Spring has sprung, the days are getting warmer and longer, and Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd! Here at Feast Down East, we and our farmers take an incredible amount of pride in being dedicated to sustainability and reducing food waste. There are many different ways that we work to reduce our negative impact on the environment. Several of our farmers use sustainable growing practices, such as not using chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides, as well as the use of cover cropping and reduced tillage. This can have a significant impact on soil, water, and air quality, making for an overall more resilient growing environment.

Within our Mobile Market Program, people often ask us what we do with any produce items that spoil before we are able to sell them. We always keep track of all products that we are not able to sell at our markets and for items that are not at their peak freshness, but otherwise still edible, we have community partners that we are able to donate food to, such as the Good Shepherd Center, First Fruit Ministries, and our local Food Bank! But sometimes, things can spoil pretty quickly, and we are lucky to have an area where we can collect items for composting so that nothing is wasted. Speaking of composting, the Wilmington Compost Company is an excellent company to source soil from, whether you have a farm or home garden. They also have compostable products that are great for events, such as cutlery, cups, plates, and trash bags.

There are also a few different things that some of our team members like to do to live more sustainably: shopping with reusable bags, shopping locally and from small farms, carrying a reusable water bottle/coffee cup (pro tip: lots of coffee shops will allow you to bring your own cup to make your coffee in and some will even give you a discount!), at home composting, and bringing tupperware from home for leftovers at events or restaurants! There are so many small things that you can try, and the nice thing is that you can get creative and have fun with it!

What are some of the ways that you like to practice sustainable living?