After realizing how large of an ecological footprint my previous meals in the day had, I decided to challenge myself and see how minimalist my dinner could be. To complete this challenge I went to the farmers market that is close to my house (St.Jacobs Farmers market http://www.stjacobs.com/). This market is run by a Mennonite community who’s farming methods were not influenced by the green revolution. They don’t use tractors, any fossil fuel powered equipment or any modern technology for farming – they are self sufficient. All animal feed is grown on their own farms, and to top it off – transportation from their homes to the market is done by horse and buggy. The community does not use any chemicals in its farming, thus having the certified organic label for all of its food. The benefit, as Richard Manning mentioned in his article, is that it reduces the “chemical reaction, called acidification, [which] is noxious and contributes significantly to acid rain.[9]” Another benefit is that less nitrogen is used, thus preventing the problem of “rainfall and irrigation water inevitably [washing] the nitrogen from the fields to creeks and stream” – avoiding this results in healthier lands [10]. Below is a photo showing on a large scale how chemicals can seep into the land and contaminate water supplies.

[11] Land and Water Contamination
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[9] Manning, Richard. The Oil We Eat, Harper’s Magazine, (Feb 2004): 37-45
[10] Manning, Richard. The Oil We Eat, Harper’s Magazine, (Feb 2004): 37-45
[11] Foundation for Water Research. http://www.euwfd.com/assets/images/Groundwater-pollution02.jpg
[12] closetcooking. “Peameal Bacon Sandwich.” http://www.closetcooking.com/2008/05/peameal-bacon-sandwich.html