EAT UPmicro-fund this barn raising
What if you gave $26,000 to a school to build a rooftop farm? What if 260 of your friends each gave $100? South Philadelphia High School is elbow deep in the latter scenario thanks to a strategy known as crowdfunding.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HAC36mUQRmk]On April 9th South Philadelphia High School launched an online fundraising campaign to raise over $26,000 through micro-donations. The publicly-sourced contributions will fund a full-time garden educator position and the development of a Greening Master Plan for the school’s 5.5 acre urban campus. This first phase of funding will parlay into four additional campaigns that will address the complete design of rooftop and ground-level improvements and construction of the campus vision.
South Philadelphia High School’s urban context || image by Google Maps
5.5 acre campus || image by Google Maps
Multi-acre roof || photo by Lauren Mandel
The project goals are simple: education, healthy eating, and stormwater management. The suite of infrastructural improvements outlined in the Greening Master Plan will present the school’s teachers with unique curriculum-building opportunities that take kids out of the classroom! Math, biology, English, and culinary arts teachers will introduce skills and concepts through outdoor education, which has the potential to offer long-lasting impact for the school’s 1,400 students. The greater community will benefit not only from empowered, motivated kids, but also from public green space – something that the neighborhood lacks.
Turning the campus into an outdoor classroom and neighborhood gathering space will involve rooftop and ground-level improvements. The roof will host an educational rooftop farm (likely 0.5 acre in size), extensive green roof areas, and solar panels. The landscape below may feature rain gardens, porous pavement, street trees, and expanded vegetable garden plots (of which the school already has two).
The brains behind this forward-thinking initiative is the school’s own Principal Otis Hackney, a Philadelphia native. Hackney dreamed up the project one day when speaking to the school’s part-time garden educator, Molly Devinney, who’s position is funded by the local civic association. Devinney recalls Principal Hackney pointing to the roof in 2012 and asking, “Do you think we can grow food up there?” Hackney shared his idea with Kim Massare, president of the Lower Moyamensing Civic Association (LoMO), who reached out to my company Roofmeadow to discuss the idea. The whim quickly snowballed into a phased strategy for refining the vision and securing funds to ensure its execution.
South Philadelphia High School’s rooftop vision || rendering by Lauren Mandel
The team decided to partner with Projexity, an online platform that raises micro-donations for neighborhood improvement projects, in order to engage the local and global community. While Projexity targets projects internationally in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Toronto, the company was founded by three University of Pennsylvania alumni (two of them my classmates in graduate school). With Projexity’s local roots and a crew of Philadelphians including Hackney, Devinney, Massare, and myself (my grandparents actually went to South Philly High), this project is by Philadelphia, for Philadelphia.
Now is your chance to dream big with us. Help South Philadelphia’s students and community members reach their goal by supporting this incredible “barn raising” initiative. Please visit Projexity.com for more information on how to get involved and make a difference.
it’s official.
Ladies and gents! Urban agricultural enthusiasts around the globe. It is my great pleasure to announce that my book, EAT UP | the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture, will be published today!
The first copies are streaming off the press and will soon be shipped to online and brick and mortar booksellers throughout North America and beyond. They should arrive within the next few weeks, but you can be one of the first to hold EAT UP in your hands by ordering through New Society Publishers, the book’s carbon-neutral publishing house. The book is also currently available online at Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, Amazon, Amazon UK, and Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. Buying directly from New Society provides the most support to the publishing house that made this book possible.
Many local bookstores have EAT UP in their ordering system but may not carry the book on their shelves unless you ask them to! Do your part to support mom and pop book shops by requesting that they carry EAT UP for the pleasure of browsers and localists. Buying locally keeps money within the neighborhood and reduces shipping costs associated with ordering individual items by mail.
EAT UP is the first full-length book about rooftop agriculture. It’s case studies, interviews, and checklists will provide the expert information you need to turn your dreams of rooftop farming and vegetable gardening into reality.
Get it while it’s hot!
Gotham Greens + Whole Foods = fresh
It’s official. Whole Foods Market and New York-based rooftop farming company Gotham Greens are partnering on a high-tech greenhouse atop the supermarket chain’s forthcoming Gowanus location. The Gothamist Daily reported that on April 1, Whole Foods announced the partnership, which will yield a 20,000 square foot (0.5 acre) hydroponic rooftop greenhouse. The Brooklyn market will represent Whole Foods’ eighth New York City location, and the first to house a commercial rooftop greenhouse.
Gotham Green‘s courtship with Whole Foods began with the company’s 15,000 square foot (0.3 acre) flagship location in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which has sourced fresh produce to various Whole Foods locations since 2011. The demand for roof-fresh greens and herbs is clearly through the roof, as the two companies embark on this new chapter in their relationship.
Produce grown in the rooftop greenhouse will be available in the store below (as well as in other Whole Foods New York locations), thereby minimizing transportation costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions. As with Gotham Greens’ flagship location, no pesticides will be used on the crops as they mature in their hydroponic haven. The greenhouse’s year-round production will incorporate sustainable technologies that include solar generated power and a sophisticated irrigation system that uses 20 times less water than conventional ground-level row farming.
