Press

The CUESA team appreciates and welcomes any opportunity to get the message out about supporting local sustainable farms, eating seasonally, and participating in a healthy and secure food system. We are available to help media get substantive, newsworthy information, unique feature ideas and beautiful photos of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and the farmers, ranchers, and artisans that make the market possible.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Christine Farren
Email: christine@cuesa.org
Phone: 415-291-3276 x103

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Launches Waste Reduction Initiative
Waste Wise stations — Plastic bag reduction campaign — Education displays

San Francisco, CA (March 18, 2008) - The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will turn a brighter shade of green this Earth Day with a comprehensive waste reduction program and education campaign, featuring custom-made Waste Wise stations, informational displays, and a goal to phase out the use of plastic bags in the farmers’ market in 2009. At the markets on Tuesday, April 22, and Saturday, April 26, the nonprofit Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), which operates the farmers’ market, will roll out new Waste Wise stations made of side-by-side collection bins for compost, recycling, and trash. Launch day festivities include a give-away of 10,000 reusable bags, sponsored by Google, a screening of the fun and fact-filled film about our consumption and production patterns entitled The Story of Stuff, a cooking demonstration, a reusable bag parade, recycled art exhibits and more! See attached document or go to www.cuesa.org  for the times and locations. All members of the media are invited to attend the two launch days, and special tours and interviews can be conducted upon request.

On a typical summer Saturday last year, more than one hundred 45-gallon garbage bags destined for the landfill were loaded with food scraps, plastic water bottles, to-go coffee cups, paper plates, soda cans, packaging and other discarded items, 90% of which could have been recycled or composted. When compostable food scraps are sent to the landfill, not only are their valuable nutrients wasted, but they can actually cause environmental harm. In the landfill, organic materials decompose anaerobically (without oxygen), releasing methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market’s new Waste Wise stations will be staffed by volunteer monitors to help shoppers put their materials in the correct bin, so that food scraps and papers can become nourishing compost, plastics and metals can be recycled, and far less material will be wasted. An estimated 78 tons of compostable materials will be diverted from the landfill on an annual basis due to this innovative program. An educational display at the farmers’ market will provide additional information about how to be a waste-wise shopper, explaining what happens to food scraps when they go in the trash versus when they get composted.

CUESA is also working with market sellers to encourage reusable or sustainable packaging alternatives. A Waste Wise manual will be created to share with other farmers’ markets across the country, that are interested in adopting similar practices. Funding for the program was provided by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.

“Changing the way we handle waste at the farmers’ market demonstrates our commitment to sound ecological practices,” says Dave Stockdale, CUESA’s Executive Director.  “We believe education is essential in transforming the consumer habits of our shoppers, so along with infrastructure changes, we are planning ongoing educational programs. We are proud to contribute to a healthier planet by bringing delicious, locally grown food to the residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, and it is time to move the market one step further in its level of sustainability.”

CUESA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation organization that has, since 1999, managed the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. CUESA is dedicated to promoting a sustainable food system through the operation of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and its educational programs.

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If you are a reporter, photographer, or producer planning a visit to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, please contact Christine Farren, christine@cuesa.org (415) 291-3276 x 103.

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