Daily Trojan USC.edu

Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Nicholas Muellereile | Daily Trojan Fresh | Students and staff browse the produce available at USC's first farmer's market Thursday in front of Everybody's Kitchen.

Students walking toward Everybody's Kitchen on Thursday afternoon were greeted with a new, more environmentally friendly choice for meals after USC's first on-campus Trojan Fresh Market set up shop on the EVK patio.

The market, which will be held from noon to 4 p.m. one Thursday each month, will normally be held in McCarthy Quad, but organizers moved its location in response to concerns about rain.

Environment 1st, a student organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and sustainability on campus, first proposed the market's creation to administrators last year.

"It's something a lot of people in the club have wanted to do," said Maddie Chavez, a junior majoring in creative writing and co-president of the club. "It's been a long road, but it's finally come together."

The market offered students locally produced fruits, vegetables and cheeses purchased Wednesday from a farmer's market in Santa Monica. Fresh flowers, organic chocolate and rice cakes from Hospitality's health food distributor were also sold.

Students had the option of paying for their purchases with cash, discretionary or dining dollars.

One of the main goals of the farmer's market is to improve campus sustainability, said Jessica Starr, a freshman majoring in business administration, who heads the farmer's market committee. By choosing to buy local products, students are cutting down on carbon emissions tied to transporting produce across the country.

"The food industry has a major impact on the environment," Starr said. "I don't think people think about how far their food has traveled before it ended up on their plates."

Starr said farmer's markets promote organic products, which eliminate the use of chemicals that may be harmful to the environment.

"It's an important message and a better product," Chavez said.

Students said the market helped fill a need for fresh produce that are not fulfilled by current on-campus dining options.

"I love that there's more selection here than at the dining halls, and a lot of it is better quality," said Kayla-Jo Rosoff, a freshman majoring in cinema-television critical studies.

Starr said that exposure to organic products might encourage students to rethink the types of produce they buy.

"Many students don't have the opportunity to taste the difference between fresh, organic produce and what is available at most supermarkets where students shop," Starr said.

Environment 1st promoted the event primarily through Facebook, and event organizers said they were pleased with the turnout.

Lore Oehmichen, senior manager of Hospitality Services, said 160 pounds of berries were sold within the first hour.

"We're thrilled at the positive response," Oehmichen said.

In the coming days, Oehmichen and others will review the market and make further plans and changes for next month.

In addition to supplying more vegetables, Oehmichen plans to work with Environment 1st to find student volunteers to help set up the market.

Melody Tsai, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and co-president of Environment 1st, said the club plans to sell canvas bags at future markets to raise money for their organization and encourage students to shop with reusable bags instead of plastic.

Rosoff said she thinks the market will be more successful when it moves to McCarthy Quad.

"It will be easier to move around there, and more visible to students walking by," she said.

The market was organized by TrojanHospitality with help from other administrative groups such as TrojanServices and the Office of Student Activities.

Oehmichen said another issue they need to address is cashiering. A limited number of registers were available, and one was inoperable when the market first opened, which caused the market to lose sales.

"We'll work through these details," she said.

Tsai said that if the market is successful, it may be held more than once a month in the future, one of the original goals organizers had for the market.

"One of the long term goals of the farmer's market is to support the local growers and help them continue to be profitable," Starr said.

Though the market will continue to be refined in the upcoming months, Oehmichen said she was pleased with its opening.

"We have a really great product mix," she said. "The market was also a great interdepartmental collaboration."

Heather Larabee, assistant dean of students and director of Campus Activities, said the event had an inclusive nature.

"I hope it enhances the USC experience by bringing our community together. Today, students, faculty and staff were all shopping together," Larabee said.

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