It’s that time of year again! As summer ends and school begins, parents across the country set resolutions, new habits, to begin a fresh school year in organic fashion. If you’re ready for changes, looking for inspiration or simply excited to continue down the organic path, these tips are for you:

• Hack 1, Buy From A Farmer To Save On Organic: Cut costs on organic by buying direct from your local farmer: Cutting out the middleman (aka the grocery store) and buying your organic produce directly from a farmer will definitely save you money and time. Other than heading to a farmer’s market, you can also join a CSA (community supported agriculture) program. Use our resources page to identify your local organic farmers, farmers markets, CSAs and online buying clubs here.
• Hack 2, Choose What Items To Purchase Organic: Consumer Reports advises parents to purchase only organic poultry, meat and dairy, to avoid antibiotics and hormones and to get the most nutritious benefits. The Environmental Working Group puts out a list of the so-called “Clean 15” — fruits and veggies that you don’t need to buy organic. They also publish an annual “Dirty Dozen” list, i.e., the 12 produce items you should definitely buy organic if you want to avoid contact with pesticides and other gross stuff. Think foods where you eat the skin, like strawberries and apples, or items you eat right out of the ground, such as spinach.
• Hack 3, Eat With The Season: Choose your meals around seasonal produce so you’ll get better, fresher fruits and veggies, it’s also just more cost effective. Summer is prime harvest time for most produce, so you’ll be able to buy everything from fresh corn to apples at the best price, as summer comes to an end take advantage of the final phases of harvest and freeze or can foods so come December you can still enjoy affordable organic crops.
• Hack 4, Plan Ahead: We have a great article on meal planning tips from seasoned veteran, Amy Marlow, MPH. Amy explains, “meal planning is deciding in advance what you’re going to serve for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It helps you ask ‘what’s for dinner’ less often and avoid extra trips to the store.”

Why You Should Go Back-To-School Organic:

• Weedkiller in $289 million cancer verdict found in oat cereal and granola bars
• Exposure to multiple pesticides linked to lower IQ in 7-year-olds
• Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides later associated with autism 
• Protecting children from pesticide exposure.
• Glyphosate shown to disrupt microbiome ‘at safe levels’, study claims
• These Farmers Switched to Organic After Pesticides Made Their Families Sick
• Weedkiller products more toxic than their active ingredient, tests show