TUCSON, Ariz. — Living green is a choice that more Americans are making every day. But the choice is more than just between saving the Earth and neglecting the planet—especially when it comes to eating organics.

Olivia Haas of Iowa City, Iowa, was eating organic foods before she could talk. A member of the Organic Foods group on Facebook, Haas first started eating organics because her parents owned a garden.

"I still choose to eat organic, not only for health reasons, but to support my local farmers," Haas said. "I like to know that the food I am eating came from the farmer that lives 20 minutes outside of town. I also choose organic or free range meat because I want to know that the animals were treated with good ethics."

Recent University of Arizona finance graduate Brianna York cites health concerns as her no. 1 reason for switching to organic foods. "I think all the preservatives and things they put in our food is one of the contributing factors to more deaths from cancer," she said.

Media arts graduate Ryan Fagan also said health concerns were his reason for seeking out organics in the aisles of Trader Joe’s, which has four Tucson locations and nine others currently open throughout Arizona.

"The produce tends to be of higher quality," Fagan said. "For certain types of foods, there is less pesticide and other contaminants in the edible parts of the food, and it promotes sustainable agriculture."

Fagan is willing to pay a little more for the organic items when he shops. And researchers from the University of California at Davis reported in 2005 that American shoppers who consistently choose healthy foods, like organics, spend nearly 20 percent more on groceries.

"I know that it tends to be more expensive to grow," he said. "But also there is such high demand for the small amount of organic food that is currently available, that in some cases prices are inflated a bit. It bothers me that organic food isn't widespread enough to bring the costs down."

But York added that her budget prevents her from being completely organic. "There are certain items I wouldn’t want to pay more for but eventually, once I can afford it, I would like to eat just organic foods at home," said Trader Joe's shopper York, a Washington state native who recently moved to Sacramento, Calif., for work.

Prices are not just steering York away from some organics. "I like eating healthy and avoiding cliché unhealthy crap like saturated fats, high sodium and high fructose corn syrup but I don't mind them so much that I will pay extra money to avoid them," Grace Clark, another UA student, said.

"I don't buy organic foods if I can avoid it because the produce is too expensive. I don't mind pesticides so much that I'll pay $3 for an apple," the media arts and political science senior said.

"Though I try to limit how much processed food I eat, I'm still partial to flavor over healthiness," said Clark. She recently bought organic tomato soup at Sunflower Market, a grocery store, but did not like the taste compared to brands available at regular grocery stores.

"With time I'm sure my taste buds would grow sensitive enough to appreciate the delicate flavors of organic soups," she said. "But I'm not patient or wealthy enough to train them in that respect."