This past weekend the wonderful people at Google NYC hosted a Farm Fresh event at Brooklyn Grange, the largest rooftop farm in the city. It was a privilege to spend time with Anastasia, the Managing Partner of the farm, and hear her story of how the one-acre-large farm came to be two years ago. Surrounded by perfect view of Manhattan, we shared ideas on the future of sustainable cities through efforts like green rooftop farms over a meal of fresh greens, local cheese, and heirloom tomatoes.
The vision behind Brooklyn Grange is a community-based, financially and environmentally sustainable farm focused on growing delicious, fresh, real foods within the urban environment. It was amazing to see the passion, resourcefulness, and dedicated hard-work that goes into making this farm a reality. Capitalizing on unused space of city rooftops, Brooklyn Grange and similar initiatives simply make sense if we are to realize more efficient, sustainable, and live-able cities. It was encouraging to see what a few dreamers are doing to truly make a lasting difference in this community despite the challenges or difficulties they may come up against.
Something about being among chickens, soil, and beds of peppers while the city skyline loomed in the background was a welcomed change of pace. It is fantastic to see growing support for green roofs and urban farming and the potential for these efforts to increase as they become more and more a staple of the city. Being able to spend time and learn from the people championing these efforts---all while sharing in a meal at their table--was quite a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
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