Activist Karen Stark said people “going organic” is trendy, but she would like to see them buck the trend.
Instead, Stark suggests people make eating minimally processed and locally grown food a lifestyle. She has paired up with Portia Belloc Lowndes, who was instrumental in founding the renowned Chicago Green Market, to form the Geneva Green Market.
The duo are seeking farmers within a 200-mile radius to join the weekly farmers market.
“We’re even trying to find locally grown beef, lamb and pork,” Stark said.
Carolyn Dellutri, Geneva’s downtown development coordinator, lauded Stark and Lowndes’ efforts.
“They’re doing such a great job pulling it all together,” she said.
The two came to Dellutri last year to discuss the idea.
“Over the winter we kept meeting and talking,” Dellutri said. “We thought, ‘Would it work? How would it work?’ Karen actually walked around (to Geneva businesses) and got very positive feedback about it. Even in hair salons, people getting their hair done were really excited about it. They said, ‘Oh, I would definitely go there.’ The idea is bringing people to that part of town and incorporating the river and nice environment it would be in and supporting local farmers and local businesses.”
The market also will contain an educational aspect, by bringing in speakers to talk about “green living,” Stark said, such as people bringing their own bags when shopping and how to have an organic lawn.
“We also want to have local chefs come in and demonstrate what you can do with that kelp that you never eat. These are all ideas we’re working on,” she added.
Stark said she and other Geneva Market Green organizers have been supporting locally grown produce and wanted to make it more available to the general public.
“It’s very exciting but very scary too because it’s something new and you want it to work well,” Stark said. “What I find amazing is when I tell people about the idea, they say, ‘That’s so cool.’ It’s nice to have that kind of feedback from people because it seems like people want to eat healthier and they want to know how.”
Stark said the market will be Thursdays so people will have food on the weekends, when they have more time to cook.
If approved by the City Council at the meeting Monday, June 11, the Geneva Green Market will take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday from June 28 through Oct. 31, at the River Park of Geneva, located on the west bank of the Fox River and north of State Street. For more information, contact Karen Stark at (630) 208-9321.
