Chicken Race

Bosarp Chicken is the only organic chicken-farm in Sweden. They sell their chickens to a lot of stores around the country, but since there are so few chickens it's really a race to get a hold of one or two.

Organic chickens are being brought up at a slower pace, in smaller groups, and they have larger areas to live in. They are allowed to be outside when the weather permits and they are given organic food without pesticides and hormones. A happy life for a chicken and the way most of us picture it.

It's not easy to start an organic chicken-farm which may be one of the reasons there are so few of them. Apart from the above, it's hard to find the correct food that contains enough protein. On the other hand, they may grow too fast with too much protein and that does not suit the two types of chickens we have in Sweden. They get too heavy and since they live longer, their bodies might not be able to take the extra weight.


Only 1 procent of the chicken we eat is organic. Organic eggs though has 11 procent of the market and can be found in every supermarket.

As consumers we have to ask for what we want to change this. Other types of chickens might be better suited for organic breeding, and there needs to be more research done on the food and other conditions needed to breed properly.

Sweet as honey

Bees play a very important role in making sure we all have food to eat. Bees can be found on every continent except Antarctica, and in Sweden alone there are 300 different species.

The bee mortality is a growing problem and it's considered to be a serious threat towards the biodiversity. There are several reasons for the megadeath of bees. From parasites, different illnesses and lack of nutrition to the pesticides used in farming. Pesticides is believed to play a very crucial role in the recent high rates of bee mortality.

Luxemburg, Italy and the UK have had between 30 and 50 procent bee mortality in the past years. In the winter of 2010 Sweden had a rate of 25 procent.
When the bees die and the numbers of beekeepers continue to decline it's going to have huge consequences. As much as 76 procent! of the food production and 84 procent of the plant species within the EU depends on pollination of bees.

The agrucultural comittee of the EU-parlament is working on a new suggestion for the agricultural policy for  2014–2020. That suggestion includes more money for the reasearch on environmentally friendly agriculture including how pesticides affects bees. They also want to give economic support to beekeepers.

The nature needs an omnivore like the bee. If  40 procent of the bee colonies would die, the financial consequenses for Sweden alone will be 300 million SEK (45million USD).

Just another reason to eat organically produced food.

More information about beekeeping kan be found here. And scary information about megadeath of bees can be found here (Swedish only) or here here (English).

Drink responsibly

In the western world, and in Sweden in particular, tapwater is so healthy and tastes so good there is really no reason to drink bottled water.

Sodastream is the largest worldwide company to provide products for carbonating water.
The soda maker is not very expensive (the cheapest one costs about the same as 50 liters of bottled water). One carbonator costs about 15USD and can be used to make 60-130 liters of carbonated water (depending on the size) and when it's empty you leave it to a retailer so it can be refilled and reused. The bottles used for the soda makers are either glass or plastic, depending on which soda maker you choose. The plastic bottles are high-pressure resistant, can be re-used for up to three years and the plastic is free fom Bisphenol A and does not give away any phtalates or PCB.

You save money, you save the environment and you're never out of fresh carbonated water.

WWOOF

There is an organisation called WWOOF which stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It links together Organic farmers with volunteers. You can stay at any farm and help out. In return you recieve food and accomodation.

It's such a perfect way to sustainability; keeping it simple and helping each other out.
You have the possibility to visit many countries all over the world and to learn about organic farming. It's very simple. You find a country and one or several farms that you like to visit and stay at. You contact them directly and you agree on when it's a good time to come.

From building barns for alpacas in Alaska to growing strawberries in Korea to clean water programs in Sierra Leone, there is something for everyone. And your help is most welcome.

Read more and book your own stay at WWOOF

Most important to choose organic

Food is the main source of human exposure to environmental toxins. You can't find everything in an organic version (yet), but if you just change the below things towards organic ones, both you and the environment will benefit hugely from that. The largest amount of pesticides are used on;

Coffee
I've written about this before and it's easy to find organic coffee in most shops.

Bananas
40-50 tons of pesticides are used in every 10.000 square kilometers (around 4000 square miles) each year. One of the pesticides used is chloropyrifos. Chloropyrifos is a neurotoxin used in the plastic bags that surrounds the banana stem. Because of this, the people harvesting our bananas may suffer from loss of apetite, insomnia, concentration difficulties, higher risks of lungcancer and even be suicidal. Getting close to this chemical is especially dangerous to the nervous system of children up to the age of 6 and there has been studies made that suggests a link between exposure to this kind of pesticide (and other organophosphates) and ADHD. Scientists even take it as far as to compare to the exposure to lead which 40 years ago proved to be very harmful. In Sweden it's easy to find organic bananas. Almost every food store has them.

Grapes
Grapes is the most commonly grown fruit in the world (about 45 percent). Grapes are sensitive to pests, a lot of times they are sprayed with pesticides even before any breakouts have been noticed, and grapes shows traces of pesticides more often than any other food. There are also several different chemicals used and how those chemicals interact is still not known. Even though each chemical in itself may not be harmful in a very small dose, they may cause damage together. Don't forget that the pesticides used on grapes also affects raisins, wine and champagne. About 85 procent of all grapes are used in producing wine. Organic grapes can be hard to find in Sweden, but organic raisins and organic wines are easy.

Potatoes
In Sweden this is the crop where the most pesticides are being used, and among those the King Edward and Bintje are the most sprayed ones. A Swedish potato is on average sprayed with pesticides 7 (some as much as 13!) times before they're harvested. If all Swedes would choose only Swedish, organic potatoes we would stop 95 tons of chemicals each year from harming ourselves and our environment. The most common pesticides used are Shirlan and Ranman. They are highly toxic towards aquatic organisms and also harmful to pollinating insects like bees.

Dairy products
Organic dairy means that the cows are fed organic food only, and most of it has to be grown on the farmers own farm. The animals should be allowed to move freely and to eat grass outside for at least eight hours a day during the warm season. The calves are allowed to suckle and to stay with their mothers for a longer period. Antibiotics are not allowed as a precaution. Happy, healthy animals, less chemicals and less antibiotics in our food. Luckily it's very easy in Sweden to find organic dairy. Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yoghurt etc can all be found in organic versions at the local supermarket.

Read more at Naturskyddsforeningen

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney is such a great role model. She is a fantastic designer and her clothes and accessories are sold and admired all over the world.

This is a woman who has never used leather or fur in her collections. She has shown that great materials can be found and used without cruelty. For the new Spring/Summer 2012 she has designed a collection of eco-friendly sunglasses in a lot of different colours and styles. In her fragrances she uses as much natural ingredients as possible, and they are completely without parabens. Together with her family she wrote a Meat Free Monday cookbook to inspire to a vegetarian lifestyle.

It's really inspiring to follow her career and what she does to lead a sustainable life.
Read more and shop her beautiful designs here; StellamcCartney

Down under

More and more brands have underwear in organic cotton or organic cotton blends.
You can find it in most high-street brands, and also online. Most is made in organic cotton, but there are also some made of bamboo, hemp or fibers of pine. All those materials breathe and are comfortable to wear closest to your body. It's nice to have clothes without chemicals that close to you.

Here are some websites to choose from; Ecolyxica, Ekogarderoben, Greentex