Brandon McEachern, CEO of Broccoli City, has created a platform that focuses on educating the urban community about sustainable and healthy living. He has spent the past four years working on Earth Day projects consisting of concerts and educational programs. Previous Earth Day concerts included performances by Kendrick Lamar and Dom Kennedy.
The importance of environmental awareness is steadily growing. McEachern understands that taking action now can have a great impact, especially in the urban community. Broccoli City is gearing up for its largest concert to date. The company is hosting the first Broccoli City Fest April 21 in Washington D.C.
Below you can find out what to expect from Broccoli City and their Earth Day movement. ~Christian Johnson
Why is Earth Day important to you?
Honestly, before embarking on this journey, I knew nothing about Earth Day. Since beginning my research and attending events, there was one thing that really stood out to me: I was disturbed by the lack of presence of the urban community. I went to these events but there was no one there who looked like me or talked like me, so with Broccoli City I plan to change that.
What is your plan for bridging the gap between the urban and eco-friendly community?
For the Broccoli City Fest, I’m bringing in artists like Big K.R.I.T, JMSN, and Tittsworth to perform. While at the festival, people will have the chance to be enlightened about nutrition and the environment. The goal is to make the festival entertaining and enlightening at the same time. You have to be able to bring it down to the level of your audience. It’s about bringing forth awareness; I feel that if people have the information, they are more likely to make better choices. At the end of the day, it’s about education and placing people in positions to have access.
How will the urban community impact this issue of going green?
Knowledge is power and this experience has truly been an attention-grabber for me. The more I learned, the more I wanted to take action. We’re even working on a day of action where volunteers can participate in planting trees. I know it’s going to take some time but this is definitely an eyeopener. If we change one person at a time, we will be good.
