SANTA MONICA- The people of Santa Monica have long enjoyed the weekly Santa Monica Farmers’ Market on Main Street.  Each Sunday, community members come to get fresh picks on fruits and vegetables, from blueberries to nectarines to asparagus.  The Sunday Market offers an outstanding array of high quality produce, but for food in the meantime, it also features booths that sell breakfast, lunch, coffee and tea.  Not only does this Farmers’ Market peak the tastebuds of the community, it also makes rich the culture and community of Santa Monica.  About 5,000 community members take part in the market each Sunday.

The Sunday Market does not have to exclude the little ones either.  Arts and crafts, live music, pony rides and face painting is also available for children, and those young at heart. 

Even better, the Sunday Santa Monica Farmers’ Market is now a “Zero Waste” Market.  The Sunday Market along with the city’s Solid Waste and Environmental Programs divisions introduced this program back in April.  Vendors agreed to stop using Styrofoam and other non-biodegradable products, and instead to use biodegradable and recyclable packaging and utensils.  Thus far, the Farmers’ Market has diverted three cubic yards of from landfills each market day. 

Eleven “Waste Stations” are also scattered along the market, to allow market shoppers to separate biodegradable items—food waste and packaging, paper napkins and biodegradable utensils—from recyclable products such as cans, plastic, glass and newspaper. 

With such environmentally conscious programs, Santa Monica is headed for a cleaner, more beautiful state.