The Green Cart — rockywrld

The Green Cart

(2024) Student Project (Type) Research, Art Direction, Branding

The Green Cart is a unique company that bridges the gap between consumers and farmers by offering a direct connection for purchasing produce. Serving as a mobile farmers’ market, The Green Cart brings locally sourced fruits and vegetables straight from local farms to urban areas.

When you purchase from The Green Cart, you are not only getting affordable and sustainable produce but also directly supporting your community.

Overview

Team

Challenge

During my college years in San Marcos, I was a personal victim of two small grocery stores that couldn’t properly accommodate our growing population. But even when I could find a parking spot, the selection and price of anything not containing trans fat was disappointing.

I faced a choice between buying overpriced, low-quality produce locally or driving 45 minutes to Austin for overpriced, higher-quality produce. The final option, desired primarily for its aesthetic appeal was to purchase produce every third Saturday of the month at the local farmer’s market in the square.

Farmers' markets are great because they let us connect directly with the people who grow our food, which is something special and rare these days. This is The Green Cart’s purpose, to better connect farmers and community members, starting in San Marcos.

We want to encourage local agricultural practices to ensure food security and sustainability, benefiting both farmers and community members, in response to the challenges posed by climate change and population growth.

Have you ever been to the San Marcos farmer's market?

Have you ever helped with agricultural projects in San Marcos?

How often do you obtain produce?

Portland, Oregon is a community that supports locally sourced food and local farmers. Portland has gained a reputation for its vibrant local food movement and a commitment to sustainable agriculture.

They host farm to table events, food and beverage festivals, food co-ops, and food hubs.

Real-Time Example

Urban Agricultural Initiatives

These initiatives are essential for increasing access to fresh, locally grown produce in densely populated areas, promoting sustainability, and fostering a sense of community.

Examples of these initiatives are rooftop gardens, farmer’s market and mobile farms.

Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture allows you to buy local food straight from the farmer. By purchasing a "share," you become a member of the farm and receive a box of fresh, seasonal produce regularly throughout the season.

The Central Texas Farmers Co-op located in San Marcos is here to reconnect local farmers and consumers through their CSA program.

Empathy Map

“Groceries are getting too expensive.”
Wonders if there is a cheaper place to get produce.
“If the market was offered more frequently, I would go more often.”
Healthy food should not be more expensive than junk food.
Feels like there are not enough options for organic food purchases in San Marcos.
Feels fresh produce from the store doesn’t last as long as it use to.
Aggravated.
Feels like the size of grocery stores in San Marcos does not satisfy the amount people that live there.
“I wish there was more accessibility to locally sourced food in and near San Marcos.”
“The HEB stores in San Marcos are so small and don’t have all the products I need.”
“I wish I had more options for where to get my groceries.”
“I don’t eat healthy because I can’t afford to.”
Spends significant amounts of money on subpar produce.
Curbside orders groceries.
Goes to the market in the square on Saturday mornings and buys produce.
Research on growing some of their own produce.

Andrew is in his second year of college and is struggling to make ends meet. His job isn’t making him as much as he needs to make and keeping on top of rent and tuition is draining his funds. He shops for groceries less and less. When he can afford to, he mainly spends money on fast food since it’s cheaper and faster in the short term. Constantly eating out is starting to weigh on him. He wishes there was a cheaper way to get nutritious and healthy food.
Jenna is a mother and middle school teacher whose primary goal is to ensure her family’s well-being and have access to fresh and healthy food. As a teacher, Jenna has a moderate income and faces budget constraints. With two young children Jenna worries about the food security of her family. She values locally grown produce and is concerned about the reliability of these resources. Jenna has noticed recently when she has brought produce, especially lettuce, it goes bad quicker than it use to. So she often finds herself going to the grocery store more frequently and spending more money just to get fresh, healthy food for her family.
Sophia Anderson is a passionate and dedicated local farmer apart of the Central Texas Farmers organization. Being highly involved in this CSA program, it allows her direct accessibility to support her family on fresh and healthy food. Yet she wishes there was more local support and involvement for the program. Not only so the program can continue existing but so that it can keep growing. She always finds that most years she has to seek out people to give the excess product to.