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US , New York - Green City Growers Will Be Maintaining An On-Site Rooftop Garden For The Rainbow Room
The garden’s location on the 11th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center in hashtag#nyc is part of a revitalization of what was previously the “International Garden,” which was part of a collection of rooftop gardens installed throughout Rockefeller Center in 1935. We can’t wait to bring this historic garden back to life at 30 Rock!
Green City Growers is excited to announce that we will be maintaining an on-site rooftop garden for the iconic Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center starting this fall!
This organic vegetable and herb garden will provide fresh ingredients to be used in the Rainbow Room’s culinary program.
The garden’s location on the 11th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center in hashtag#nyc is part of a revitalization of what was previously the “International Garden,” which was part of a collection of rooftop gardens installed throughout Rockefeller Center in 1935. We can’t wait to bring this historic garden back to life at 30 Rock!
The World's Largest Rooftop Urban Farm Is Set To Open In Paris Next Year
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognized model for responsible production, with nutrients used in organic farming and quality products grown in rhythm with nature's cycles, all in the heart of Paris
A joint Project Between Viparis
And Its Partners Agripolis, Cultures en Ville and Le Perchoir.
Paris, March 1st, 2019
In 2015, Viparis launched an extensive renovation project at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition complex. This decade-long initiative will raise the complex to the highest international standards and make it a model of sustainable development, an integral part of Paris as much as a business centre. The initial phases have been completed; they include a new reception area, the redesign of the central walkway and the opening of the Paris Convention Centre, Europe's largest conference site.
During this transformation, events hosted there continue uninterrupted. Paris Expo Porte de Versailles welcomes trade fairs and conferences, but it is also rapidly becoming a haven for biodiversity, thanks to a 14,000 m2 urban farm on future Pavilion 6's roof. This will be the world's largest rooftop urban farm, offering a range of activities starting in spring 2020. To bring this exciting project to completion, Viparis teamed up with three partners, all of whom are experts in their fields.
An urban farm in cooperation with Agripolis and Cultures en Ville
These two companies, specializing in urban agriculture, have teamed up to create a dedicated structure for the use of this exceptional space.
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognized model for responsible production, with nutrients used in organic farming and quality products grown in rhythm with nature's cycles, all in the heart of Paris. More than twenty market gardens will produce over a thousand fruits and vegetables every day in season, from about thirty different varieties of plants.
Taking things to the next level, the farm will offer a range of services related to urban agriculture: educational tours, team-building workshops for companies, and vegetable plots leased by residents.
3D view of the urban farm on the rooftop of Pavilion 6 (Paris Expo Porte de Versailles)
© VALODE&PISTRE ARCHITECTES/ATLAV - AJN A restaurant and bar with a unique concept signed Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir, Paris's renowned chain of rooftop venues, will open a bar and restaurant on the panoramic terrace of Pavilion 6, with a menu that will include produce grown on-site. Le Perchoir's aim when developing its spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. Building on the success of its previous efforts, the company has now set its sights on western Paris.
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"This project is in line with our goal of making the exhibition complex a part of Paris. We are transforming our venues with a view to sustainable development and maintaining biodiversity, which is reflected in our "Better Events Viparis 2030" strategy. Viparis is proud to contribute to the development of urban agriculture in Paris by making Paris Expo Porte de Versailles a flagship point of reference, and we are excited by the passionate commitment of our partners: Agripolis, Cultures en ville and Le Perchoir.
Pablo Nakhlé Cerruti, CEO, Viparis
"By installing working farms on the sites we operate, we are helping to foster environmental and economic resilience in tomorrow's cities. This is our guiding principle. To this end, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles site will supply restaurants in the complex, primarily Le Perchoir, but also residents of southern Paris and neighbouring municipalities, either directly or through distribution, company canteens and hotels."
Pascal Hardy, Founder, Agripolis
"Today, large metropolitan areas are the focal point of a number of ecological issues. These include the loss of natural groundcover, pollution and rainwater management, but also societal issues such as the lack of connection between urban dwellers and their food supply. Cultures en Ville is keenly aware of these challenges, which is why, for the past four years, we have been providing innovative solutions that reconnect city dwellers with a healthier diet. The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles project is an ideal response, by offering local residents high- quality, locally-produced food and the opportunity to cultivate their own gardens. Working alongside our expert partners, we are proud to be building the world's largest rooftop urban farm!"
Clément Lebellé, Co-Founder, Cultures en Ville
"This project combines ecology, high-quality produce, the highlighting of the Parisian landscape, authentic experiences, cultural richness and human warmth. Le Perchoir shares these values, and is delighted to be part of this ambitious, trailblazing effort."
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About Viparis
Viparis, a subsidiary of the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is the European leader in conferences and trade events. Viparis manages nine event venues in the Greater Paris region. Each year, it welcomes ten million visitors (the general public, business visitors and spectators), and hosts 800 events in a diverse range of sectors at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris Le Bourget, Paris Nord Villepinte, Espace Champerret, the Palais des Congrès de Paris, the Palais des Congrès d'Issy, the Salles du Carrousel, the Espace Grande Arche and the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild.
To learn more , visit Viparis.com, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Agripolis
Christophe Talon, President, Le Perchoir
Agripolis is transforming food systems by installing and operating urban farms that use innovative techniques to generate high-quality, responsibly-produced vegetables and fruit. Our soil-free, aeroponic "vertical farms" require minimal installation. Fruit and vegetables can be grown without pesticides and harvested at maturity, optimising water use and with a very low carbon footprint. Agripolis' vision is a city in which flat roofs and abandoned surfaces are covered with these new growing systems that contribute directly to feeding urban residents, who now represent the bulk of the world's population.
About Cultures en Ville
Cultures en Ville specialises in urban agricultural development. Our core business is the creation of productive, playful and aesthetic vegetable ecosystems. Cultures en Ville is a partner of the AgroParisTech research institute and takes part in cutting-edge research into urban agriculture. With a customisable offer that includes the design, production and management of vegetable gardens, the company has already carried out more than thirty large-scale projects, including the urban agriculture demonstrator at La Maison de la RATP, a vegetable garden at one of La Poste's headquarters and another at the head office of Vinci Construction France in suburban Paris.
Agripolis and Cultures en Ville have each won several calls for projects, including the "Inventing the Greater Paris Metropolis" and "Les Parisculteurs" initiatives.
About Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir's mission is based on the desire to re-inhabit the rooftops of Paris and give Parisians the opportunity to reclaim unusual spaces.
Our first challenge was transforming a Parisian industrial building's 400 m2 terrace into a nighttime attraction.
Our rooftop bar quickly became a genuine crossroads for creative minds, a setting for collaborations and partnerships that generated a range of original projects - exhibitions, concerts, popup rooftop restaurants, outdoor film projections, and more.
To expand this nomadic undertaking, we turned to other venues - the Perchoir Marais, with its breathtaking view of Paris and its finest monuments, and the Pavillon Puebla located in the heart of the historic Buttes-Chaumont park. Our goal when developing and re-appropriating spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. The venues are Parisian, but act as gateways to other places and other spaces. This is reflected in our musical programming featuring gems from around the world selected by Karl Planck from Radiooooo.com, an eclectic Internet radio station.
MEDIA CONTACT - AGENCE GEN-G
Adrien De Casabianca
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 44 94 83 66
Cell: +33 (0)6 30 30 34 84 mailto:adrien.decasabianca@gen-g.com
These UMD Researchers Are Helping Farmers Grow Crops on Urban Roofs
John Lea-Cox, a plant science and landscape architecture professor at this university, and Andrew Ristvey, an affiliate faculty in the department, are working with the D.C.-based farming foundation Up Top Acres to grow crops on urban rooftops
September 6, 2019
The green roof at the top of the Physical Sciences Complex is just one among many around campus that serve as drainage and an ecosystem. (Joe Ryan/The Diamondback)
With the help of University of Maryland researchers, farms across Washington, D.C., are taking watermelons, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to the next level: the roof.
John Lea-Cox, a plant science and landscape architecture professor at this university, and Andrew Ristvey, an affiliate faculty in the department, are working with the D.C.-based farming foundation Up Top Acres to grow crops on urban rooftops.
Kristof Grina, co-founder and farm director of Up Top Acres, said he initially connected with Lea-Cox and Ristvey a few years ago for help with research and data collection surrounding stormwater management and water retention on their rooftop farms.
Lea-Cox and his team monitor the rainfall, soil temperature and soil moisture on Up Top Acres’ rooftop farms, Grina said. Lea-Cox said he was impressed by the quality of the rooftop produce, which grows across eight farms in Maryland and D.C. The crops are delivered to restaurants downstairs or sold in a community-supported agriculture system.
“There’s like a little bit of Little Italy on the roof down in D.C.,” Lea-Cox said.
Relish Catering, a catering company in North Bethesda, started working with Up Top Acres about a year ago. The company operates about half a mile away from the rooftop farm at Pike and Rose.
The rooftop farm cuts transportation costs for the company, said chef Laura Calderone, since it’s both walkable and bikeable. When she needs ten pounds of pea shoots, for example, she can just load them in her backpack.
“They will literally pick it that morning, and it is going out to our clients that afternoon for the following day,” Calderone said. “Sometimes there are still bugs in it that are moving around, but that’s okay.”
Calderone said Relish Catering has incorporated local rooftop ingredients into salads, salsa verde and tarts, among other dishes.
“Their greens are sweeter and they are not as fibrous,” Calderone said. “You don’t have to manipulate it much. We can let it shine as it is.”
This university’s researchers collect data that gives the farm’s operators “better insight” into how the systems are functioning, Grina said. It lets them know how they’re doing with irrigation practices, and can spur ideas for design improvement.
Lea-Cox and his team also monitor nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the crops. An excess of these nutrients can runoff into local waterways and trigger excessive algae growth. When algae grows too quickly and too abundantly, oxygen levels decline, ultimately killing the fish.
