Sustainable Energy, Organic Produce, and Community

Shelby Mayes
Aug 9, 2017 · 4 min read

For our final project we sought to capture the atmosphere of the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. It was a nice, hot summer day when we filmed our scene and that same bright energy shines through in the video in order to encourage members of the Berkeley community to become proactive about taking care of our planet. This multimedia project goes into the details of the benefits of shopping locally rather than in a grocery store or supermarket. It is our hope that viewers become inspired to support their local community and make changes to their own personal routines to have a positive effect on the environment.

The video portion of our project is meant to capture the essence and general atmosphere of the market as a whole: the music, the products, the passionate vendors, and the hungry customers. Our project utilizes interview segments, pictures, a map showing the available food options at the market and another graphic breaking down the environmental statistics of shopping locally vs. shopping in a supermarket.

We do not own the rights to the music used in this video. Credits” “If We Knew All the Laws of Nature” by Robert Farmer

The Berkeley Farmer’s market is put on by the Ecology Center. The Ecology Center has been providing the Bay Area community with information on acceptable environmental practices since 1969. Their main goal as an incorporation is to set a replicable example for the community on agricultural sustainability. They focus on urban environmental impact, particularly in terms of waste, water, energy, transportation, toxics, and food. The work that The Ecology Center has done for the community deserves special recognition because it is part of what makes the Bay Area such a beautiful and special place.

The food that is packaged and sold in farmer’s market, although advertised as “fresh”, travels about 1800 miles on average from the location where it is sourced to a customer’s plate. During this process, large amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, which can be traumatizing to the environment. It is up to us to lessen our carbon footprint, and one of the ways we can do this is by buying local produce.

One of our pieces of Multimedia that features data on food miles and how to lessen your carbon footprint. The information utilized is according to cuesa.org

When speaking with vendors and customers about the importance of buying produce locally they all responded with similar answers. Some of which included: the freshness of the produce, the social atmosphere of the outdoor market, the environmental impact and the minimal amount of energy that is consumed in the process. Of all the things said on why shopping locally is better, there was one thing everyone could agree upon and that was supporting local businesses for the benefit of the community.

Upon speaking with Jenna, a vendor working with Miss Bee-haven Honey she stated, “It’s important to shop local because that’s where your money is going to go. It’s going to improve the streets and improve your community and help you enjoy where you live more”.

Our second piece of multimedia that shows a map of the Berkeley Farmer’s market and lists the available food options and where to find their tent

We chose the Berkeley Farmer’s market as our topic for multiple reasons. The main reason being it seemed like a fun subject that would include a diverse array of people, viewpoints and information. This ended up being very true. We were able to talk with all types of people and get their perspective on sustainability and community. We spoke with children, young parents, college students, and senior citizens and learned a lot of valuable information on ways to help the environment today. It was inspiring to see so many people passionate about making a change, no matter how big or small, and contributing to the nationwide effort to reduce energy consumption.

By Shelby Mayes, Yichuan Zhang, and Ruoxi Yan

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