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Sustentability

The document discusses a visit to the Riverside Arts Market in Jacksonville, Florida. It describes finding a variety of organic and sustainably farmed produce, including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and more from local farmers. The manager of Native Fresh farm share details on their aquaponics farming methods. Aquaponics uses aquaculture and hydroponics to grow plants with less water than traditional farming. The document emphasizes the importance of sustainability and developing in an environmentally-conscious way to preserve resources for future generations.

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256 views6 pages

Sustentability

The document discusses a visit to the Riverside Arts Market in Jacksonville, Florida. It describes finding a variety of organic and sustainably farmed produce, including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and more from local farmers. The manager of Native Fresh farm share details on their aquaponics farming methods. Aquaponics uses aquaculture and hydroponics to grow plants with less water than traditional farming. The document emphasizes the importance of sustainability and developing in an environmentally-conscious way to preserve resources for future generations.

Uploaded by

api-533860733
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Milena costa

FSS1202L

Professor Baron

The Importance of Sustainability


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Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about sustainability or sustainable development. The

word sustainable comes from the Latin sustentare and means to sustain, support, conserve and

care. So, sustainability is the ability to sustain or preserve a process or system, it is a new way of

thinking, looking for ways that promote economic growth without harming the environment. In

addition, it can be applied from a community to the entire planet. Sustainable development

focuses on preserving the planet and meeting human needs. With this in mind, I visited the

Riverside Arts Market on Saturday around 10:00 am. The market gets really busy so I arrived

early to get a parking spot. The first thing that I did was try a danish pastry made with fresh

strawberries. Delicious! Located at Riverside Avenue the market sells everything from arts, to

purses, crafts, perfumes, colognes, and ethnic food. The majority of the farmers are from Brevard

County and some from other cities an hour away from Jacksonville. The stalls are filled with

products such as carrots, cabbage, lettuce, arugula, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, squash,

cucumber, hot peppers, lettuce, bok choy, kale, Asian greens, mint, honey among others. I had

contact with some farmers of the two organic products and I have a chance to learn part of the

history of their work in Jacksonville and the criteria that farmers are evaluated to obtain

certification of organic producers. Only those who have this certificate can sell their products at

organic fairs. One of them, The Native Fresh was created in 1989, and focuses on sustainable

outreach in Jacksonville and throughout the world. The manager Todd Couture, explained that

they specialize in aquaponics, which is farm-raised fish and produces only 5 percent of the water

required in traditional farming. The goal of aquaponics is to create a cycle in which the different

elements of the crop are used together and,


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Todd Couture Manager at the Live Fresh

therefore, it is more ecological. For the same reason, it is also said to be a mix between

aquaculture and hydroponics, a method in which plants grow in an aqueous solution with

nutrients, instead of on land. In this season they are selling lettuce, kale, cucumber, hot peppers,

and dried herbs. Everyone knows that Florida is a great place to grow oranges and other citrus

fruits, but many other fruits grow in this climate as well. Couture says that Florida is unique and

has different seasons to grow produce. They usually stick to aquaponic farming and grow the

same produce every year.

In recent years, people’s interest in organic and healthier foods has grown, because they

do not contain chemical substances from pesticides and fertilizers. The option of healthier food is

also motivated by the results of scientific research on food, and the damage that certain

chemicals cause to our health, especially when they are carcinogenic. To my surprise, I found

more pesticides free produce than organic on this market, maybe because the legislation

establishes strict penalties and fines those who violate the regulations. The penalties range from a
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warning and a fine, until the suspension of commercialization, accreditation, certification,

authorization, registration or license for production and marketing, among other procedures.

Among the family farmer producers, there are those who have always adopted organic and

natural procedures and have never made use of toxic substances to fertilize the land or to kill

insects. Like Jefferson and his family, they are from Brevard County and they sell organic

tomatoes, which I bought four for $4.00 dollars, from them. He grows his own tomatoes and

brings everything to sell at Riverside. Direct from the producer to our refrigerator. “I started by

encouraging other organic farmers. We saw the advantages and we decided to sell. Here we

prove that production works and does not harm people's health, "he said. I confess that I usually

buy the regular tomatoes from Aldis, a pack of six Roma tomatoes costs only $1.59 dollars.

Huge difference in my pocket! However, these tomatoes were delicious, very juicy and taste

completely different from the Roma tomatoes that I usually buy. It is totally worth it!

The market is open every Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm next to Riverside Park. I

had the chance to chat with some customers and I met a Brazilian tourist. Aparecida Campos

from São Paulo was visiting her family. As soon as she arrived, she went to search for places that

sell organic products "I came here for a week and I'm back. Today I'm buying tomatoes and

lettuce, I'm going to eat for the first time, in Brazil, organics are so expensive ", she says.
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It is important to discuss sustainability and sustainable development because more and

more environmental problems are affecting our quality of life. It is common, for example, to see

news about water contamination. This is not only a consequence of public mismanagement but

also the irrational and excessive use of what is offered to us. Overall, I had a great day at the

market and in the end, I learned that sustainability secures a planet in good condition for the

development of various forms of life. It maintains the natural resources necessary for the next

generations. I hope we all get involved!


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