La Betty, an American-style restaurant on K Street in D.C., featured wild rooftop-sourced bouquets on the tabletops. Owner and head of operations Tessa Velazquez said that the flowers last longer than alternatives.
“The story behind it is great,” Velazquez said. “To say that we’re featuring local farmed flowers makes us feel good, makes our customers excited … they’re beautiful and they’re colorful and you really just get that sense of how natural and fresh that they are.”
La Betty is located about two miles from Up Top Acres’ 55 M Street farm in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, which opened in 2016. Soon, Velazquez said, she hopes to feature produce from a rooftop farm on her menu.
“I love that they’re actually engaged with the community, as well as really trying to bring that fresh farm-to-table experience — which is a fuzzy term, but they’re really doing it,” Velazquez said. “They’re your neighbors. They’re down the street. They’re not two hours away in Pennsylvania, they are really here.”
VIDEO: How One Boston Hospital Is Feeding Patients Through Its Rooftop Farm
Carrie Golden believes the only reason she’s diabetes free is that she has access to fresh, locally grown food. A few years after the Boston resident was diagnosed with prediabetes, she was referred to Boston Medical Center’s Preventative Food Pantry as someone who was food insecure. The food pantry is a free food resource for low-income patients
Boston Medical Center’s rooftop farm spans 2,658 square feet.
Photography Matthew Morris
Carrie Golden believes the only reason she’s diabetes free is that she has access to fresh, locally grown food.
A few years after the Boston resident was diagnosed with prediabetes, she was referred to Boston Medical Center’s Preventative Food Pantry as someone who was food insecure. The food pantry is a free food resource for low-income patients.
“You become diabetic because when you don’t have good food to eat, you eat whatever you can to survive,” Golden says. “Because of the healthy food I get from the pantry… I’ve learned how to eat.”
Three years ago, the hospital launched a rooftop farm to grow fresh produce for the pantry. The farm has produced 6,000 pounds of food a year, with 3,500 pounds slated for the pantry. The rest of its produce goes to the hospital’s cafeteria, patients, a teaching kitchen and an in-house portable farmers market.
The hospital joined a handful of medical facilities across the country that have started growing food on their roofs. The initiative is the first hospital-based farm in Massachusetts and the largest rooftop farm in Boston. The facility’s 2,658-square-foot garden houses more than 25 crops, organically grown in a milk crate system.
“Food is medicine. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing,” says David Maffeo, the hospital’s senior director of support services. “Most urban environments are food deserts. It’s hard to get locally grown food and I think it’s something that we owe to our patients and our community.”
Lindsay Allen, a farmer who has been managing the rooftop oasis since its inception, says her farm’s produce is being used for preventative care as well as in reactive care. She says 72 percent of the hospital’s patients are considered underserved, and likely don’t have access to healthy, local organic food.
What people put in their bodies has a direct link to their health she says, adding that hospitals have a responsibility to give their patients better food.
“I generally feel that hospital food is pretty terrible and gross, which I always find ironic since that’s where we are sick and at our most vulnerable and we need to be nourished,” she says.
In addition to running the farm, Allen teaches a number of farming workshops to educate patients, employees and their families on how to grow their own food. The hospital’s teaching kitchen employs a number of food technicians and dieticians who offer their expertise to patients on how they can make meals with the local produce they’re given.
This is part of the medical center’s objective to not only give patients good food, but also provide them the tools to lead a healthy life.
Golden, who has used the pantry for the last three years, says the experience has changed the way she looks at food.
“I’ve gone many days with nothing to eat, so I know what that feels like when you get something like the food pantry that gives you what you need to stay healthy,” she says. “I appreciate all the people that put their heart into working in the garden. If only they knew how we really need them.”
Combining Artificial Intelligence With Urban Farming Can Be A Game Changer For Developing Countries
An Israeli agtech company called Seedo might have the solution for the challenges of urban agriculture in vulnerable areas such as the Caribbean, that struggle with environmental and climate factors that lead to crop loss
September 1, 2019
Daphne Ewing-Chow Contributor
An Israeli agtech company called Seedo might have the solution for the challenges of urban agriculture in vulnerable areas such as the Caribbean, that struggle with environmental and climate factors that lead to crop loss.
A Seedo container is the size of a small fridge. SEEDO
Latin and America and the Caribbean is the most urbanised region in the world with up to 80% of the region’s population residing in cities (UN-Habitat 2012). While urbanization is an important element of economic growth and modernization, the diminishing ratio of food producers to food consumers in urban settings negatively impacts local food systems, causing populations to be more susceptible to non-communicable diseases, obesity and undernourishment.
Urban farming practices such as rooftop gardens, community greenhouses and vertical farms have provided an alternative to rural agriculture, but given the high cost of urban land, space and size limitations, non-conducive environmental conditions and limited human resources, these methods have not been without their challenges.
Vertical farming’s “closed and controlled” approach has been successful in eliminating the risk of insects, pests and diseases that are prevalent in traditional agricultural systems but the infrastructure required has typically been cost-prohibitive and highly reliant on fossil fuels (solar power is typically not enough).
Seedo is the world's first fully-automated and controlled indoor-growing technology for the "at-home" market— the self-driving car of agriculture. Compact commercial containers that resemble small refrigerators utilize AI algorithms to produce optimal water and light conditions— essentially controlling the weather— through a hybrid system of hydroponics and aeroponics.
Seedo can grow fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs— up to five species at a time per system, and has become extremely popular within the cannabis industry.
“The advantage of Seedo technology is that you can grow a wide range of crops in any climate and any season with no knowledge of how to grow and still achieve high-quality crops,” says Seedo’s CEO, Zohar Levy. “Seedo’s AI algorithm makes life easy for growers and of course, it is pesticide-free. You can enjoy fresh and tasty food year-round.”
The team at Seedo has recognized the relevance of their technology for environmentally vulnerable communities. In May 2019, the company qualified as a registered vendor for the United Nations Global Marketplace and intends to establish pilot programs in countries suffering from extreme climates. In a nod to its applicability to sustainable and climate-smart development, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and one of the United States’ leading voices in international policy, has joined Seedo’s Board of Directors.
“Making AI technology such as Seedo accessible and affordable at the grassroots level will enable food systems to be localised without soil exploitation, deforestation or exposure to climate risk,” says Levy.
At the time of publication, a Seedo system retailed for a mere $2,400— a small fraction of the cost of typical vertical farming systems. The price includes the Seedo box, filters (water, air), starting nutrients and access to the Seedo app, which allows users to receive notifications about growth, health and harvest time. But the real savings are in the diminished risk of crop loss and the elimination of labour requirements. According to Levy, Seedo can do away with the estimated 40% of annual farm costs that are funnelled into wages, salaries and contract labour expenses.
Levy, in a recent report to shareholders, indicated that the combined capabilities of artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and remote grow technologies makes Seedo and optimal solution for farmers “in a variety of "at-risk" markets. Stackable containers afford dramatic savings in land-use, water consumption and human labor needs… independent of climate conditions.”
According to the International Data Corporation, global spending on artificial intelligence will grow to around $58 billion by 2021. The agriculture sector has been particularly responsive to these technologies, particularly in environmentally vulnerable contexts. In the context of the Dominican Republic, artificial intelligence has enabled the growth of the agricultural sector to 14% of GDP.
Seedo could be a huge advance for small island economies that disproportionately struggle with climate change impacts, food insecurity, knowledge gaps and limited capital or farming technology.
I’m an environmental writer with a focus on food and agriculture, and commute between the Southern Caribbean (Barbados) and the Northern Caribbean (Cayman Islands). I have a Master’s Degree in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and am passionate about Caribbean social, economic and environmental issues. I am intrigued by the resilience of the Small Island Developing States of the region as well as the opportunities for sustainable and regenerative growth through agriculture. I recently headed up communications for a climate change in fisheries project (CC4FISH) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and have worked in development banking, environmental not-for-profits, and in the venture capital industry. My work has appeared in wide cross-section of Caribbean newspapers and magazines, the Sunday Times (of London), Elite Daily, Elephant Journal and other publications. Follow me on Twitter at @daphneewingchow.
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These UMD Researchers Are Helping Farmers Grow Crops on Urban Roofs
With the help of University of Maryland researchers, farms across Washington, D.C., are taking watermelons, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to the next level: the roof
September 6, 2019
The green roof at the top of the Physical Sciences Complex is just one among many around campus that serve as drainage and an ecosystem. (Joe Ryan/The Diamondback)
With the help of University of Maryland researchers, farms across Washington, D.C., are taking watermelons, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to the next level: the roof.
John Lea-Cox, a plant science and landscape architecture professor at this university, and Andrew Ristvey, an affiliate faculty in the department, are working with the D.C.-based farming foundation Up Top Acres to grow crops on urban rooftops.
Kristof Grina, co-founder and farm director of Up Top Acres, said he initially connected with Lea-Cox and Ristvey a few years ago for help with research and data collection surrounding stormwater management and water retention on their rooftop farms.
Lea-Cox and his team monitor the rainfall, soil temperature and soil moisture on Up Top Acres’ rooftop farms, Grina said. Lea-Cox said he was impressed by the quality of the rooftop produce, which grows across eight farms in Maryland and D.C. The crops are delivered to restaurants downstairs or sold in a community-supported agriculture system.
“There’s like a little bit of Little Italy on the roof down in D.C.,” Lea-Cox said.
Relish Catering, a catering company in North Bethesda, started working with Up Top Acres about a year ago. The company operates about half a mile away from the rooftop farm at Pike and Rose.
The rooftop farm cuts transportation costs for the company, said chef Laura Calderone, since it’s both walkable and bikeable. When she needs ten pounds of pea shoots, for example, she can just load them in her backpack.
“They will literally pick it that morning, and it is going out to our clients that afternoon for the following day,” Calderone said. “Sometimes there are still bugs in it that are moving around, but that’s okay.”