But wait, there’s more! The Daily News reports that Gotham Greens is slated to open an even larger commercial rooftop greenhouse in Jamaica, Queens. This 60,000 square foot (1.4 acre) behemoth – one of the largest in the country – will occupy the roof of an industrial building. The hydroponic facility is expected to create 30 jobs and yield approximately 500 tons of produce per year, according to Gotham Greens founder and CEO, Viraj Puri.
What do you think about year-round rooftop production? Would your neighborhood welcome one of these cutting edge farms?
Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition!
Roof-To-Table Photography Exhibition flyer || by Lauren Mandel (photo credits to Lauren Mandel, The Fairmont Waterfront, Patrick Rogers Photography, Allen Ying Photography, Jake Stein Greenberg, and Ari Burling Photography)
The EAT UP | Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition captures the vibrancy of North America’s burgeoning rooftop agriculture movement. With fresh roofscape imagery and gritty portraiture, this collection of 30 colorful photographs portrays food’s journey from urban roof to plate.
The exhibition coincides with the publication of EAT UP | the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture, the first full-length book about rooftop food production. The book includes over 100 images of skyline farms and vegetable gardens, most of which are printed in black and white to satisfy the publishing house’s carbon-neutral mission. By featuring images from EAT UP, the exhibition aims to bring the colors of rooftop agriculture to life while spreading the imagery of a movement.
Each archival photograph is framed in double-reclaimed lumber that transformed from barn siding to flooring to frame stock. EAT UP author Lauren Mandel curated this travelling exhibition. The works of nine photographers showcase rooftop imagery from nine cities: Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Portland, San Francisco, Sarasota, Montreal, and Vancouver. The contributing photographers are:
– Allen Ying Photography
– Ari Burling Photography
– Jake Stein Greenberg
– John Q. Porter
– Lauren Mandel, MLA, ASLA
– Lufa Farms
– Michael I. Mandel, PhD
– Patrick Rogers Photography
– The Fairmont Waterfront
The exhibition is now on display in Philadelphia at Good Karma Cafe (928 Pine St.) through June 29. The show will travel to Chicago from August 20 through September 15, where it will occupy the walls of Uncommon Ground (1401 W. Devon Ave.), a restaurant with its very own rooftop farm. The photographs are available for purchase (both framed and unframed), so stop by if you’re in the area! If you’re interested in hosting this exhibition at your own gallery, restaurant, or public venue, please contact Lauren at lauren.mandel@gmail.com.
Rooftop agriculture is real, it’s happening. Now pick up a spade, a fork, or a pen and help kick-start this revolution.
foodie-ism at its finest
Philadelphians are hot for local food. This week in particular highlights the extent to which urbanites from the City of Brotherly Love are invested in furthering local food production through action, purchasing power, and dialogue. I often refrain from writing myself into blog posts, but this activity-filled week happens to be that of my 30th birthday, so please pardon my indulgence as I reveal the top three events of the week in the following urban agricultural categories:
3| ACTION
After a season of snow and frigid nights, spring cleanup has begun for growers across the city. Local DIY excitement mixed with an abundance of vacant lots and a hunger for local food has encouraged a diversity of residents – from laborers to lawyers – to roll up their sleeves and reach into the soil. Peas will soon creep up the sides of buildings, leading the gaze of many upward to contemplate the prime, underutilized skyline acreage. The cleanup buzz has overwhelmed me this week, as friends gear up for the season and chat about what vegetables they’ll plant and which would be appropriate for rooftops.
2 | PURCHASING POWER
What better way to support local farmers than by indulging in one (or two) of Philadelphia’s premier farm-to-table restaurants? The city’s strong farm-fresh cuisine culture makes it difficult to choose where to eat on a special occasion, so I chose two of my favorites. Farmicia, in Philly’s Old City neighborhood, features local, organic ingredients produced with sustainable practices. Barbuzzo, a hip Mediterranean restaurant in Center City, sources its meets, cheeses and vegetables from local artisanal farmers as well. Knowing that the positively sumptuous food at these restaurants was produced sustainably satisfies your soul in addition to your stomach.
3 | DIALOGUE (two-way tie)
The week kicked off with a thrilling Mark Bittman lecture in North Philadelphia at Congregation Rodeph Shalom. The synagogue hosted this seasoned New York Times columnist and award winning author, who spoke about “the future of food” with eloquence and humor. I was delighted to meet Mr. Bittman after the talk, where he signed my freshly purchased copy of “How to Cook Everything: The Basics.” Several days later I attended an international conference called “Feeding Cities: Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World,” hosted by the University of Pennsylvania and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Feeding Cities conference attracted urban agriculturalists and food security experts from around the globe. The invigorating two-day affair succeeded in spurring conversation between everyone from small-scale growers to Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Minister.
