The Coppell community has much to be proud of: invested citizens and city staff have worked together to create community-centered and sustainability-minded endeavors like community and school gardens, the farmers market, Biodiversity Education Center and Nature Park, and Metrocrest food bank. To document these projects, a few folks have put their heads together to develop a short film series called Seeds of Sustainability.
The purpose of Seeds of Sustainability is community education, so each film begins with a lesson. Host Eli De Moraes explains that these lessons are “an opportunity to learn about the [Coppell Community] Gardens and season-specific gardening tips.” The films also feature documentary-style tours of local farms, gardens, and organizations that De Moraes hopes will “[help] our community get to know our [Coppell Farmers Market] vendors and understand where our food comes from.”
The idea for the series brewed in the mind of Peter Lecca, Coppell Sustainable Food Organization (CSFO) President and sustainability advocate. The CSFO is a non-profit organization that oversees both the farmers market and the community garden. Peter decided to share his “long-time dream” of creating a program spotlighting “the great work of community volunteers” with Jen Ferguson , City of Coppell Community Programs Manager, and shortly thereafter the first episode was shot and produced.
Peter believes that Seeds of Sustainability is a wonderful way to celebrate “a great city full of passionate and giving volunteers and city staff that supports and appreciates us.” The first episode features the Coppell Farmers’ Market, Community Garden and the Pinkerton Elementary Garden and premiered in late September of 2015. Since then, five more episodes have been released; you can catch up on the series by visiting the City of Coppell YouTube Channel.