Calderone said Relish Catering has incorporated local rooftop ingredients into salads, salsa verde and tarts, among other dishes.
“Their greens are sweeter and they are not as fibrous,” Calderone said. “You don’t have to manipulate it much. We can let it shine as it is.”
This university’s researchers collect data that gives the farm’s operators “better insight” into how the systems are functioning, Grina said. It lets them know how they’re doing with irrigation practices, and can spur ideas for design improvement.
Lea-Cox and his team also monitor nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the crops. An excess of these nutrients can runoff into local waterways and trigger excessive algae growth. When algae grows too quickly and too abundantly, oxygen levels decline, ultimately killing the fish.
La Betty, an American-style restaurant on K Street in D.C., featured wild rooftop-sourced bouquets on the tabletops. Owner and head of operations Tessa Velazquez said that the flowers last longer than alternatives.
“The story behind it is great,” Velazquez said. “To say that we’re featuring local farmed flowers makes us feel good, makes our customers excited … they’re beautiful and they’re colorful and you really just get that sense of how natural and fresh that they are.”
La Betty is located about two miles from Up Top Acres’ 55 M Street farm in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, which opened in 2016. Soon, Velazquez said, she hopes to feature produce from a rooftop farm on her menu.
“I love that they’re actually engaged with the community, as well as really trying to bring that fresh farm-to-table experience — which is a fuzzy term, but they’re really doing it,” Velazquez said. “They’re your neighbors. They’re down the street. They’re not two hours away in Pennsylvania, they are really here.”
A Look Inside The First Certified Organic Rooftop Farm In The Country
"A small working farm that provided food for a restaurant, provided a community center and place for people to learn how to grow food and a place for us to teach people about local food and why that's so important," Co-Owner Helen Cameron said
To View The Video, Please Click Here
For eleven years, Devon St. has been home to the first certified organic rooftop farm in the country.
By Jalyn Henderson
July 12, 2019 CHICAGO (WLS)
On the corner of Devon and Glenwood Ave. in Edgewater, sits Uncommon Ground.
"A small working farm that provided food for a restaurant, provided a community center and place for people to learn how to grow food and a place for us to teach people about local food and why that's so important," Co-Owner Helen Cameron said.
A restaurant with an all-natural, organic farm, you can find on the roof. The first of its kind in the country, certified by the Midwest Organic Services Association.
"You know, we're a zero spray farm so we're not killing the good bugs or the bad bugs, we kind of let them battle it out so we're working with nature instead of working against nature," said Allison Glovak-Webb, Uncommon Ground's Farm Director.
The farm grows a variety of crops including peas, carrots, peppers, garlic and hops.
"I mean we just are growing all manner of goodies here," Cameron said.
But running a farm takes a lot of work, work that Cameron couldn't handle on her own.
"Then we decided we were going to create an internship program," Cameron said. "In exchange for interns coming to help us with this, we would teach them about urban agriculture, sustainable food systems, organic farming and try to give them as much input as we could to make this kind of thing happen."
More than 100 students have interned at Uncommon Ground from all across the city, some interns even travel internationally.
Cameron's goal is to make her businesses as sustainable as possible. So the restaurant is solar-powered, locally sourced, and everything that comes out of the kitchen is organic.
"We don't use any conventional fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. We don't use anything that's genetically modified," Cameron said.
"We about the furthest thing from a monoculture you can possibly get. A lot of farms focus on one crop and we focus on a diverse amount of crops. That's not just because that's what our kitchen prefers, but it's also because it's what's best for the environment and the ecosystem. We kind of have our own little ecosystem here," Glovak-Webb added
Looking For Urban Farming 'Silver Bullet' In China
After a successful first edition, the Urban Greenhouse Challenge is back.
After a successful first edition, the Urban Greenhouse Challenge is back. This time, student teams are developing an urban greenhouse in Dongguan, China. Fortunately, they're not left alone - partner companies, including main partners Rabobank and Country Garden Agriculture, are ready to help, and five top universities are involved: China Agricultural University, the University of São Paulo, Cornell, UC Davis, and of course Wageningen University & Research. We asked Marta Eggers, Project Officer WUR Student Challenges, to tell us a bit more about the upcoming challenge.
"Urban farming exists for a very long time already. Now there's a sort of revival of urban farming, and a lot of people are very excited about it. But we have a feeling that there's not a good model for how to do it. There's a lot of searching going on, but there's not a silver bullet solution yet."
The challenge is a way to come up with solutions that can inspire progress and boost innovation. "We want to make people enthusiastic about urban farming. We hope we can bring it to the next level", Marta says, referring to the challenge's slogan: 'Will you bring urban farming to the next level?'
Image: Spark Architects
Dongguan: Economic hub for China and the world
While the first Urban Greenhouse Challenge took place in the Netherlands, this edition is looking a bit further east. The choice for China seemed logical, given the relationship Wageningen University has with the country. "We have ongoing collaboration and very close links with China", Marta says, "and we also have a China office, so with this challenge, we're building on this collaboration."
The site itself is "one of the most fascinating areas in the world", she argues: the agropark of Dongguan is located in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone. "It's like a special zone in China, a place where a lot of experiments take place. It's all very high tech and innovative. For instance, when paying, you don't use a credit card, but you pay with your face. It's an economic hub for China, but also for the world; it's a very fascinating place."
Part of that 'fascinating place' will be the Dongguan agropark. "It's going to be a very big project," Marta says, "with a mission to create a sort of clean island in a very urbanized area, and our project will be a part of it."
A rendering of the Dongguan agropark, with the challenge site in the foreground
Catalyst for change
Going beyond this particular project, the second Urban Greenhouse Challenge is really looking for a 'catalyst for change', Marta explains. "We really want to provide experiments for more innovation." Last year's challenge is evidence that this is indeed how it works - many of the participants have followed up, going further into the field of urban farming.
Another way in which the challenge seeks to be a source of inspiration is by bringing together disciplines that often don't work together, like architecture and agriculture. "Those are the groups that also don't really know each other. This will also spark new ideas and add value."
The winning design in the first Urban Greenhouse Challenge
Lessons learned
The UGC team's experience from the first edition of the challenge has geared them up for the second. "The first Urban Greenhouse Challenge was a big experiment. The idea of Wageningen organizing such a challenge came up in January 2017, and in June it was decided that the challenge would go through. So we didn't really have much time to prepare", Marta says, laughing. "When it started, we were still working out the details and running the challenge. It was crazy and very intensive, but we also learned a lot."
They used that experience for the second challenge. "We very much revised the format." The idea is the same: student teams developing a greenhouse in an urban environment and involving the local population, but a few things have been tweaked. "For instance, we have included milestones this time, we have very clear instructions for all the participating teams. We have also developed an online platform. We now have a website with a lot of functionalities to facilitate communication with teams."
Team GreenWURks, winners of the first UGC
Connecting student with companies
With the online platform that's been developed, participating students are able to get in touch with experts who can offer them advice. "We really hope that some interesting innovations will come out of this", Marta shares. "All our partners get access to the online platform, and the online platform is a meeting place. Via the online platform, you can initiate chat, which can be followed up by Skype calls or face-to-face meetings."
Getting in touch with companies isn't just beneficial for the students - there are mutual benefits. "We think this is a great HR opportunity for the companies. The people who join the challenge are really very eager students. They'd be the perfect employees because they are very ambitious, curious about the topic and very innovative."
If your company is looking to get in touch with those talented students, be sure to get in touch with the Urban Greenhouse Challenge team - they're still looking for expert partners.
For more information:
WUR Urban Greenhouse Challenge
studentchallenges@wur.nl
urbangreenhousechallenge.nl
Publication date: 8/29/2019
Author: Jan Jacob Mekes
© HortiDaily.com
AUDIO: Why A New Rooftop Farm In Paris Is A Glimpse Into The Future
The city of light may become the city of fruits and vegetables soon. French company Agripolis is slated to open a 150,000-square-foot rooftop farm in 2020, hosting 2,000 pounds of crop each day
By Tyler Kern
August 28, 2019
The City of Light May Become The City of Fruits And Vegetables Soon
French company Agripolis is slated to open a 150,000-square-foot rooftop farm in 2020, hosting 2,000 pounds of crop each day.
Urban farming and aeroponics have spread to America but this project is the most ambitious yet.
“In Europe they’ve really gone to another level with it,” Dave Schupmann, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Fortis Warranty, a roofing warranty provider, said.
Concerns about weeds and heaviness from rain and snow have traditionally been problems for rooftop farms, but advancements have made projects like this one more viable.
“Sustainability is great. The products that we’re using today, much more than ever are lasting longer. So, you’re able to put these giant farms on top of these systems without them breaking down every 10-15 years,” Schupmann said.
While green roofs are still relatively uncommon in the United States, the ability to turn a profit from them may spur more investment in the model, according to Schupmann.
“I think it’s fantastic what they’re able to do with the vegetative roofing, really making it more than just something nice to look at but making effective use of the land for the tenants around it,” he noted.
According to Curbed.com, the farm will host more than 30 different plant species. Parisians will also be able to occupy their own plots of land on the roof, creating a communal space for residents.
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Paris Is Opening The World's Largest Urban Rooftop Farm
Just outside of the French capital, an urban farm is being built that will supply a tonne of food a day
23 August 2019
Charlotte Edmond Formative Content
Europe’s most densely populated city is growing. But we’re not talking about people here: it’s growing fruit and vegetables.
Image: Agripolis
At the edge of the French capital, an urban farm is being built that will supply residents with a tonne of food a day. Currently being renovated, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is set to become home to the world’s largest urban rooftop farm next year.
Image: Agripolis
The 14,000 m² of space – equivalent to about two football pitches – will be loaded with around 30 different types of plant. They’ll be grown in columns without soil and fed with nutrient-rich solutions and rainwater. This aeroponic method uses little water and means a large number of plants can be grown in a small area.
