results from a research assignment two of my colleagues and I performed in 2002 and 2003 in The Netherlands.

A provincial board decided to join the national endeavor for an organic agricultural area of 10% in 2010. The most obvious expansion of organic agriculture in this province is that of organic dairy farming.

How Clothing and Health are Related in Unusual Ways

04/10/202121/04/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The opening sentence of the book Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home Making, is: “Our clothes are important for they help to keep us well. … Sewing is an art that all girls should learn. If we know how to sew, we can keep our clothes in order and always be neat and attractive in appearance.”

The book was published in 1920 and exclusively targets girls. In 1920 in the US, women spent over a billion dollars a year on textile materials alone.

To be neat and attractive, are not the only arguments the book introduces to explain why women should know how to sew their own clothes. Arguments that still carry some weight from our perspective: to know how to sew would make women aware of the costs of clothes, and the durability, and whether the clothes are comfortable. Perhaps it’s good to add that this also applies to men.

Conventional Farming versus Organic Farming: the Unfair Comparison

18/09/202109/04/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

Conventional farming versus organic farming is an unfair comparison. Hannie and I are organic fans. For us, organic is the only truth about food. We want conventional farming to convert to organic, and we want this NOW. Some very relevant questions need to be asked about conventional farming. We also need more organic converts.

Farmers, the agricultural industry, and many consumers believe that the conversion from conventional to organic agriculture is too complicated. Most people shy away from complicated, specifically when it comes to food. The responsibility is firmly put in the hands of the government. However, most governments make unfair comparisons between conventional and organic farming.

How to Start Organic Composting at Home Immediately

13/09/202101/04/2021 by Hannie Mommers

It’s such a long time ago that I started composting at home, I can’t even remember when it was exactly.

At first, it was done in a very simple way: I dug holes in the garden and threw the kitchen waste and coffee drab in them. Later we bought special containers that moved with us to every new house and even emigrated with us.

Over time, we have become more and more precise with what we throw in the compost heap. At first, I used to throw all our kitchen waste, tea bags, and coffee filters on the pile, nowadays we absolutely don’t want everything in the compost anymore.