Hidden Environmental Costs of Conventional Foods

Though you may be aware of ways in which agriculture can destroy natural resources, many production costs are externalized. These hidden costs include depletion of fresh water, fertile topsoil and forests as well as pollution from pesticides, herbicides and toxins. Consumers pay long-term medical costs from unhealthy foods with chemical additives. And we leave payment to future generations. All this means food production is far more costly than the price you pay at the checkout counter. Adding up all these external costs, some have calculated the true price of a fast-food burger to be $100, not $2.49!

Certified Pesticide Free

Cultivation at Earthrise Farms does not cause pollution, soil erosion or water contamination. No preservatives, stabilizers or irradiation are used in harvesting or drying. Spirulina is free of pesticides and herbicides. Independent labs have not detected any environmental pesticide residues.

Conserving Fertile Land and Soil

Spirulina contains over 60% protein, higher than any other food and Spirulina's rapid growth means it yields 20 times more protein per acre than soybeans, 40 times more than corn, and over 200 times more than beef. Spirulina does not require fertile land. One kilo of corn protein causes 22 kilos of topsoil loss. One kilo of beef protein causes 145 kilos of topsoil loss. Growing Spirulina causes no topsoil loss via soil erosion.

More Efficient Water Use

Spirulina uses less water per kilo of protein than other foods. At Earthrise Farms, water is recycled back to the ponds after harvesting. The ponds are sealed with food grade plastic liners, so very little water seeps through the ground compared to land crops. The only significant water loss is through evaporation. Spirulina protein uses 25% of the amount of water soy requires, 17% corn requires and only 2% the water required for beef protein. Spirulina prefers brackish to valuable fresh water. At Earthrise Farms, only 6 gallons of water are needed for a 10-gram serving of Spirulina, as compared with 15 gallons for a serving of bread, 65 for milk, 136 for eggs, 408 for chicken, and 1,303 gallons for a burger.

More Efficient Energy Use

Spirulina requires less energy input per kilo than soy, corn or beef, including solar and generated energy. Its energy efficiency (food energy output per kg / energy input per kg) is 5 times higher than soy, 2 times higher than corn, and over 100 times higher than grain fed beef. As cheap energy resources are depleted, costs of energy dependent foods will rise with energy prices.

Big Oxygen Producer

Forests help absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Trees are the best land plants for fixing carbon, from 1 to 4 tons per hectare per year. Spirulina is even more efficient. In the California desert, Spirulina fixes 6.3 tons of carbon per hectare per year. It produces 16.8 tons of oxygen.

Regreening Our Planet

Microalgae, like Spirulina, deliver food and biochemicals more efficiently, without destroying valuable resources. As algae production expands using non-fertile land and brackish water, we can stop cutting forests to grow new food. Cropland can return to wilderness. When more people eat lower on the food chain, we can halt pressures to destroy wilderness, and help regreen our planet.