Image: Agripolis
Visitors will be able to purchase produce as well as sample it in the rooftop restaurant. The farm will also host educational tours and various events. And citizens will also be able to rent space to grow their own crops.
Image: Agripolis
Urban farming is a growing trend – in fact Agripolis, the company behind the farm, already runs other rooftop farms around France. Founder Pascal Hardy wants more urban spaces to take up the mantle: “Our vision is a city in which flat roofs and abandoned surfaces are covered with these new growing systems. Each will contribute directly to feeding urban residents who today represent the bulk of the world’s population,” he told The Guardian newspaper.
Image: Agripolis
Since being elected in 2014, the city's Mayor Anne Hidalgo has been on a mission to make Paris a greener city. The French government’s Parisculteurs initiative aims to cover 100 hectares of the city’s rooftops, walls and urban spaces with plants by 2020. One-third of this space will be dedicated to urban agriculture.
Image: Agripolis
Federal, State, And City Officials Join Project Renewal To Break Ground on Bronx Supportive and Affordable Housing Development Featuring Rooftop Fish And Produce Garden And Living Green Façade
The project will feature a number of unique and innovative elements including a rooftop aquaponics greenhouse, a living green façade, and a community playground
Bedford Green House will house more than 160 residents and include an aquaponics greenhouse, along with other innovative features
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, and TD Bank today joined Project Renewal at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on Bedford Green House in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx. The $58.8 million, 118-unit development will provide supportive and affordable housing for more than 160 residents, including families, singles, and seniors.
The project will feature a number of unique and innovative elements including a rooftop aquaponics greenhouse, a living green façade, and a community playground. Located at 2865 Creston Avenue, the 13-story, block-and-plank building will meet or exceed LEED Gold standards for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly design.
“We are thrilled to break ground on Bedford Green House, a development that will provide high-quality affordable and supportive housing for hundreds of individuals and families. Throughout our 50-year history, Project Renewal has provided innovative programs to help New Yorkers in need. We will continue to do that at Bedford Green House with comprehensive services and cutting-edge features like aquaponics to ensure that residents can lead healthy, stable lives,” said Mitchell Netburn, President & CEO Project Renewal.
The rooftop greenhouse will be filled with nutritious produce in an innovative vertical farming system called aquaponics, in which residents will raise delicious, nutritious fish and vegetables in a symbiotic ecosystem. Edible tilapia fish will live in large tanks connected to a bio-filter that breaks down fish waste and carries nutrients to the plant roots; meanwhile the plants will clean the water for the fish. Because the aquaponics growing platforms can be stacked vertically, produce yields per square foot will be many times higher than with traditional soil-based farming.
Project Renewal will use the rooftop space outside the greenhouse for organic farming in planter boxes to grow vegetables that are less suited to aquaponics. Residents will work with Project Renewal’s horticultural therapist to grow their own food in the airy and light-filled greenhouse, year-round, alongside their friends and neighbors. Horticultural therapy in the greenhouse will be especially beneficial to elderly residents who can often be isolated at home, and for residents who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is common during winter months.
The rooftop will also feature a demonstration kitchen with healthy cooking classes for residents and community members, taught by professional chefs from Project Renewal’s Culinary Arts Training Program.
Bedford Green House’s active design was influenced by the theory of biophilia—the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms. Scientific studies have supported biophilia, showing that exposure to the natural world reduces stress levels, shortens recovery times for hospital patients, lowers blood pressure, reduces depression, and increases insulin sensitivity among diabetics.
In light of these findings, Bedford Green House will feature an exterior living green façade at the building frontage, featuring vines cascading from planters. In addition to transforming the visual character of the neighborhood, the vines will reduce the building’s energy usage by absorbing solar radiation during the hot summer months when the vines have leaves. During winter months, the vines will shed their leaves and allow solar radiation to warm the building, bringing in heat and light when it is most needed. The vines will also remove airborne pollutants, which is especially important in the Bronx where children are hospitalized by asthma at a rate that is 21 times higher than more affluent areas of New York City.
Bedford Green House will create an inviting streetscape through landscaping along the sidewalk frontage, and seats at the setbacks that will encourage residents and neighbors to engage with the building. Highlighting the front yard will be a colorful community playground—with two slides, jungle gym, and musical instruments—that will be accessible to children of families who live in the building, as well as community residents.
The project is the first phase of the Project Renewal’s larger Bedford Green House project, the second phase of which will add another 116 supportive and affordable homes through the development of an adjacent site.
Bedford Green House’s development team is led by Mitchell Netburn and Sam Wells at Project Renewal, and by Jonathan Rose and Dale White at The Jonathan Rose Companies. Hollister Construction Services is serving as the general contractor. Architectural design services are provided by Edelman Sultan Knox Wood Architects, with structural engineering by Robert Silman Associates, MEP engineering by Allen Rosenthal, geotechnical engineering by Mueser Rutledge, landscape design by Billie Cohen, Ltd., waterproofing and façade design by The Façade Group, lighting by Jim Conti, aquaponics by A&A Epiphany, LEED design by Steven Winter Associates, cost estimating by SBI Consultants, environmental consulting by The Hillmann Group, Sam Schwartz Engineering, Genesis Environmental, surveying by Montrose Surveying, title search by Chicago Title Company, and expediting by Design 2147.
Bedford Green House was financed under HDC’s Extremely Low- and Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) program and HPD’s Supportive Housing New Construction program. The total development cost for the project is over $58.8 million. HDC provided more than $28.2 million in tax-exempt volume cap bonds, $1.7 million in recycled tax-exempt bonds, and nearly $7 million in corporate reserves. HPD provided $8.85 million in City subsidy, inclusive of $2 million in HOME funds. HPD also provided an allocation of annual Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), which generated nearly $24 million in tax credit equity. Bank of America served as tax credit investor and provided the construction letter of credit. NYS OTDA provided $6.22 million under the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP). Additional grant funding was provided TD Bank and Deutsche Bank Foundation.
“Healthy homes lead to healthy residents, a principle that Secretary Carson knows from experience to be true and one that will prove itself for the formerly homeless families and individuals that will call Bedford Green home. Financed in part through $2 million in HUD HOME funds, this extraordinarily designed project will nurture the minds, bodies, and spirits of its clients, helping set them on the path to economic recovery and self-sufficiency,” said Lynne Patton, HUD Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey.
“We are proud to be contributing $6.2 million through our Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. Projects like this highlight Governor Cuomo’s ongoing commitment to increase the number of affordable and supportive housing units available in New York City and throughout the state,” said Samuel D. Roberts, Commissioner, Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
“A critical pillar of the Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan is creating sustainable, high-quality, affordable housing. The start of construction of Bedford Green House – a LEED designed supportive housing development that will provide 118 homes and a rooftop garden and vertical farm to foster healthy living – represents a significant milestone towards that commitment. Through HNY 2.0, our accelerated and expanded housing plan, we will continue to build on the policies and programs already set in motion to ensure that neighborhoods like those surrounding Jerome Avenue are anchored by affordability and opportunity for generations to come," said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I want to thank Project Renewal and our many government and private partners for their creativity and hard work to advance this dynamic project for the community.”
“Bedford Green House will bring 118 low-income and formerly homeless households into safe, high-quality affordable housing, with a built-in network of critical social services and amenities. This project underscores how vital all our government, private, and non-profit resources are to creating new affordable and supportive housing,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “I congratulate Project Renewal and all our partners, including many agencies across federal, state and city government, for their commitments to this project and their dedication to building a more affordable New York.”
"Project Renewal is an exceptional partner committed to solving the homelessness crisis here in New York City. CSH is investing $5.3 million in loans in Bedford Green Phases 1 & 2 because these new affordable, supportive housing units will go a long way toward providing real homes to New Yorkers who have struggled through homelessness on our streets," said Jennifer Trepinski, Director of Loan Originations, CSH.
“In addition to delivering much needed affordable and supportive housing options to the residents of the Bronx, Bedford Green House brings innovative, sustainable design elements that will advance healthy living in the Bedford Park neighborhood. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is excited to have provided over $54MM of debt and equity investments to support Project Renewal’s vision for transforming lives in the communities that it serves,” said Todd A. Gomez, Market Executive - North Region, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
"We take our commitment to our communities seriously, and the Housing for Everyone campaign enables us to enhance our economic support for the neighborhoods we serve. We are honored to partner with organizations that are providing individuals with a chance to live in their own home and build a future," said Mike Rayder, Donation and Foundation Manager, TD Charitable Foundation.
“Deutsche Bank is proud to support Project Renewal in the development of the Bedford Green House. This will provide critically needed affordable and supportive homes to hundreds of residents, many of whom have experienced homelessness, as well as facilities shared with the local community. Bedford Green House will be a true asset to the neighborhood and city,” said John Kimble, Vice President / Philanthropic Initiatives, Deutsche Bank.
“Architecture at its most fundamental is an expression of societies’ aspirations. In that context Bedford Green House is a statement that we take care of the people of our community who are disadvantaged. These individuals are deserving of an exceptional building that has the capacity to make their lives better, through the choice of layout, materials, amenities, and greenhouse for teaching healthy living. And we extend that aspiration into the community, making a building with a neighborhood play area, a 24-hour doorman watching the street, green infrastructure that will help clean the air and brighten lives, and by leaving exposed the bedrock of the site, which is the history of the Bronx. In this way the building contributes to the neighborhood, making it greener, healthier, and more connected. Bedford Green House is an embodiment of the best that New York City, New York State and the Bronx has to offer its community,” said Andrew B. Knox, Partner, Edelman Sultan Knox Wood / Architects LLP.
“Hollister is very proud to be part of this team bringing to life such a unique building in the Bronx. Knowing that this facility will change the lives of many people makes the project even more special. Since our inception, we’ve made a constant effort to involve ourselves with projects that benefit and transform communities and Bedford Green House is a great example. We are all looking forward to seeing many happy faces when the facility makes its grand opening,” said Christopher Johnson, CEO, Hollister.
