At the City of Rochester Public Market, we strive to be a model of environmental stewardship. Here's some of the things we're doing to green the Market:
New Indoor Shed and Food Stands: The completed $8.5 million Market renovation and expansion project features the complete replacement of the indoor, or "B" Shed and also the replacement of the four stand-alone food stands on the grounds of the Market. These state of the art new structures will be much more energy efficient (e.g. LED and photo cell controlled lighting, air curtains to control heat loss) and provide better amenities and comfort for vendors and shoppers. See our Public Market Improvement page for all the details
Solar Panels. Atop the historic, curved "A" Shed are 66 solar panels, that generate energy for the Market and also out to the power grid when the demand at the Market is low. Since deployed, these solar panels have prevented over 90 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere!
Flower City Pickers : Thanks to the initiative of this non-profit and its dedicated volunteers, thousands of pounds of produce is collected weekly from vendors at the Market and delivered to a wide array of community organizations that serve citizens in need. In addition, the Pickers divert waste food destined for the garbage and get it to local farms for livestock feed or composting!
Bike Infrastructure and Programs: Those who ride their bikes to the Market are making significant contributions to improved air and water quality--as well as to their own health. We've installed covered bike parking as well as racks throughout the grounds, and offer a bike path and bridge directly onto the Market grounds from Scio Street. We also offer two Pace bike share stations at the Market!
Be sure to check out our Best Parking at the Market incentive/reward program for those who bike to the Market!
Our work to make the Market more bike-friendly is part of the City's overall extensive efforts to grow this pollution-free mode of transportation. See more about the City's Bike Plan, which includes bike lanes, bike "boulevards," bike sharing, and more.
Cardboard Compactor: A state of the art, large onsite cardboard compactor aids the Market's quest to recycle the mountains of cardboard generated here.
Gardens and "Edible Landscaping": During the warm months, the Market is alive with horticulture! This includes:
- The Market Supervisors' beautiful perennial garden on the back side of the Market Office, attracts lots of pollinators and birds!
- The "Living Wall" planted vertically on the back side of the restroom building (and watered with rainwater collected from the roof of the building and pumped to the plants through an ingenious drip irrigation system)
- And coming in late 2019 and 2020: Native pollinator plantings at the Market, in partnership with the Seneca Park Zoo!
Nature at the Market Series: Each year, we invite environmental organizations from around the region to interface with Market-goers about important environmental issues. (Are you an environmental organization that would like to take part in the 2015 series? Get in touch with us at pmarket@cityofrochester.gov.)
Highlighting the Honeybee: The humble honeybee is the unsung hero of our ecology and agriculture--without them, there would be next to none of the beautiful, delicious, healthy fruits and vegetables you can get at the Market year-round ! The Market Supervisors maintain a large, honeybee-friendly garden right behind the Market Office, and throughout the year, the Market educates its customers and fans about the critical importance of the honeybee. Special thanks to Christy Erickson, who recently wrote a great piece for us on honeybees-- this is a great addition to our Nature @ the Market education work...read the article right now, right here!
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: In the Market lot at the corner of Trinidad and Union Streets are electric vehicle charging ports! These are part of the City's EV Charging Station Program that makes it easier for EV drivers to power up all across the city!
Union Street Railroad Bridge Conversion: In 2012, an abandoned railroad bridge over Union Street was converted into a foot/bike/trolley path from Market parking lots to the Market grounds. See more about this project
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