Saatchi & Saatchi Blue Team Tour of Rooftop Farms

On October 1st our NYC Saatchi & Saatchi Blue team ventured from our headquarters at 375 Hudson Ave to visit a local (and I mean local) farm set atop an inconspicuous warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our team, in the process of designing a rooftop garden on our building, was hoping to walk away from the visit with a few tips on how a project like ours might work.

What we found on that chilly, fall afternoon was a 6,000 square foot urban Eden, where the only thing forbidden about the food was the use of any harmful chemical. This isn’t your run of the mill rooftop garden comprised of a few planter boxes and terracotta pots, but a full-fledged field set directly atop the surface of the roof.

As we walked the earthen sidewalk between the living streets, pausing in awe at the stoplights of red tomato, yellow squash, and green pepper, our minds and interest couldn’t help but return to the promise of our own edible paradise….

Dwarf varieties are better options given the strong wind. Got it.

Keep in mind above the 14th floor growing conditions change. I didn’t know that!

Best if you can grow your own transplants to ensure they are accustomed to the environment right from the start. Good to know.

The farm opened this past April and is the nation’s first commercial working farm built on a green roof. They grow and sell more than 30 varieties of fruits and vegetables to local residents as well as establishments including Anella Restaurant, Eat Records, Café Cita Bogota, and Greenpoint Coffeehouse (who also donates their used coffee grounds for compost).

While the expected yield at 375 Hudson will be modest in comparison to Rooftop Farms bountiful harvest, these kinds of urban food production projects will be instrumental in helping feed the 9.2 billion people expected to live on planet Earth by 2050. And with roughly 500 million square feet of potential rooftop farmland available worldwide (over to 11,000 acres), we are not talking small potatoes. And food is just part of the story – rooftop gardens can help lower a building’s heating and cooling costs, reduce food miles, and provide a great, natural repose from bustling city life. Did we mention yummy veggies?

Enjoy the pics!

To learn more about Rooftop Farms and how you can support their efforts, go to http://rooftopfarms.org.