Whether they’re recycling, riding mass transit, or developing the latest clean technology, UW students are at the forefront of many environmental movements. While Huskies do a pretty good job living an environmentally conscious lifestyle, there is one area in which students could have a greater impact: promoting sustainable farming through community-supported agriculture (CSA).

Organic foods used to be the solution to sustainable eating. The group of eco- and health-conscious farmers who resurrected old agricultural techniques did so in the interest of producing healthy foods that treated animals humanely and provided a fair wage. For many years, “organic” was synonymous with “sustainable” farming practices. However, as the organic food market has expanded, some companies have exploited consumer willingness to pay a premium for organic products.

The Organic Consumers Association, a non-profit advocacy group for organic farming standards, recently highlighted some of these unethical practices. They found that some personal-care products advertised as organic and natural contained the chemical 1,4–Dioxane, which is listed as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The presence of the chemical is also an indicator that the manufacturers used non-organic production methods.

This problem was supposed to have been solved by the National Organic Program, created in 2002 and administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, the organic-certification process has been weakened by a series of loopholes and poor enforcement. For example, a product can be labeled “USDA-certified organic” and still contain up to 5 percent non-organic substances.

So, what is the environmentally conscious UW student to do? Community-supported agriculture can be part of the answer. Within CSA programs (or CSAs), consumers pay a regular membership fee to cover the cost of a local farm’s operation. In return, they receive a weekly share of the farm’s harvest. CSAs ensure that farmers get paid a fair wage for their efforts while providing consumers with fresh produce.

Knowing the people who grow your food not only builds a sense of community, but allows you to influence their agricultural practices. As a result, many CSAs utilize only sustainable agricultural practices that were the foundation of the original organic-food movement. The organizational structure of CSAs means that dialogue between producer and consumer is, in fact, a two-way street.

These relationships also satisfy the growing desire of consumers to buy locally and seasonally. In the United States, produce travels an average of 1,500 miles from where it’s grown to where it’s eaten. It makes little sense to buy “organic” foods that have to be shipped across the world because they are not in season locally.

CSAs do have some downsides. The crops are divided proportionally, so members will receive less produce during years of poor harvest. Also, the choices of foods are limited to what the farmers decided to plant. While you can have some influence on which foods are chosen, you may occasionally be stuck with fruits or vegetables you do not like.

Seattle has numerous CSAs to choose from that offer student-friendly membership prices and flexible pick-up or delivery options. Joining a CSA can be a great way for UW students to promote sustainable agricultural practices.

Reach columnist Mike Noon at opinion@dailyuw.com.