New York's Rooftop Farms Provide Fresh Local Produce - And Help Stop A Sewage Problem
High above the streets of New York, more than 36 tonnes of organic vegetables are grown every year. And the farms that produce them aren’t just feeding residents – they’re helping to stop sewage polluting the city’s rivers too
21 Aug 2019
Douglas Broom Senior Writer, Formative Content
High above the streets of New York, more than 36 tonnes of organic vegetables are grown every year. And the farms that produce them aren’t just feeding residents – they’re helping to stop sewage polluting the city’s rivers too.
Covering a total of 2.3 hectares (5.6 acres), the farms sit on top of three historic industrial buildings. Their soil is just 25 cm (10 inches) deep, but it absorbs millions of litres of rainfall each year – water that would otherwise flush straight into the city’s drains.
New York has long had a problem with what is known as Combined Sewer Overflow, where rainwater inundates water treatment plants causing the sewers to overflow directly into the Hudson and East River.
Sewer systems around New York can become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.
Image: Open Sewer Atlas NYC
Growing business
The city has made progress in recent decades, spending $45 billion since the 1980s on wastewater treatment to reduce discharges into waterways. But with more than 70% of its area paved and upwards of 8 million residents, the problem still occurs when it rains heavily.
Brooklyn Grange, which operates the three rooftop sites, built its first farm in 2010. It broke even in its first year, moved into profit two years later and now employs 20 full-time and 60 seasonal staff.
Its founders believe commercial urban agriculture can help cities become cleaner and greener. And they measure their success against a “triple bottom line” – profit, the environment and impact on people.
Image: Brooklyn Grange
A buzzing project
Green roofs help urban areas reduce the heat that otherwise radiates on summer nights from conventional rooftops. That not only helps to make the city cooler in summer but also reduces the amount of energy needed to keep the buildings cool.
The rooftop farms use waste food to produce compost. Half their produce is sold to restaurants and they run two weekly markets and deliver locally through a community-supported agriculture scheme, which connects farmers directly to consumers. They are home to 40 beehives, too.
The farms have so far hosted 50,000 young people on educational visits to learn about sustainable city farming. They run public courses on everything from sustainable dye-making to making hot chilli sauces. They host yoga classes and even weddings.
The company has now expanded into designing and building mini farms and wild flower gardens for private clients across the city.
Show
Almost 70% of the global population is predicted to live in cities by 2050. And while cities drive the global economy, they are also responsible for three-quarters of global CO2 emissions.
So projects like these will become ever more important, according to the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization, if urban areas are to meet targets such as those set out in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Lead Photo: New York has spent $45 billion on wastewater treatment since the 1980s. Image: REUTERS/Seth Wenig
Have you read?
Green City Growers Names Christopher Grallert As Company President
Grallert has 25 years of experience in the sustainable agriculture industry globally. Since joining GCG in 2015, Grallert has served in multiple roles for the organization, starting as a investor and advisory board member, then moving in to a more intensive operational role in 2017
SOMERVILLE, Mass., Aug. 20 /CSRwire/
Green City Growers (GCG) has announced the promotion of Christopher Grallert to the position of Company President. According to GCG’s CEO and Founder Jessie Banhazl, “Chris’s extensive background in business management, agricultural systems, fresh produce, and operations, combined with his vision of what future food systems can look like, make him a great fit to lead the company through the next phase of growth.”
Grallert has 25 years of experience in the sustainable agriculture industry globally. Since joining GCG in 2015, Grallert has served in multiple roles for the organization, starting as a investor and advisory board member, then moving in to a more intensive operational role in 2017. Since then, Chris has overseen the building out of the back office and operational components of the company. He has led GCG’s commercial growth and has been instrumental in tactical and strategic developments. Grallert’s efforts, Banhazl said, “have helped to take Green City Growers from a Massachusetts-focused business to a regional company that has almost tripled in size since his involvement.”
In assuming the company president position, Grallert will manage GCG’s overall business operations and staff. Grallert will continue to support Banhazl as she continues to take on a larger role in shaping GCG’s strategic growth, overseeing marketing efforts, and driving business development.
“I’m very excited about the future of GCG and proud to have been chosen to lead the company,” Grallert said. “As urban ag continues to gain traction nationally, we will continue to focus on innovations that will bring integrated food production to more and more communities”.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Chris taking the lead on the day to day operation. We’ve been working together side-by-side for a few years now, and I feel 100% confident in his ability to lead us as we continue to grow,” Banhazl said. “It feels amazing to know the company I founded is in such good hands.”
Green City Growers was founded in 2008 to provide edible landscaping and urban farm installation and maintenance. The company has evolved to serve a wide array of commercial businesses, including global property management and real estate companies and manages farms on top of Whole Foods Market and at Fenway Park. The company was just awarded a USDA Farm to School Grant to continue a multi-town school gardening program.
With more than 100 sites throughout MA RI, CT, and NY, GCG annually grows 35,000 lbs of organic produce, converts over 20,000 sq ft of unused space into food-producing landscapes, teaches 2,000 kids how to grow their own food, and engages ½ million individuals in urban farming through their programs.
Want To Grow Food On Your Terrace? This Startup Has Helped Over 400 Homes Do So!
Archana Mishra, 65, was first inspired to grow her own food when her friend from Germany spoke to her about it. The former school teacher wanted to eat healthy but organic produce in the market was considerably expensive
Turning your terrace into a thriving farm doesn’t just help your family eat healthy food, it also helps save the planet. And this Jaipur man can help you do this, one step at a time! #LiveGreen #GrowOrganic
August 16, 2019,
Archana Mishra, 65, was first inspired to grow her own food when her friend from Germany spoke to her about it. The former school teacher wanted to eat healthy but organic produce in the market was considerably expensive.
Want to try your hand at farming? Check out these gardening accessories and start your own vegetable patch at home now!
When she visited her daughter in the US, she was amazed by the concept of a farmer’s market where her daughter would frequently go to buy fresh produce.
Archana Mishra gardening with her granddaughter
She came across Living Greens, a company which provides portable farming systems to customers living in urban spaces. In addition to working with individuals, they also work with corporates in developing green walls (vertical green spaces) in office spaces.
It has been six years since, and now, Mishra grows her vegetables at her home terrace in Jaipur.
Speaking to The Better India, the delighted septuagenarian says, “My entire family is now involved in this process of growing food and it makes me so happy. Even my granddaughters join me while I am tending to my garden.”
In the backdrop of widespread land clearing for agriculture leading to at least 22 per cent of the overall greenhouse gas emissions, it has become imperative that we make efficient use of space. Living Greens was founded by Prateek Tiwari in 2013 with seed-funding from NRI investors living in the Silicon Valley.
Prateek is an Agricultural Engineer and an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi. After serving in blue-chip companies like M&M, Reliance Fresh, ITC (Agri Business Division) and Walmart India, he decided to take the plunge to revolutionise urban farming. He resigned from Walmart in May 2011 but had to put in two arduous years of experimentation to create a do-it-yourself portable farming system.
How it began
Although the Living Greens was officially founded in 2013, it had its modest beginnings in July 2012.
Prateek Tiwari with his team receiving a leadership award for his services
“We launched our concept not as a product but as a service i.e. anybody interested in experimenting with this idea could take our Portable Farming Systems on rent. This attracted many people to experiment. As most of them subsequently decided to purchase the equipment, we scrapped the rental scheme,” says Prateek.
He had a deep and strong conviction that cities must grow their own food. “There is a strong sense of fear that we are eating a bit of cancer everyday in our vegetables, which have been grown using lethal pesticides and effluent water containing carcinogenic heavy metals,” he says.
He discusses several benefits of developing a rooftop farming system. “Covering the rooftops with lush green organic farms not only cools the building but also generates tonnes of fresh oxygen in cities suffocating in their own pollution besides making use of under-utilised urban spaces,” says Prateek.
Along with a profound sense of responsibility to utilise his agricultural education and knowledge, he had a strong desire to convert under-utilised urban spaces like rooftops, plots, gardens, and farmhouses into food-growing urban spaces.
After the idea gained traction, the team of Living Greens focused on offering an A-Plus service experience to clients. “As they [customers] enjoyed growing their vegetables on their rooftops, we encouraged them to spread their ‘joy of farming’ among their friends and on social media. We thus expanded our client base through referrals from happy customers,” says the founder.
Since then, over 400 houses have become organic homes where people grow fresh vegetables on their rooftops. Mishra was one of their first ten customers and she still gets in touch with them when she needs help with anything related to her garden. For this, she pays a nominal fee.
How it works
The Living Greens has a range of services. The portable farming system (PFS) service is available for Rs 14,500 for two units. The prices go down per unit when purchased in bulk. The installation takes between 48 to 72 hours.
A terrace garden belonging to a client
They also provide a set of organic sprays for pest, disease and nutrient management of plants being grown in the PFS. One organic inputs kit can be applied to two PFSs for four months.
There are also four kinds of root fertilisers that must be used regularly by the client.
Prateek points out that the pesticides for an organic garden also need to be free of chemicals.
He believes that a focus on a prophylactic approach instead of a symptomatic one is better for the overall health of plants. For this, they developed seven sprays for seven days which must be applied on the plants for four months. These bio-pesticides are made of organic materials like neem oil which reduces the egg-laying capacity of pests.
Another example is a liquid fungus called Beauveria bassiana which is used to control pests like whiteflies among other insects in agriculture.
Onsite support system is another service they offer. This comprises of weekly and monthly visits once the unit is installed. After the 4-month support period, customers can pay per visit for additional guidance.
They also provide the services of an online support system.
“Our team of agri experts can receive the problem-pics from the client, identify the pest/disease/nutrient issue and give precise recommendations from within the organic inputs kit, for solving the problem,” says Prateek. This facility is free.
“After offering a basic training to the client at the time of installation, we continue to support them online, by sending all required information in the form of charts/diagrams/videos/video-chats,” he adds.
