it’s an eye-opening experience in edibles. i’m talking about farmers markets.

the freshfarm foggy bottom market offers more than 10 vendors who sell different types of locally grown produce, sweet and savory baked goods and homemade condiments.

i love farmers markets because i like supporting local businesses and eating seasonally.

in contrast to grocery stores, farmers markets are fluid spaces. they provide seasonal bounty and create community among food producers and consumers.

vendors often allow shoppers to try free samples and some even give you the details on how the food was grown or produced.

that’s how the fruit vendor got me.

i stopped to try a honeycrisp apple from the quaker valley orchards kiosk. the seller explained that the produce is harvested the day of the market, keeping it fresh.

not only did the apples at the farmers market taste fresher than the ones at whole foods, but they were also better priced.

at quaker valley, all apples sold for under $3 a pound. on the same street, whole foods sold honeycrisps for $3.99.

i sampled cider as the vendor continued to talk to me about the benefits of buying locally grown food. her amiability, charm and price convinced me to buy a dozen apples.

with over 200 farmers markets in the dmv area and over 8,700 farmers markets across the country, there’s no shortage of places to shop and no reason not to frequent the alternative marketing venues.  

in short: shopping at farmers markets allows you to eat cheaper, eat better and eat healthier.

farmers markets also promote sustainability and curb greenhouse gas emissions, thus combating climate change.

according to the worldwatch institute, the average plate of food on an american table travels 1500 miles before being eaten. these food miles add up — taking a toll on the environment and the actual products. food items that travel long distances often require refrigeration to preserve their shelf life, making the food less nutrient dense.

now, when i walk down eye street on wednesdays, i come prepared with a reusable, canvas bag. and every week, i fill it up with seasonal foods that are fresh, flavorful and full of nutrients.

witness the natural beauties of manaus, brazil. sail through the arteries of the rainforest — the rio negro. shop around at a floating market — a backbone for the country’s tourism industry. go out on a limb at janauari ecological park and check out the giant water lilies that have inspired architecture around the world.

with an open mind and a small green footprint, this 360° video puts the power in your hands. come explore — see for yourself.

this is moving the planet forward.

—

narration by nolan hausler

sources: science alert, world travels, plants of the world online, frontiers in materials science and greenpeace

slowly, the girl takes out a wooden frame covered in tightly packed hexagons. the frame buzzes with activity.

gabby discafani is the senior beekeeper for gwu’s honey bee lab and apiary. she leads a research team studying colony-collapse disorder (ccd).

the disorder is a deadly condition that causes honeybee colonies to stop functioning. it’s claimed more than 40 percent of the world’s honeybee population.

although the cause of ccd remains unclear, discafani explained that the main factors boil down to the four p’s: pathogens, parasites, pesticides and poor nutrition.

through gw’s apiary, discafani is researching how ccd affects bees in urban and rural environments. one would think she is a biology major, but she’s actually studying classics.

discafani started beekeeping two years ago when she noticed the large amount of bee’s on gw’s campus. she learned about the apiary, thought it was a worthwhile cause and decided to get involved.

i was inspired by discafani’s decision to volunteer with the urban apiary. her efforts as an urban beekeeper are just part of the solution to a larger problem: food security and sustainability.

the plight of the honeybee is cause for concern. honeybees pollinate one third of everything we eat.

if bees go extinct, our food supply will diminish by over 70 percent.

the current outlook is grim.

in late september 2016, the u.s. fish and wildlife service added bees to the endangered-species list for the first time.

we need an army of urban beekeepers to help take the sting out of the declining bee population. although discafani may not be a stormtrooper, she remains optimistic as she fights a battle whose outcome will impact more than just the bee population.

i realized the importance of discafani’s work when i donned the white suit and joined her army that afternoon. watching a half million of the world’s hardest workers, literally busy bees, opened my eyes to the importance of these endangered insects.

take a look around in this 360 video to see what i saw and you’ll never swat at another bee again.