Certified Organic is a Marketing Campaign

 

No two ways about it. The market for “Certified Organic” is enormous. The worldwide market has grown from $27 Billion in 2011 to more than $50 Billion today. Unfortunately, there is little to suggest that that term is little more than a well orchestrated organic marketing campaign.

Mythbusting the Organic Marketing Campaign

Now, there’s nothing intrinsically nefarious about the process of organic farming. It is okay, but organic farming practices are presented as the gold standard of healthy of agriculture practices. Unfortunately, there’s not much to support that claim.

A blog post that appeared in Scientific American in 2011 went through and busted so many of the widely held, but errant beliefs the general public holds when it comes to organic food production.

In fact, when studies were conducted in the UK about the efficacy of organic food, the results were pretty underwhelming.

Strong organic proponents also argue that organic food tastes better. In the same poll where 95% of UK organic consumers said they buy organic to avoid pesticides, over two-thirds of respondents said organic produce and meats taste better than non-organic ones. But when researchers had people put their mouths to the test, they found that people couldn’t tell the difference between the two in blind taste tests.

When they pushed further, experts weighed in.

“Any consumers who buy organic food because they believe that it contains more healthful nutrients than conventional food are wasting their money.” – Joseph D. Rosen (Professor Emeritus in Food Toxicology at Rutgers University)

The Organic Marketing Campaign

It isn’t that we detest organic farming or organic food production. All things considered, there’s nothing inherently wrong with organic farming. What we have a problem with is the organic marketing campaign that is feeding consumers falsehoods that make it seem as though organic food is some kind of panacea.

That simply isn’t the case. Organic farming and organic production methods are but one of many responsible, healthy, and sustainable production methods. When it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Marketing is marketing. This is little different than “Where’s the Beef?” or “I’d like to buy the world a coke.”

When we say “we’re better than organic, and that’s on purpose.” This is what we mean.

Come find your soil mate.

Get Started San Diego

We’re extremely excited to announce that Upcycle and Company has been selected as one of five finalists for Cox Communication’s #GetStartedSD start-up competition. Thursday night, Jared Criscuolo will be giving his pitch for why Upcycle is the most interesting and innovative start-up in San Diego.

Learn more at http://www.coxblue.com/get-started-san-diego/

The best part is the event is free to attend on the Broadway Pier Thursday evening. There will be local food trucks, cocktails, and networking opportunities as well. We hope to see you there.

RSVP here: http://getstartedsandiego.eventbrite.com

Happy Accidents

One of the most exciting aspects of being part of a start up is the culture. The culture that says, we can do anything. We are going to beg forgiveness instead of asking for permission. It’s a pioneering attitude and, well, it leads to a lot of mistakes. Perhaps “mistake” isn’t the right work. The connotation is too negative. They are more accidents. Happy accidents.

Click to Read the Latest at San Diego Business Journal

We’ll keep plowing ahead on our mission to create a friendly future. In the meantime, you can read all about our latest… accident… in the San Diego Business Journal.

Let us know what you think the comments and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Basic Steps For Growing Your Home Garden

Many people think gardening is hard to accomplish, but that is not true if you know what you are doing. Using some basic advice, most people can be great gardeners. When you have completed this article, you will have learned everything you need to know to show off your green thumb.

Choosing Your Home Garden Plants

Cover fences and walls with climbing plants. Known commonly as climbers, these plants are very versatile, easy to grow, and they will quickly spread out to cover up walls and fences within a single season. You may also be interested in training them over an arbor or trellis. You can also grow them among existing landscape trees and plants. Some climbers will attach themselves to a support using twining stems or tendrils, while other varieties need to be held up by tying them in place. Some climbers that have proven to be reliable are honeysuckle, jasmine, wisteria, clematis, and climbing roses.

Night Blooming Jasmine adds a great aroma to your basic home garden
Photo by Starr Environmental

Plants need ample amounts of CO2 to reach their maximum growth. The majority of plants grow much better when CO2 levels are at their highest. A greenhouse has the best levels available. CO2 levels are best kept high, in order to provide optimal growing conditions for your plants. Additional soil chemistry is needed to balance out and provide the plants optimal paths for nutrient absorption. Not all basic home garden soil is created equally. San Diego is full of decomposed granite on the mesas which isn’t very nutrient dense. Native Soil is an ideal solution for normalizing poor soil chemistry.

Watch Out for Pests of all Kinds

When gardening, be watchful of stink bugs, particularly in the fall. Stink bugs enjoy gardens, and are especially fond of fruit, tomatoes, beans and peppers. If left unattended, your garden could be ravaged by these bugs, so you need to proactively keep their population under control.

There are several all-natural ways to keep pests out of your garden, including certain plants. Plant marigolds or onions around other vegetables to keep slugs away from them. Wood ash also makes a great insect deterrent; simply use it as mulch around your shrub and tree seedlings. By utilizing these methods, you will not have to apply chemical pesticides on your vegetation.

Be Aware of the Basic Home Garden Calendar

Plant some bulbs in your garden to have flowers and plants that bloom all year round. Bulbs are hearty and will continue to grow every year. Remember that different bulbs will bloom at all different times of the year, so if you are careful to choose the right bulbs, you will see blooms in the early spring, and have flowers all the way to late summer.

Irises are a great addition to any basic home garden
Photo by tr.robinson

Separate irises for the best result. If you divide the overgrown clumps of flowers, you’ll find that your stock grows proportionally. Once the foliage has died off, lift out your bulbous irises. They will literally split in your hand, flowering the next year after replanting. Utilize a knife if you are trying to divide rhizomes. Cut the new pieces from its outside and dispose of the older center. Each piece you decide to plant needs a strong offshoot. The quicker you can replant your cuttings, the better chances they will reappear next season.

As mentioned earlier, it is not difficult to become an expert gardener if you educate yourself. If you apply the tips from this article you’ll be able to be confident in knowing that you’ve got all the information you need to guarantee your garden will grow!

What are you going to put in your garden? Let us know in the comments or our Facebook Page!