Expansion and challenges
The Living Greens helps transform terraces into urban farms
The road to success was not easy. When Living Greens first began, a lot of people did not know much about urban farming and believed that it was practiced by farmers on open lands in rural areas. There was also a dearth of quality and well-tested organic inputs, says Prateek.
He also started with a very small team who did not have much knowledge of organic farming. There was a need for a collaborative effort between the client and employees on site, with a constant exchange of expertise.
Now, the company tries to employ people who have some background in agriculture. Hardayal Shefma, 24, is one such employee who has a diploma in agriculture from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
“I have learnt so much about organic farming and its health benefits. I help in installation, provide support, and expertise for the maintenance of these gardens,” says the employee who has been working in the company for over three years now.
The Living Greens has also expanded its operations from Jaipur to New Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. They transport their PFSs with one person from their installation team who then arranges for local labour for installation on site.
The Living Greens also has its franchisees in Lucknow, Bhopal, and Pune.
So, what is on the cards for the Living Greens now? “We want to become the largest urban organic farming company in the world, apart from creating greener and more breathable cities for future generations,” says Prateek as he signs off.
Also Read: 42-YO Breathes Life Into Ghost Villages With Natural Farming, Rural Tourism!
Picture Courtesy: The Living Greens
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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New York City’s Largest Rooftop Farm Sprouts Up In Brooklyn
In addition to growing produce, which will go to restaurants and farmers markets, the new facility — operated by Brooklyn Grange — offers a “Swiss army knife” of benefits for the city, according to co-founder Anastasia Plakias
August 13, 2019 | Scott Enman
Brooklyn Grange's newest farm in Sunset Park is the largest of its kind in New York City. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Grange
Tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers are only a few of the many fresh options now growing on New York City’s largest rooftop farm: a 140,000-square-foot facility in Sunset Park.
In addition to growing produce, which will go to restaurants and farmers markets, the new facility — operated by Brooklyn Grange — offers a “Swiss army knife” of benefits for the city, according to co-founder Anastasia Plakias.
Environmentally, rooftop farms can cut energy costs, decrease combined-sewer-overflow, reduce urban heat island effect, create a habitat for wildlife, absorb air pollutants and lessen noise pollution.
The farm’s close proximity to Green-Wood Cemetery will also give migratory and native birds a place to take refuge.
Plakias said that while it’s difficult to stop New York from expanding upwards, residents could help the city grow in a different type of way.
“It’s impossible to ignore the piece of development in this city,” she told the Brooklyn Eagle. “Development will never cease in New York City. There will always be change happening, but we have an opportunity to influence the direction and shape that that change takes. Now is a really critical time for New York City to be a leader.”
The space at 850 Third Ave. is the company’s third farm. The first opened in 2010 in Long Island City, and the second came to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2012.
A paver system is installed at the Brooklyn Grange’s Sunset Park farm. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Grange
The Sunset Park green roof acts like a giant sponge, managing roughly 175,000 gallons of storm water in a single rainfall — helping to reduce the amount of CSO entering New York’s waterways.
(The Brooklyn Navy Yard facility, in comparison, can manage about 100,000 gallons of water per storm.)
Because of its ability to reduce CSO, the roof was partially paid for by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Infrastructure Grant Program.
The new space, located adjacent to the Metropolitan Detention Center and overlooking the Sims Municipal Recycling, will also host weddings and other special occasions.
An event space and kitchen are currently under construction, and co-founder Ben Flanner said the farm would ideally host parties in the future using fresh herbs to garnish drinks.
Plants grow on the new farm. Photo by Ian C. Roberts
Borough President Eric Adams said that it was crucial for similar operations like Brooklyn Grange to open in low-income communities. “We don’t need fast food. We need farm food, and it’s right here in the heart of our city,” he said. “This is profitable to be able to grow food in an urban environment: Not only isolated in communities that are gentrified, but also in Brownsville, East New York and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
“There’s no reason we can’t have a Brooklyn Grange on the top of every NYCHA building so they can grow healthy food and live a healthy lifestyle. We can’t grow new land but we can better utilize our rooftops.”
The space, which officially opens on Sunday, will be open to the public every Sunday through October from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Follow reporter Scott Enman on Twitter.
Reap What They Sow At These Amazing Vancouver Hotel Rooftop Gardens
Farm to table dining helps to ensure that food is fresh and local. But what could be more local than sourcing your vegetables, salad leaves, fruits and herbs from right above your head?
Fiona Tapp Contributor
Farm to table dining helps to ensure that food is fresh and local. But what could be more local than sourcing your vegetables, salad leaves, fruits and herbs from right above your head?
These hotels have installed innovative gardens on their rooftop spaces and balconies which, when open to guests, provide a peaceful place to seek solace and relaxation.
In some cases they also provide a source of delicious and uber fresh produce to liven up meals and beverages right in the hotel restaurant.
These are the best rooftop gardens and green spaces in Vancouver and nearby.
Fairmont Waterfront, Vancouver
Rooftop Garden | FAIRMONT WATERFRONT VANCOUVER
The rooftop garden at the Fairmont Waterfront hotel in Vancouver is one of the best examples of this trend and is incredibly well utilized by the culinary team.
Located on the 3rd floor, the 2,100 square foot irrigated garden receives full sun and was one of the city's first green roofs. There are 11 beds growing over 60 varieties of herbs. As well as a selection of vegetables, fruits and edible blossoms, but the real showstopping element of this garden is the presence of bees.
Designated as a Certified Wildlife Friendly Habitat by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the garden is home to a staggering 250,000 honey bees who produce over 200 pounds of honey annually. There's even a resident bee butler to cater to the hives every need.
Check out the observation hive which allows guests to see what those busy bees are up to!
The on-site ARC restaurant uses rosemary, lavender, basil, mint, bay leaves and sage from the garden as well as garlic, apples, rainbow chard, kale, leeks, tomatoes, lettuces, carrots, peppers, green onion, strawberries, and shallots in their delicious and innovative dishes.
Botanist, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver
Fairmont Pacific Rim | BOTANIST
At the Fairmont Pacific Rim, greenery, plants and flowers are used in a different way. Although not included in the menu at the restaurant, Botanist for culinary purposes, the living wall is used as decor and as a beautiful design aesthetic.
Enjoy the ambiance as you order from the cocktail lab where incredibly unique drinks are made including the Candy Cap Magic, which features mushroom rye, vermouth, spiced maple, and comes served on a bed of forest moss!
The Douglas, An Autograph Collection Hotel , Vancouver
The DOUGLAS | JEREMY SEGAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The Douglas, an autograph collection hotel and part of the huge Parq Vancouver complex features an enormous 30,000 square foot outdoor park on the sixth floor of the property. More than 200 native pines and 15,000 local plants grow here.
There's also a water feature and a bike path in this urban park, which feels miles away from the city below.
The eco-conscious Douglas hotel also promotes a "conserve together" program where a Douglas Fir tree is planted for every guest who opts out of the daily housekeeping service for two consecutive days.
Nita Lake Lodge, Whistler
Nita Lake Lodge Rooftop Garden | FIONA TAPP
Although not located in Vancouver, the sumptuous Nita Lake Lodge is a nearby retreat to get away from the hubbub of busy city life.
Located in charming Whistler village, just an hour and 40 minutes from town. Whistler is home to two mountains, that can be explored all year long.
The Nita Lake Lodge has a pretty rooftop garden that is put to very good use by the onsite restaurants.
Expect to find herbs, fruits and vegetables from the garden used across the property's three restaurants; Aura, Cure Lounge and Patio and Fix cafe. Try the rhubarb Collins, it's delicious!
Lead Photo: Rooftop Garden | . FAIRMONT WATERFRONT VANCOUVER
World's Largest Urban Farm To Open – On A Paris Rooftop
The 14,000m² farm is set to open in the south-west of Paris early next year
The 14,000m² Farm Is Set To Open In The
South-West of Paris Early Next Year
The new rooftop farm in Paris will be the largest of its kind in the world. Photograph: Valode & Pistre Architectes Atlav AJN
13 August 2019
It’s a warm afternoon in late spring and before us rows of strawberry plants rustle in the breeze as the scent of fragrant herbs wafts across the air. Nearby, a bee buzzes lazily past. Contrary to appearances, however, we are not in an idyllic corner of the countryside but standing on the top of a six-storey building in the heart of the French capital.
Welcome to the future of farming in Paris – where a whole host of rooftop plantations, such as this one on the edge of the Marais, have been springing up of late. Yet this thriving operation is just a drop in the ocean compared to its new sister site. When that one opens, in the spring of 2020, it will be the largest rooftop farm in the world.
Currently under construction in the south-west of the city, this urban oasis will span approximately 14,000 sq metres (150695 sq feet) – also making it the largest urban farm in Europe. With the plan to grow more than 30 different plant species, the site will produce around 1,000kg of fruit and vegetables every day in high season. Tended by around 20 gardeners, they will also be using entirely organic methods.
The aim is for the farm to be a global model for sustainability. Photograph: Valode & Pistre Architectes Atlav AJN
“The goal is to make the farm a globally-recognised model for sustainable production,” says Pascal Hardy, founder of Agripolis, the urban-farming company at the centre of the project. “We’ll be using quality products, grown in rhythm with nature’s cycles, all in the heart of Paris.”
Located on the top of a major exhibition complex currently under redevelopment in the 15th arrondissement, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the farm will also have its own on-site restaurant and bar with capacity for around 300 people. Run by Paris’s renowned chain of rooftop venues, Le Perchoir, this aerial eatery will offer panoramic views over the capital – and, needless to say, the menu will feature seasonal produce grown on the site.
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“Our fresh produce will be used to feed the inhabitants across the south-west of the city – either directly, through veg-box schemes or via shops, hotels and canteens – thereby helping to reduce food miles,” Hardy says. “Furthermore, we won’t be using any pesticides or chemicals, so the farm will be a haven for biodiversity.”
