Cheryl's Green Life: Down to Earth

   Last week I had the opportunity to lend a hand at the Down to Earth farm. Working with a small handful of peers, we mulched two rows of crops to help protect the seedlings from the Devil's Shoestring root that has been latching onto and overtaking these small plants. The few hours we spent on the farm were extremely enjoyable for me. I have been working on my own small plot in a community garden for about nine months now and I love that I am constantly learning. I have spent so much time and energy on my small plot that it gave me such an appreciation for the work that Brian and Kristin do on their 2.5 acres of land.
   This experience gave me a greater appreciation for small local farmers, as well as locavores. There is definitely peace of mind when you can actually see where your food is being grown, as well of the growing process. I believe that there are an overwhelming amount of people who are so accustomed to running to the grocery store and grabbing the first piece of produce they find without a second thought. By no means am I criticizing people who do this. I am 100% guilty of this as well. Life happens. People get busy, schedules get crazy, and it is not that people are careless by nature, I think everyone just wants to trust their supermarkets with the responsibility of those conditions. If Publix puts it on the shelves, shouldn't it be safe? The fact of the matter is with how agriculture has changed over the past 50 years to be mass-produced and standardized, the quality has gone out the window. Newton's law says that every action has an equal or opposite reaction... well, we have completely butchered our agricultural process and now it is time to undo our damage by supporting locally grown, organic, and humane farmers.
   For the past few years as I have been learning about leading a sustainable lifestyle, I have steered towards shopping locally, trying to support the local network of farmers. After watching Food Inc. in class, as well as volunteering on Brian and Kristin's farm, that interest has spiked astronomically. There are so many benefits to spending your money at the local farmers' market as opposed to at large supermarkets. Supporting local agriculture means that money is going directly into your local economy. Purchasing food within your community puts the control back in your hands, you have the ability to physically visit the sites where your food is being grown and decide for yourself if you like the conditions or not. Health-wise it is beneficial because if you are eating locally grown food it is seasonally grown food therefore you are getting a healthy variety. It also significantly cuts down on your individual carbon footprint. If your food is coming from 10 miles down the road instead of 1,500 miles away it is a substantial difference.
   One of the biggest benefits for me has been attaining the feeling of living within a real community. Jacksonville is such a large city that it is easy to feel detached from other people, I felt as if it truly lacked any sense of community. I struggled with that for the first two years I lived here, until I discovered farmers' markets and my community garden. In this process I have discovered that a community is not something that simply exists, similar to a garden it needs to be tended to, and that is how it grows.

   Photos of Down to Earth Farm