Access Sustainably Produced Food through Your Local CSA

We just joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group for the first time. We live in New York City and there is a bounty of organic products within 50 miles up the Hudson River Valley. We will get 24 weekly boxes of veggies and fruits (for pickup at the local community center each Monday after work). We’ll keep you posted, but here is some good information on what a CSA is.

Rosamaria Caballero
Green Irene

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer. In brief…

Advantages for farmers:

• Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
• Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
• Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
• Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown

It’s a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it. The government does not track CSAs, so there is no official count of how many CSAs there are in the U.S.. Non-profit LocalHarvest has the most comprehensive directory of CSA farms, with over 2,500 listed in their database. In 2008, 557 CSAs signed up with LocalHarvest, and in the first two months of 2009, an additional 300 CSAs joined the site.

To find a CSA near you, visit Local Harvest’s CSA search at http://www.localharvest.org/search-csa.jsp.

Volunteer To Green Your Community

Two summers ago, Jack Johnson was performing in my city and asked the concert promoters and concert venue what they were doing to lessen the environmental footprint of the event.  To answer Jack’s question, the venue changed how they were pouring drinks and entered into an agreement with a local recycling facility to handle all recyclables from the venue.  They also created The Green Team. 

A couple of the suppliers at the venue agreed to sponsor The Green Team. The venue bought a bunch of safety vests (yes, the really visible and hideous yellow ones!) and grabbers.  They also bought a bunch of recycling cans and signs.  Then they went out looking for people to volunteer.

I’ve been a member of the Green Team for the past couple of years.  We get into the concerts free and we get a voucher for food at the concession stands. We go out with our grabbers and vests before the concert, during the breaks between bands and for a few minutes after the concert.  The idea is to educate attendees through our presence. We split up and make our way around the venue, being visible and friendly.  We also use our grabbers to rescue recyclables from the regular garbage bins.  Once the music starts, we take our seats and have fun watching the concert. 

I’ve gotten really good at the art of using the grabber.  I can scoop up a half-filled plastic cup, empty it and put it in the recycle bin in a second or two – all without touching anything. 

Now this may sound like a demeaning waste of time.  It’s not.  Every member of the team gets a number of high-fives or hugs during every concert.  We also have people asking us how they can be members of the Green Team.  One guy asked me if he could use the grabber just once – I had to take it back when all of his friends wanted to use it too.  Last summer, someone had to be escorted from the venue because he was a fake Green Team-er – complete with the vest and grabber. 

I’ve also noticed that we are finding fewer and fewer recyclables in the wrong bin. Other venues in the area are catching on – it’s a great public relations move. Once you consider the sponsorships, I’m pretty sure that the costs of our vests, grabbers, tickets and meals are more than covered.  It has made a number of the visiting artists very happy to be performing here.

Last night, I got to listen to Incubus (they were completely amazing), hang out with friends and took several hundred cups, bottles and cans out of landfills. 

This is an idea that can be taken to your community.  Ask local venues what they’re doing and share the story of the Green Team at Usana Amphitheater in Salt Lake City, Utah.   Maybe you can start your own Green Team, in partnership with the venue. 

Leslie Proctor, Salt Lake City, Utah
Green Consultant
http://www.greenirene.com/slcleslie
leslie.slc@greenirene.com