You say tomato...I say Community Supported Agriculture.
Thanks to the new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program here at Hopkins, youths can use the word fresh in a new light: fresh produce. CSA is an economic model that farms use nationwide, working to bring fresh produce from local farms to the people of the surrounding communities.
Hopkins sophomore Noemie (Nemo) Keller has collaborated with Real Food Hopkins to offer a weekly organic produce service to all Hopkins affiliates. For the bargain price of $275 per semester ($25 a week), Hopkins affiliates can receive fresh fruits and vegetables from One Straw Farm, the largest organic farm in Maryland. The Editorial Board commends the CSA program and Real Food Hopkins, not only for bringing organic, local produce to students at reasonable prices, but also for making this a highly convenient affair. The produce pick-up location, the Charles Street Market, is located right in the heart of campus. Making healthy food accessible is almost as important as making it affordable.
The Editorial Board believes that this is a grape service. People should be lime-ing up for this. If you’re not going bananas over the opportunity to get fresh produce, then you need to take a berry long look in the mirror. When we first learned that the CSA program was coming to Hopkins, we dropped to our zuchinknees and thanked the good Lord. The Board had been hoping that a service like this would turnip at Homewood. Students can get real, healthy, farm-fresh food delivered to them at CharMar. Not only do they avoid a trip to the farm — they never even have to leave the Hopkins bubble.
One conversation with your dorm/neighborhood environmentalist will give you more information about why sourcing your food locally and organically is a good idea. By eating what’s grown locally in season, you greatly reduce the carbon footprint associated with the transportation necessary to get that dinner on your table. Less transportation means less fuel usage. You’ll also eat more happily knowing that the food you just ate was not produced with harmful pesticides. Furthermore, all the dorm room iron chefs of Homewood campus have something to celebrate: fresh, locally grown food tastes noticeably better.
The Editorial Board lauds this recent initiative to improve the health of our campus community. One of the most admirable aspects of the situation is that the entire operation is inspired and run by students. Real Food Hopkins members volunteer to make this happen for their community. This is real school spirit; this is real food.
