New mobile market brings fresh produce to campus

Produce grown at Grand Valley's Sustainable Agriculture Project is on the move. 

Students and staff members have built a mobile market that is transported via a bike from SAP's location on Luce St. to the Allendale Campus. 

The mobile market will be set up July 13 by Lake Michigan Hall from 4-4:30 p.m., and in front of the Student Services building from 4:40-5:10 p.m. Lettuce, tomatoes, basil, radishes and flowers will be available to purchase. 

The market is set up at the Farmers Market every Wednesday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 

The idea for a mobile market came from last year's IChallengeUth, a week-long program that challenged middle school students from Ottawa County to brainstorm ways to get produce grown at SAP to people on campus. 

"We really liked this idea, and this season we finally made a prototype," said SAP Manager Youssef Darwich. "We are thrilled to see it in action and are excited to bring more produce to campus community members."

Darwich designed the mobile market and a group of student interns, lead by Tony Duong, built it using a donated bike trailer. 

The Sustainable Agriculture Project started as a student-initiated community garden in 2008. It has grown to include two hoophouses, a greenhouse and four acres of land, and offers community shared agriculture and community garden programs. The project serves as a platform for experiential education on food systems and environmental science. 

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/sustainableagproject.