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["Jeanne Driese" <jeanne13 AT earthlink.net>]

Thanks Gene for putting this so well in so few words!  Do you  mind if I 
quote you in a garden column I write?
I do the same thing as you and Chris but have managed to get the eggs for 
$2.50
Jeanne
tnhillwoman
North East TN zone 6
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gene GeRue 
  To: Homestead 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 4:01 PM
  Subject: [Homestead] Earth charity


  Earth charity

  Chris and I buy organic and wild foodstuffs almost exclusively. These  
  foods cost substantially more than non-organic food. So why do we  
  spend so much more than we must?

  There are three reasons for spending food money as we do. The first is  
  health benefits. We don’t buy disease treatment insurance; we buy  
  healthful food. The second reason is to reward farmers so they will  
  keep producing top-quality food. The third reason, which I think of as  
  an investment, is Earth charity.

  For instance: we buy eggs that are from free-range hens that are fed  
  all organic feed and no antibiotics. We pay about three dollars per  
  dozen for these eggs. We could buy ordinary eggs laid by caged hens  
  fed a non-organic diet for a dollar a dozen. That is a two-dollar-per- 
  dozen premium. Some would say such an expenditure is foolish. Some  
  would use stronger words.

  Here is my calculation: We pay a dollar to the hens, we pay a dollar  
  to the farmer and we pay a dollar toward Earth charity. We want happy  
  hens laying healthful eggs. We want happy farmers who produce organic  
  food to keep doing it. And we believe it makes sense to donate to  
  Earth charity.

  What does Earth charity mean? What does that last dollar do? Lots of  
  things; I'll just name a few. It ensures that there are fewer  
  chemicals floating in the air, being breathed by my fellow humans. It  
  means fewer chemicals flowing with eroding soil down to streams,  
  rivers, lakes and ocean, thence to be ingested by the wild fish we  
  eat. It means chicken manure spread by the hens feeds the soil which  
  helps to maintain a thriving soil community, which produces healthier  
  plants for the hens to eat. I'm sure you will think of more. Bottom  
  line: we think Earth charity is a good investment.

  I once read a saying that goes something like this: We do not inherit  
  the land from our parents; we borrow it from our children.
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