Open to the Memphis community, Rhodes operates the Local Lynx Farmers Market held Thursdays 2-6 p.m. in the walkway of its Barret Library. In addition to selling produce grown in the college’s on-campus garden, the market provides a venue for local vendors to sell food and crafts.
Rhodes junior and garden fellow Claire Coulter says she is excited about Rhodes supporting the "movement for more locally grown food," and that she hopes the market will encourage people to support community gardens like the one at the college.
“I first learned of the Rhodes community garden last year when I took Professor Kimberly Kasper′s Food and Culture class,” adds Cierra Martin, another garden fellow. “Students and faculty need to realize the importance of supporting their local economy, eating wholesome foods and living as sustainably as possible. Having a garden and farmers market really helps. I have definitely seenthe garden grow and develop over the past 18 months, and the future looks very promising. There is so much potential here, whether it’s a herb spiral or food sharing with the Rat. The possibilities are endless, and I can′t wait to see it grow even more."
Also this summer, Prof. Kasper and Rhodes students Claire Coulter, Jazlyn Phelps, Taylor Sieben, and Caroline Todd attended the Permaculture Your Campus 2013 conference at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This conference focused on bringing the concept of permaculture, which is an innovative gardening technique that focusing on sustainability, soil regeneration and plant compatibility, to college campuses across the nation. The garden fellows intend to implement a variety of permaculture techniques in the coming semesters to make the campus more sustainable as a whole.