The farm will also offer a range of services related to urban agriculture, including educational tours, team-building workshops and special events. Last but not least, there will be the opportunity for local residents to lease small vegetable plots of their own – in specially-devised wooden crates – helping to reconnect city-dwellers with their food source.
Local residents will also have an opportunity to lease small plots of their own. Photograph: Valode & Pistre Architectes Atlav AJN
“Our guiding principle with all our farms is to help foster environmental and economic resilience in tomorrow’s cities,” says Hardy, who expects the farm to start making a profit within its first year. “If we can create a model that is commercially viable, rather than having to rely on goodwill and subsidies, that will help urban farms to become sustainable in their own right.”
While large-scale urban farming is nothing new in itself, with major sites in The Hague, Detroit and Shanghai, among others, this new flagship farm in Paris will be ground-breaking in several ways. Not only will it be the largest rooftop farm in the world but they will also be pioneering their own technique in aeroponic ‘vertical’ farming.
Apart from not requiring pesticides, this method uses a closed water system and no soil – therefore minimising the risk of any pollutants. Furthermore, by supplying people right on the doorstep, the farm will have an exceptionally low carbon footprint.
Strawberries growing at one of the other rooftop farms in Paris run by Agripolis. Photograph: Agripolis
“Our vision is a city in which flat roofs and abandoned surfaces are covered with these new growing systems,” says Hardy. “Each will contribute directly to feeding urban residents who today represent the bulk of the world’s population.”
For now at least, urban farming seems to be thriving here in all its forms. In fact, the City of Paris has committed to planting 100 hectares of vegetation across the capital by 2020, through its Parisculteurs project, with one third of this devoted to urban agriculture. For example, new for this year, a farming promenade is set to be created beneath the aerial métro line at Barbès.
Among the other imaginative agricultural sites across the city is the eco-farm of La Recyclerie, installed along the old railway line at Porte de Clignancourt, and the organic mushroom operation, La Caverne, located in an underground car park at Porte de La Chapelle. Even the capital’s much-maligned Montparnasse Tower is rumoured to be getting its own growing space.
The Complete Guide To Building A Rooftop Garden
Gardening can be a great way to relax and free your mind from the numbing pressures of The Screen
You Don't Have To Have A Yard To Get Things Growing.
By Ryan Boysen | August 4, 2019
You can get your hands dirty no matter where you live.Julian Hochgesang via Unsplash
Before man was, gardening waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.
Ok fine, Cormac McCarthy was actually talking about war when he wrote that, but if you ask me, it still holds true for gardening.
Along with mastering fire, the purposeful cultivation of plants is widely considered to be one of the technological leaps that set humans on the path to complex civilization, for better or for worse. Speaking as a city dweller and inhabitant of the current iteration of said complex civilization, we need gardening now, more than ever, to smooth out some of the rougher edges of this weird world we’ve built for ourselves.
Gardening can be a great way to relax and free your mind from the numbing pressures of The Screen. Futzing around with plants in the sun helps us reconnect with the glories of the natural world that we've become increasingly isolated from. And, as this bizarrely dark listicle puts it, gardening "reminds us of the cycle of life," and thus helps us "come to terms with that most universal of anxieties: death."
But hey, let’s not worry about that just yet. The tall, skinny guy with the scythe and black robes comes for us all, but until he rings the buzzer, let’s squeeze all the joy we can out of the here and now.
Which brings us back to gardening, and how to get into it.
For those of us who live in the suburbs or, even better, the country, the process is easy: go outside and plant some seeds in the ground, then watch them grow. For those of us living in a city, it’s a bit more complicated.
But fear not. I have toiled for countless hours and spent thousands of dollars to thread that needle, so you don’t have to. After four years of banging my head against the wall in an attempt to garden despite living in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, New York, I have finally figured out a design that is relatively simple, works well, and, most importantly, is extremely low-maintenance once it’s set up.
The author with his completed (and thriving) rooftop garden.Courtesy of Ryan Boysen
As long as you have rooftop access and a relatively chill landlord, there’s an excellent chance you can learn from my mistakes and build yourself a rooftop garden. It should only cost you a few hundred bucks and a weekend or two of your time—even less if you’ve already got spare materials lying around and are capable of getting out of bed before 1 p.m. on the weekend.
It's really just three things
There are an endless variety of ways to garden on a roof, but my setup consists of three components intended to address what I consider to be the three main problems confronting the would-be rooftop gardener.
A PVC structure wrapped in bamboo fencing to protect the plants from wind, which can be brutal on a roof.
Self-watering containers to reduce the amount of time spent lugging water up to the roof and to ensure that, if you don't do so for a few days, the plants won't suffer.
A homemade soil mixture to encourage a bountiful harvest by providing the plants with primo dirt that won't require constant fertilizing.
If you’re just starting out and all that seems overwhelming, you can halve the time required to put this together by foregoing the custom soil mix and simply adding organic fertilizers to store-bought potting soil (only bags marked as “potting soil,” no “in-ground” or “raised bed” stuff, as it’s much heavier and will not distribute water properly). This will work fine, but not as well as mixing it up from scratch.
It should go without saying, but definitely ask your landlord for permission before building a rooftop garden, and make sure the roof in question has the structural integrity necessary to support one. Most apartment building roofs shouldn’t have a problem supporting at least a small garden, but you do need to scope it out first. If in doubt, ask your landlord.
Build the structure
This part can seem intimidating, but it’s actually fairly straightforward, as long as you think ahead.
First, decide where you want your garden to go. Measure the area, and plan the size of your structure accordingly.
Mine, for example, is 12 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 feet tall. Your length and width may vary, but I recommend a simple square or rectangle with 8-foot-tall sides to keep the wind from roughing up your plants. You’ll also want to leave an opening on one side so you can get in and out.
Sketch a rudimentary blueprint (no need to get fancy with this), then figure out how much PVC pipe and bamboo fencing you’ll need. Remember that you won’t require horizontal pieces of pipe on the interior—you’ll need space to walk around—and that you’ll keep the entryway clear of fencing.
Seriously, you don't need to be a good artist to sketch a blueprint. Ryan Boysen
What you'll need:
The materials listed below are standardized for one 4-by-4-by-8-foot section of garden space, which is the basic building block of my design. As you add square footage, you’ll need slightly fewer pieces for each additional section, as they will share poles and joints.
Materials (for one 4-by-4-by-8-foot block of garden space)
18 or so 4-foot-long, 3/4-inch-thick PVC poles (about 12 for each additional block)
12 PVC pipe joints (your combination of tee joints, 3-way connectors, 4-way connectors, and 5-way connectors will vary depending on the size of your structure)
12 feet of bamboo fencing (4 feet for each additional edge block)
A can of PVC cement
A roll of string (or about 100 zip ties)
Tools
Hacksaw (or PVC pipe cutter)
Knife (or scissors)
Permanent marker
Once you’ve got your tools and materials, measure the pipe to your desired length, mark it, cut it, and start connecting. It’s OK to be a little confused during this step, but once you put a few pieces together it should begin making sense pretty quickly. When everything looks good, go back and glue all the joints together with the PVC cement.
Once your frame is complete, wrap the bamboo around it and secure the fencing with zip ties or string. This may take an hour or two, but it’s worth going slow and doing a thorough job. Your plants and neighbors will thank you the next time a storm rolls through. Tie the corners to something heavy to prevent your garden from flying away—wooden pallets work well if you’re using those to support your plants, but you can also anchor the structure to the handles of your planters.
Craft the self-watering containers
There are many ways to build self-watering containers, but the basic idea is this: each one has a built-in, refillable water reservoir and a wicking mechanism that brings that water up into the soil.
And while this how-to deals with 5-gallon buckets, it’s easy to extend the underlying principles to larger containers and other types of materials once you get the hang of things.
Self-watering containers, like those seen here, mean that even if you're not always around to take care of your garden, your plants will still have enough to drink. Ryan Boysen
What you'll need:
Materials (for one container)
2 plastic 5-gallon buckets (cheaper in bulk)
2 sponges
3 strips of foot-long cotton material (one t-shirt will make enough for about a dozen containers, but it must be 100% cotton—synthetic material doesn't wick properly)
A 3-foot length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe
A large funnel (you only need one, no matter how many containers you have)
A wooden pallet or something else to elevate the planter (optional)
Tools
1/4-inch drill bit
Permanent marker
Scissors (or a boxcutter)
So, you’ve got two buckets. Put one inside the other and measure where the bottom of the inside bucket reaches on the outside bucket. Mark that spot with your marker, then draw a little circle a half-inch below that. Separate the buckets and drill a 1/4-inch hole within the circle you marked on the outside one, then set that bucket aside.
Now take the other bucket, flip it upside-down and drill a 1-inch hole in the middle of its bottom. Drill another 1-inch hole near the outside of the bottom. Now drill a dozen or so 1/4-inch holes all around.
Now, take two sponges and use a knife or scissors to cut a 2-inch-long gash in the center of each sponge. Take your cotton strips and thread them through one sponge, so about 4 inches of material sticks out the other side.
Stuff that material through the big hole in the center of the inside bucket so the sponge and the majority of the fabric remains within the bucket. Take the other sponge, place it on the outside of the bucket, and thread the dangling strips through it, making sure it’s snug against the bottom of the bucket. These pieces of cloth will wick water from the reservoir into the soil, and the sponges will ensure they stay in place.
How to set up the inside bucket, from left to right: drill holes in the bottom, place a sponge inside and thread the fabric strips through it, and then thread the cloth through a sponge on the outside. Ryan Boysen
Now put the inside bucket back into the outside bucket. Jam the 3-foot length of PVC pipe into the other 1-inch hole. With the aid of the funnel you’ll use this pipe to fill the reservoir.
When you eventually load the inside bucket with soil, try to make sure that the cotton strips extend upward to ensure even water distribution throughout the soil mixture. I’ll usually fill it one-third of the way with dirt, lay one strip across that layer, add the next third and do the same thing with another strip, then try to bury the remaining strip just below the surface.
