Produce, fresh fruit and jam are just some of the items several Farmers Market vendors will be selling on campus at the Campus Earth Day event.
The Office of Sustainability will be hosting several vendors from Farmers Market on Campus Earth Day at the North Lawn of the J. Wayne Reitz Union on April 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This is the first year the Farmers Market will be involved in Campus Earth Day and students will be able to shop for produce among other things.
Marvin Graham from Graham Farm will bring samples of jam and will be selling fresh vegetables along with other products he sells at the Union Street Farmers Market in downtown.
“Students can come learn about different organizations on campus, around town, chat with some local farmers and pick up some local produce for the weekend,” Ashley Pennington, outreach coordinator for UF Office of Sustainability, said.
The Office of Sustainability decided to bring the Farmers Market this year in order to incorporate it to its spring campaign, Food For Thought.
The Food For Thought campaign is meant to “educate students, staff, faculty, and the Gainesville community about sustainable food options and how easy it is to make environmentally and socially conscious decisions,” according to the Office of Sustainability website.
Other organizations that will partake in Campus Earth Day include Alachua County Sustainability and Neutral Gator.
“Alachua County Sustainability will have representatives with information on the downtown Garden’s Farmers Market as well as other sustainability efforts,” Pennington said. “Neutral Gator is a local non-profit that does carbon offset locally here in Gainesville.”
The student a cappella group The Staff will do a musical performance to introduce President Bernie Machen around 11: 20 a.m. Machen will give his annual state of sustainability address at 11:35 a.m.
Stephanie Sims, implementation coordinator of the Office of Sustainability, said, “(Machen) usually talks about highlights of sustainability that we have had over the years and accomplishments we’ve had this year, like going Styrofoam free in the dining halls.”
Pennington said, after Machen’s speech, the Office of Sustainability would announce the solutions award winners for the year, recognize the winning hall for the Eco-challenge that housing hosts every spring, among other awards.
Another highlight of the event is an art installation by students who were part of the Green Gator Footprints, according to the Office of Sustainability website.
Sims and Pennington encourage students to, “come out and celebrate with us.”
For more information on Campus Earth Day visit http://sustainable.ufl.edu/earthday.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.