Are all organics worth the expense?

When it comes to choosing between conventionally grown food verses organically grown food we have a situation known as the tragedy of the commons. While the individual may be able to save a few dollars by choosing low cost conventional food, the collective population must bare the burden of that choice. This burden comes in the form of damaged soil, polluted rivers, lakes and streams and a warmer climate. Organic farms help control global warming because they have a greater amount of peat in the soil. This organic material absorbs carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Each dollar spent on organic food is essentially a vote for clean air, water and soil. We, as consumers of organic food, are sending a powerful message that these are important to us and apparently we are finally being heard. While, ten years ago you needed to shop in specialty health food stores to find organic foods they can now be found in just about every supermarket. Therefore, I recommend buying organic, and locally grown, whenever possible. However, when you can't afford to purchase organics exclusively: avoid the dirty dozen.
According to the Sierra Club, if every American switched just 10% of their diet to organic food we could take 6 billion lbs. of carbon out of the air and return it to the soil. A good place to start would be with the dirtiest dozen fruits and vegetables.
The environmental working group has compiled a list to show the varying levels of pesticides on 43 kinds of produce. To request a list and to learn more about how it was compiled visit, www.foodnews.org.

1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	89
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	82
7	Cherries	75
8	Pears	65
9	Grapes - Imported	65
10	Spinach	60
11	Lettuce	59
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	53
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	45
19	Grapes - Domestic	43
20	Oranges	42
21	Grapefruit	40
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Honeydew Melon	31
26	Tomatoes	30
27	Sweet Potatoes	30
28	Watermelon	28
29	Winter Squash	27
30	Cauliflower	27
31	Blueberries	24
32	Papaya	21
33	Broccoli	18
34	Cabbage	17
35	Bananas	16
36	Kiwi	14
37	Sweet peas - frozen	11
38	Asparagus	11
39	Mango	9
40	Pineapples	7
41	Sweet Corn - frozen	2
42	Avocado	1
43 (best)	Onions	1 (lowest pesticide load)

Where can I find low cost organics?
New York City residents can get low cost organics delivered right to their door through www.organicdirect.com.
Please comment if you have a low cost organic store in your area.