Green City Market Lincoln Park has reopened for its 25th season, supporting local businesses and farmers — and promoting sustainability.
The Saturday market, which features produce, baked goods and flowers, was one of the first farmers’ markets in the country to require all of its vendors to have a third-party sustainability certification.
The community-oriented vendors at Green City Market are made up of around 70% farmers, and the remaining 30% of those vendors source from the farmers.
“(This practice) not only means that the food we’re purchasing we feel good about where it’s coming from, but also about how the farmers are tending to their land and treating the animals with welfare and respect,” said Taylor Choy, a longtime employee of the market.
According to Choy, the market has around 13 third-party certifiers such as USDA Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, Animal Welfare Certified and Certified Regenerative Act, which they rely on to evaluate their farmers.
Environmental experts say that sustainability is crucial to consider when making purchases.
“We have overextended the earth’s capacity to feed our consumption,” said Barbara Willard, an associate professor at DePaul who specializes in environmental communication. “All the resources of the earth are being used up to a great extent to feed a consumer lifestyle — to feed the Target shoppers, the Walmart shoppers and all the ‘fast fashion’ consumers.”
According to Willard, if everyone consumed as much as most Americans, we would need about three to four Earths to continue living. She said the only reason our ecosystem hasn’t collapsed completely is because people in other countries often consume less than they need.
At Green City Market, vertical and no-till farming contribute to sustainability of the goods sold. Vertical farming uses reduced water and land and no-till farming minimizes soil disturbance, according to Rob Hermany, one of the market’s vertical farmers.
“We do not disturb the root system,” said Hermany, who grows microgreens in Lake County. “That’s a sustainable way of managing land that you form.”
Hermany’s vertical farming utilizes condensed space to maximize resources. “You don’t need as much acreage that way,” he said.
Sustainable farmers also focus on cutting carbon emissions. Buying locally-sourced food from farmers who live nearby cuts travel distances and emissions significantly. Grocery stores carry produce and other items that have often traveled from long distances.
Vendors sell goods with minimal or no packaging as well, reducing plastic waste compared to grocery store packaging.
“That means lots of other markets are sustainable by that measure,” Choy said.
Chicago food writer Abby Mandel founded Green City Market in 1999. In 2008, the market expanded to Avondale, and then to an indoor location at GCM West Loop in 2014 for the winter seasons. Today, Green City Market welcomes more than 500,000 shoppers over the course of one season.
This spring, you can visit their Lincoln Park location at 1817 N. Clark St. or their Avondale location at 3031 N. Rockwell St.
Related Stories:
- Chicago Plan Commission approves $7 billion United Center expansion
- Cooking for a Cause: Bigger Table hosts fundraiser at Maman Zari
- Chicago’s ‘One System Initiative’: A bold reform or a band-aid solution for unhoused communities?
Stay informed with The DePaulia’s top stories, delivered to your inbox every Monday.