I find one of the things that being a “rich” country does is rob us of our need/desire to be resourceful and creative. If we want something, we just buy it without thought. We rarely choose to look at the materials we have at hand and try to make something out of them. We rarely try to get exactly what we want by creating it ourselves.

It is because of this that I was delighted to see my friend Vincent at the Farmer’s Market this weekend. He has a rooftop hydroponic farm in downtown Sarasota called I Grow My Own Veggies. He brings his produce less than a mile to the farmer’s market… talk about fresh! He also is constantly pushing the boundaries of local regulations that may not make sense for urban farmers or those trying to live more sustainably.

Although I had visited Vincent’s stand before, it wasn’t until this visit that he pointed out the construction of his farmer’s market display. He designed and built it to be pulled behind his bicycle. I was so impressed with his sustainable ingenuity! He built it out of lightweight aluminum to perfectly hold his three large coolers. The top holds a canopy to keep him out of the sun, and the whole thing folds up for travel.

It was such a coincidence to find all this out as I had just the day before been researching vending bicycles and how I could use one for some cool projects. Vincent even offered to look at some plans to see if he could build me something. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

I just love to see people’s creativity and how they solve problems in creative ways.  Our country was built on the ingenuity of our forefathers, and I believe it is the only way we can emerge from many of the problems that plague us.  More honest, creative work and less gambling in the stock market – that’s what’s going to save us.