As I enter into my 30s I feel exceedingly lucky to live in a city with such diversified urban agricultural interests. This is a city where residents are empowered to grow food in sidewalk strips and on roofs. This is a city with a burgeoning reputation as a foodie hotspot. This is a city where civic dialogue attracts global leaders. Outdoing this inspirational week will be difficult, but I’m up for the challenge.
rooftop seed starting
It’s that time again! Spring is around the corner and by now your first round of seedlings should be reaching for the sun… or more likely for their artificial light source. Kick-starting the growing season through indoor seed starting can help ensure that your spring crops are in the ground and ready to roll as soon as the soil warms up. But up on a windy roof, where can your seedlings find the shelter they need?
SHARE Food Program greenhouse || photo by Lauren Mandel
Skyline greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, and even small sheds can protect your youngins from harsh rooftop winds and temperature fluctuations. These structures can be designed similarly to those on the ground, with a few extra considerations:
1| Stabilization – The stability of rooftop structures begins with sound anchoring and bracing or cross-bracing. How will the structure’s footings be secured? What is the local snow load requirement? Local building codes may affect the design of your rooftop greenhouse, so before banking on a glass or heated plastic structure, be sure to do your homework. Consulting a licensed structural engineer may provide answers regarding local building codes, your roof’s load capacity, and methods for preventing structural shaking.
2| Electric hook-up – If a heated or grow light dependant seed starting structure is in the cards, where will the electricity come from? Does your roof contain an electrical hook-up? If not, how much will it cost for an electrician to install one? For the sake of simplicity you may want to consider a passive solar structure, but keep in mind that rooftop temperatures will fluctuate wildly.
SHARE Food Program heirloom tomatoes || photo by Lauren Mandel
3| Water source – Seedlings’ notorious thirst must be satisfied with a water source. Does your roof contain a point of connection? If not, you’ll need to speak with a plumber about installing one. When considering the use of harvested irrigation water, be sure to consult local codes about required filtration systems specific to crop production.
While some rooftop growers choose to start seedlings near their fields, others prefer to reserve valuable rooftop acreage for mature, productive plants. When considering alternate locations try starting your babes within the building below or at an off-site location. Go get started!
agricultural roofs in Gaza
Rooftop agriculture is taking root around the globe. With its beginnings in 600 B.C.E. Babylon (present day Iraq), rooftop farming has arrived, full circle, back in the Middle East. According to the online Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, Gazan residents are installing aquaponic gardens on their roofs to meet local food demands.
Rooftop farming in Gaza || photo by Mohammad Abed (published in L’Orient-Le Jour)
The February 4th article, written by an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist, stated that, “Gaza has 1.7 million people crammed into an area of [139 square miles].” As one of the most densely populated areas in the politically-unstable region, Gaza’s ability to grow its own food is critical. The article points out that 35% of Gaza’s arable land, which could be used for farming, is located in the “buffer zone” barrier, instituted by neighboring Israel in 1994. Farming within 330 yards of the border can be deadly, so Gazan farmers operate within safer areas whenever possible. A fact sheet released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) notes that the barrier additionally excludes 85% of Gaza’s fishing territories. Combined, annual losses from restrictions on agricultural and fishing territories exceed US$50 million, according to the fact sheet.
Gaza Strip || image by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
In response to Gaza’s food insecurity– which the FAO has deemed a “humanitarian crisis” – the FAO took interest in teaching Gazans how to efficiently grow their own food at home, in confined spaces. With funding from the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium, the FAO established an emergency food production support project in 2010. During the project’s first phase, deputy director Mohammad al-Chatali successfully facilitated the construction of 119 aquaponic gardens on the roofs of female-headed urban households. Twenty-four additional gardens were installed in community and educational facilities. In 2011, during phase two of the project, 100 more were constructed, for a total of 243 rooftop aquaponic gardens.
Aquaponic gardening consists of a closed-loop system that combines aquaculture (aquatic animal and plant cultivation) with hydroponics (soil-less plant propagation). The technique simultaneously produces fish and vegetables, by re-circulating water through the troughs or barrels in which the fish and edible plants live. In Gaza, tilapia is the fish of choice for these gardens. Residents grow lettuces, peppers, broccoli, celery and herbs, among other edibles, which are all fertilized by the fish waste in the recirculating water.
One Gazan resident who received a home aquaponic system, Abu Ahmad, feeds his 13 member household with the vegetables and fish produced on his roof, thereby minimizing his need to buy groceries. With additional rooftop gardens in the pipeline, Gaza is able to feed itself, one bite at a time.
making your rooftop farm a reality
As my company, Roofmeadow, delves deeper into the world of rooftop agriculture, keep us in mind for your rooftop farm or garden project! With engineers, landscape architects, construction specialists, and a rooftop agricultural expert (yours truly) on staff, we approach each project holistically, with the roof’s long-term performance in mind. The hunger for local food has reached new heights, and we’re here to help you make this vision a reality.
This video clip will be featured at the Green Roofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2013, hosted by greenroofs.com, from February 12th to March 13th. Visit their website for information on how to access the Summit.