Since EAT UP‘s publication on April 12th, the first book on rooftop agriculture has received its fare share of media attention. The fascination? Interest in growing food on rooftops is rising as farmland disappears, transportation costs increase, and urbanites realize they can grow their own food close to home.
In an April 30th Boston Globe article, “Coming to a Roof Near You,” reporter Joseph P. Kahn discusses the burgeoning rooftop agriculture movement by highlighting Boston’s forthcoming Higher Ground Farm and EAT UP. The article includes fabulous images (some of which appear in the book) and quotes from a phone interview Kahn conducted with me several weeks ago:
Beyond the expertise required, “A big part of this is exposure and social media coverage,” Mandel continues. “When you couple rooftop agriculture with a restaurant or grocery store, you have a lot of marketing potential. There’s an element of sex appeal there, to be honest.”
EAT UP‘s media coverage extends to the blogosphere, where journalist CG Lawrence – who attended last week’s Roof-to-Table Launch Event in Philadelphia – wrote about the launch and freshly published book in his post, “Don’t Eat Out: EAT UP: New Book on Rooftop Agriculture.” Click here for a full list of EAT UP‘s media coverage, which includes newspaper, magazine, and radio coverage. Hopefully we’ll see more stories sprout up as the press release below (released yesterday) digs its roots into newsrooms near and far.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Philadelphia Green Roof Designer Writes First Full-Length Book on Rooftop Agriculture
EAT UP | The Inside Scoop on Rooftop Agriculture
Press Contact: Lauren Mandel (lauren.mandel@gmail.com / 518-221-6230)
Green roof designer, landscape architect, and Philadelphia-native Lauren Mandel breaks down the lofty notions of Rooftop Agriculture in the first full-length book about rooftop food production.
Author photo by Geoffrey Goldberg Photography
PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 29, 2013) – EAT UP, the first full-length book about rooftop food production, has been released by Philadelphia-based author and green roof designer, Lauren Mandel. Published internationally by New Society Publishers (a carbon-neutral publishing house), EAT UPexplains the practices and practicality of rooftop agriculture through case studies, interviews with industry leaders, and useful checklists. With over 60 percent of the global population now living in urban areas, innovative forms of food production such as rooftop agriculture are becoming increasingly important in addressing food needs while also appealing to those interested in growing fresh food close to home.
EAT UP culminates a three-year research and photography project for Mandel. The book consists of three sections: home rooftop gardening, commercial rooftop farming, and the rooftop agriculture industry, making it the most comprehensive guide to date on the subject matter.
The book was unveiled on April 25, 2013 at Philadelphia eatery Good Karma Café. The Roof-to-Table Launch Event celebrated literature, art, and food by featuring a book signing, 30-piece photography exhibition of images from the book, and seasonal food sourced from local farms, complete with food mileage labels. The Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition consists of images of rooftop farms and vegetable gardens taken by nine photographers (including Mandel) in nine cities throughout North America. Each photograph is framed with “twice-reclaimed” lumber made from barn siding re-purposed as flooring, re-purposed again as framing stock. The Exhibition will hang in the launch venue (925 Pine St.) through June 29, 2013, and will then travel to Chicago’s Uncommon Ground restaurant (1401 W. Devon Ave.) where it will hang from August 20 – September 15, 2013, with a Midwest launch event on August 20. The exhibition is available for additional restaurant and gallery spaces from July 1 – August 1, 2013 and after September 23, 2013.
EAT UP is available in print and ebook from New Society Publishers (newsociety.com), Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and local book stores.
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About Lauren Mandel – Lauren Mandel is a Project Manager and Rooftop Agriculture Specialist at the Philadelphia-based green roof firm Roofmeadow, where she designs vegetated and agricultural roofs and oversees green roof construction throughout the United States. She has visited and photographed rooftop farms and gardens across North America and interviewed prominent rooftop farmers, CEOs, and designers. Mandel is a contributing writer for Urban Farm and Grid magazines, a guest lecturer at universities and conferences, and a blogger ateatupag.wordpress.com. Mandel holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Skidmore College. She has previously worked as a landscape designer, US Forest Service wilderness ranger, organic farm intern, and a research intern for American Farmland Trust.
For more information please visit eatupag.wordpress.com and roofmeadow.com.
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