For the last WesFresh column of the semester, I’d like to stop finger-pointing and complaining. Well, sort of. I’m only going to complain a little bit.

Environmentally conscious consumers are constantly encouraged by food advocates to buy organic. While it’s true that organic foods are better for our bodies and for the world, it’s also true that they are usually much more expensive than non-organic food. Not everybody can afford to buy organic all the time. This is where the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists can be helpful.

The “Dirty Dozen” is a term coined by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit founded in 1993 which focuses on using public information to promote better health and protect the environment. The term refers to the twelve foods that have been found to contain the highest levels of pesticides. These levels are determined from tests performed by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

Such lists, which have been released since 1995, are important for multiple reasons. First, as a general understatement, pesticides are bad. According to the EWG, people who eat roughly five servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis may be consuming as many as ten different kinds of pesticides per day.

Many pesticides have been tested on animals, and while the results unequivocally demonstrate that they are extremely damaging to non-human life, the effect long-term consumption of pesticides has on human beings is still unclear. Nevertheless, studies have shown that there may be a link between pesticides and cancer, neurological disorders, immune diseases, and impaired fetal development. Too much is still unknown about these chemicals to trust that there is no adverse effect in consuming them.

The updated Dirty Dozen list for 2010 includes, from highest to lowest level of pesticide residue, celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes. I really like all of those foods, so what am I supposed to do—live off lettuce?  I don’t want any of the sixty-four pesticides found on a stalk of celery contaminating my body.

Washing and peeling these foods makes little to no difference, and may even destroy the many nutrients found in the skins. Even worse, these are not the only food products that contain potentially hazardous pesticide residue—the USDA has also reported finding residue in meat and milk.

Fortunately, the EWG also lists the Clean Fifteen: a list of the foods you don’t necessarily have to buy organic. The Clean Fifteen for 2010 includes onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwis, cabbage, eggplants, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, and honeydew.

These lists raise awareness about the food we eat and the choices we make by buying them. The importance of this increased awareness cannot be overstated. The more the consumer knows about the food choices available to them, the more able and likely they are to make healthy decisions.

Although buying organic might be the best thing to do, it’s not always the easiest. Hopefully these lists provide a clearer picture of how small choices can add up to positive change, both for our bodies and for the environment. However, it is important to take into consideration the things that the Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen lists do not factor into their rankings, such as use of antibiotics or hormones—or the land impact of growing these foods.

The idea is to approach buying and consuming fruits and vegetables with the goal of making the most sustainable and healthy choices possible. Everyone will achieve this goal to varying extents, but, at the very least, it is possible for everyone to participate in thinking about these choices.

So if you buy produce at Weshop or participate in the Fruit and Veggie Co-Op, take the time to learn where your food is coming from. Find out if there is a way for you to promote better food choices both on campus and at home.

Fine is a member of the class of 2013.