Global Picnic joins forces with Blue Goes Green Farmers Market
Utah State University Student Association’s Diversity Week Global Picnic event joined forces with Utah State University’s Blue Goes Green Farmers Market for a collaborative event Oct. 3.
The market normally runs every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. September through mid-October. At the market, students can purchase everything from fresh vegetables and fruits grown in Cache Valley to local honey and fresh-cut flowers.
Farmers market regulars, such as The Greenhouse, Blue Goes Green, Crumb Brothers, Common Ground and Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources were all in attendance either spreading awareness for their causes or selling their farmers market goods to the USU community.
SOSNR representative Richard Loveland has been working at the farmers market almost every week since it started, and he loves the opportunities to meet new people and educate them about different environmental issues.
This week, SOSNR was educating people about reusable plastics and was selling reusable straws to cut down on plastic waste.
“The farmers market is a great place to go. You can meet a lot of people with similar interests and have lots of good food whether it be from Crumb Brothers or Dining Services,” Loveland says.
It’s a good opportunity to hang out between classes, even if it’s just 15 minutes, he says.
In addition to the farmers market regulars, students from different access and diversity organizations were present at the Taggart Student Center patio for the Global Picnic in conjunction with USUSA Diversity Week.
USUSA Diversity and Clubs VP Joshua Johnson says the goal of the Global Picnic is fundraising for access and diversity clubs, as well as marketing and PR.
“For years now, people have had an expectation of what the Global Picnic was supposed to be. Neither the clubs nor the basic individual going to school at USU has had that expectation met. So I made it my goal this year to have those two meet at a happy crossroads,” he says.
Johnson was excited about the opportunity to collaborate with not only one student organization, but also with Aggie Radio and the Government Relations Council, who held a voter registration booth at the event.
In addition, multicultural organizations were present for the Global Picnic. Each organization sold different kinds of foods to students passing by, with proceeds from the food sales benefiting each organization.
The Asian Student Association, Black Student Union, Latinx Student Union, Native American Student Council and the Polynesian Student Union were all in attendance.
Megan Nielsen | The Utah Statesman Students walk through the Farmers Market at Utah State University on September 26, 2018. The USU Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday September through mid October by the Taggart Student Center, offering a variety of local produce and goods. (Megan Nielsen)
Eli Miller, a representative from the Black Student Union, was at the event helping the BSU serve Herm’s Inn Mac and Cheese to participants.
“I’m just glad that USU has a program like this,” Miller says.
Miller said having a weeklong event devoted to diversity is something that is really cool and important.
Johnson feels that this event was the most successful it has been in years and hopes that events like the Global Picnic help USU students feel welcome on this campus.
“My biggest hope for the stereotypical student at USU is that they’ll see what’s happening during Diversity Week, they’ll feel comfortable in this setting and they’ll want to go out of their regular comfort zone into this new comfort zone in which they can spend time with these diverse students and really make meaningful connections,” Johnson says.
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