For you visual learners, this video directly inspired my container design and it's a great way to see the process play out.
When putting the buckets in your garden, it’s best to place them on top of something to keep them from sitting directly on the roofing material. This will ensure proper drainage and prevent roof damage from any water trapped under the containers. I used wooden pallets, but pretty much anything that provides a bit of elevation will work just fine.
You should only need to fill your containers with water once or twice a week, depending on the size of the plants they hold and how much it has rained.
Mix the soil
You want your soil to be equal parts compost, vermiculite, and sphagnum moss—the amounts below are approximate.
Vermiculite and the moss are usually sold in bags of 1-3 cubic feet—more than enough for a single container. To save you the conversion time: one 5-gallon bucket holds about 0.7 cubic feet of material, so you’ll need a little less than 0.25 cubic feet of each (or about 1.5 gallons).
Compost is the most important element, and you can find the good stuff at nearby community gardens or composting operations. You can make your own, too, but it might be hard to produce enough if you're building a large garden. Still, never settle for the store-bought stuff.
For best results, it helps to sift the compost and moss to filter out any large chunks. Doing so helps ensure even water distribution throughout the soil, but if you’re tired and just want to get to the actual gardening, you can skip this step without too much worry.
What you'll need:
Materials (for one container)
1/4 cubic foot of vermiculite
1/4 cubic foot of sphagnum moss
1/4 cubic foot of compost
3 tablespoons of Azomite
3 tablespoons of kelp meal
3 tablespoons of all-purpose fertilizer
3 tablespoons of worm castings (optional)
Tools
If you’re not going to sift, simply dump the proper amount of each material onto your tarp. If you’re mixing soil for multiple containers, simply scale it up—your only limits are tarp size and how hard you want to work. If you’ve got a large container to mix in, that works, too, but a tarp is probably more practical for most apartment-dwellers.
Sprinkle kelp meal, all-purpose fertilizer, worm castings (if available), and Azomite on top. I usually use about 1 cup for six buckets worth.
Now mix it all up. Don’t half-ass it.
If you have a large container to mix the soil in, great! But if not, a tarp works just fine. Ryan Boysen
I had to pick out a bunch of worms during this process, so if your compost is also full of ‘em (which means the compost is healthy), keep them safe. Just put a little bit of compost in a small container, stash the worms in there, and then either release them into soil somewhere, or return them to wherever you got your compost. Unfortunately, the conditions inside your containers will probably not be optimal for worm survival, and a bunch of dead worms in your containers could lead to fungus or disease problems down the line.
When your soil is well-combined, put it in your containers.
If you want to sift the compost and moss, you’ll need to build a sifter.
What you'll need:
Materials (for the sifter)
2 2-foot-long 2-by-4s
2 4-foot-long 2-by-4s
A piece of 1/4-inch mesh (at least 4 feet long and 2 feet wide)
1.5-inch screws
Tools
Make a rectangle with your 2-by-4s and screw the corners together. Cut a length of mesh to fit over it all, letting the edges overlap the wooden frame so you can fasten it in place. Then, staple it tightly to the wood with the staple gun.
Place the sifter above your tarp by putting it on top of two chairs, boxes, tables, or whatever you have that’ll keep it elevated. Dump the compost into the sifter, then rub it around with your gloved hands until most of it has fallen through. Put any large bits into another container and set it aside.
Now do the same with sphagnum moss. You don’t have to sift the vermiculite.
This video is a great way to see what the process looks like.
As you get more into it, I’d recommend experimenting with liquid fertilizers to give your plants some extra oomph, but the nutrients in this mixture should be more than enough to get you, and your plants, started.
Now get out there and get gardening, and remember this: even though a man’s at odds to know his mind because his mind is aught he has to know it with, as long as you’re gardening you won’t need to trouble yourself with all that. Just stand among the screaming leaves and call down the lightning, and know that the time has come for you to reap.
Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy And Fenway Sports Group Partner Linda Henry Dish On The Five-Year Anniversary Of Fenway Farms
What started out as a dream of having a spot at Fenway Park to grow sustainable and organic produce has turned into a 10,600-square foot rooftop farm churning out organically grown vegetables and fruit to diners at Fenway Park’s Dell/EMC Club restaurant (as well as throughout the park)
Photo Credit: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox
What started out as a dream of having a spot at Fenway Park to grow sustainable and organic produce has turned into a 10,600-square foot rooftop farm churning out organically grown vegetables and fruit to diners at Fenway Park’s Dell/EMC Club restaurant (as well as throughout the park).
Located on the roof of the Front Office on the third base side of the EMC Level, it is here where the team at Green City Growers tends to this sustainable spot at America’s most beloved (and now greenest) ballpark. Celebrating its fifth year, Fenway Farms has produced 21,000 pounds of produce since inception that Aramark Executive Chef Ron Abell uses to prepare dishes from carrot hummus to scallion pancakes.
Photo Credit: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox
How did Fenway Farms come to be? “About six years ago, Red Sox Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Gilula and I were sitting in a game in the suite about 100 yards from here,” said Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy at the five-year anniversary celebration yesterday. “Linda, who we had worked with for a long time at that point, who is passionate about lots of Fenway sports group issues and Boston and works on a variety of different things, especially sustainability, especially engaging kids and works closely with everyone in the front office, said, ‘Guys, guys, I have an idea.’ She said, ‘Come out, I want to show you something.’ We walked out here and she said, ‘What do you think about Fenway Farms and putting a garden here? Wouldn’t that be incredible?'”
Photo Credit: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox
And the rest, as they say, is history. “When I was growing up, I remember summer nights of just having our fresh tomatoes,” said Linda Henry, Fenway Sports Group Partner and Red Sox Foundation Board Member. “We had this one problem there. We were at the losing end. We had this epic battle with this gopher in our backyard and I have a brilliant dad and he worked so hard. We put up netting; we put up traps and we were not winning. In fact, my dad found the spiciest hot peppers he could find and planted them just for the gophers. The gophers left us the hot peppers, but took everything else. I never lost my passion for gardening and the appreciation for what real fresh vegetables are.
I was captivated by what Green City Growers was doing because they were finding a way to bring rooftop gardens in an inexpensive and accessible way. This is something very attainable. We wanted to show this was something incredibly productive without a huge investment. What better way to show the potential for sustainable living than growing organic produce right here. If it can work in a place where hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jacks are considered three square meals, then we felt others would join us and that’s really what happened, which has really been amazing. Fenway Farms for me represents a daily miracle. Whoever imagined a working vegetable garden on the roof of the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball?”
New York: An Aerial Farm Sprouts In Manhattan At Essex Crossing
Something’s taking root on a Manhattan terrace — namely, carrots, turnips, radishes and all kinds of leafy greens.The garden with a view is the latest addition to Essex Crossing, the $1 billion mega-development project that will eventually cover nine city blocks around the intersection of Delancey and Essex Streets
By CARLA ROMAN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | JUL 30, 2019
(L-R) Linda Bryant, president of Project EATS, Rick Smith, Project EATS Director of Farm Operations, and L+M Vice Chair, Debbie Kenyon, pose in the quarter-acre Essex Crossing Farm on top of the Essex Market on Monday in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)
Something’s taking root on a Manhattan terrace — namely, carrots, turnips, radishes and all kinds of leafy greens.
The garden with a view is the latest addition to Essex Crossing, the $1 billion mega-development project that will eventually cover nine city blocks around the intersection of Delancey and Essex Sts.
The airy green space is perched atop the 6th floor deck of The Essex, one of the nine developments that will populate the Lower East Side when the project is finished in 2020.
The quarter-acre plot ― already resplendent with organic arugula and kale, and soon to welcome tat-soi and bok choy — is being farmed by Project Eats, which runs a network of 10 urban farms around the city with an eye toward feeding and involving surrounding communities.
Although not very large, the Essex Crossing’s farm is the second biggest in Manhattan, second only to another green garden on Randall’s Island. Essex Crossing’s first ready-to-eat crop — arugula —will go on sale this Saturday at its farm stand in Essex Crossing Park.
Katie Archer, director of Community Relations for Delancey Street Associates, a conglomerate of developers building Essex Crossing, said a big goal of the garden is to connect with seniors and local youth groups.
Astro Arugula plants grow in the raised bed in the quarter-acre Essex Crossing Farm on top of the Essex Market Monday in Manhattan. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)
Despite the farm being in early stages, PE had over 40 applications for its spring after-school PEAS (Project Eats After School) program, with many kids coming from the 5 city high schools located on a campus right across the street.
The program teaches and develops farming skills and health awareness. From the 40 applications, 28 students were selected and three are now full time summer employees at the farm stand.
Other students from the program now serve as community health educators, trying to teach residents about the different types of vegetables available to eat.
The produce is also available at a “Farmacy” stand in the Essex Crossing Park near its farm stand. Working in partnership with nearby Gouverneur Hospital and other local medical providers, patients will get a dietary prescription detailing which veggies would be most beneficial for them to eat. These prescriptions are then filled at the “Farmacy” at a subsidized cost via Health Bucks, a SNAP benefit program.
Project EATS Director of Farm Operations, Rick Smith, picks some Astro Arugula from the garden Monday morning. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)
Essex Farm will also provide free breakfast on Saturdays using the produce on the farm – hoping to spark an appetite for green-eating while demonstrating to the community how to use the crops in their cooking. The first community breakfast will be on the Essex Farm roof in late August when the vegetation is ready to harvest.
For now, the breakfast program is for seniors. But by 2020 families with children will also be included.
The farm and roof will also host other community programs like farm yoga, cooking demonstrations, and “Up On the Roof” a commissioned public art project featuring local artists, according to Linda Bryant, president and founder of PE.
Rover radish plants grow in the raised bed in the quarter-acre Essex Crossing Farm Monday morning. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)