Rooftop Aquaponics

[Sahib Punjabi]

There have been numerous posts shared on "Rooftop Gardens"...some on the "Vertical Gardening" group. This is a growing field and one that we should be looking into...especially Urban Dwellers. I am fortunate to have probably the best show case examples (although these are not really financially viable for your average "Joe" like me), at my backdoor...at Disney Epcot Center and one in Winter Garden..."Green Sky Growers"

http://www.greenskygrowers.com/

Let's share some of these developments and learn from each other :-)

[Sahib Punjabi]

Growing Food Locally:
Integrating Agriculture Into the Built Environment

http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2009/1/29/Growing-Foo...

[Sahib Punjabi]

Many poor around the world struggle to feed their families in arid climates or during droughts or floods. But what about those families in urban areas who don't even have land to call their own?

http://www.ncnnews.org/nphweb/html/ncn/article.jsp?sid=10000008&...

[Sahib Punjabi]

Rooftop Greenhouse Could Revolutionize City Schools

NEW YORK—Students at Manhattan School for Children (MSC) on West 93rd Street guided tours through their new science classroom—a 1,420 square-foot, state-of-the art rooftop greenhouse on Monday. It is the first of its kind in the city at a public school, a pilot project, which may expand to 100 schools across the city over the next 10 years if successful.

read more...

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/47075/

[Sylvia Bernstein]

Ha! Funny...you and I were seeing the same thing within 2 hours of each other. I posted the slide show on the home page. Don't you love this?!?! The potential for education is unbelievable - we all knew that - but seeing it come to life, literally, is such a joy.


Sahib Punjabi said:

Rooftop Greenhouse Could Revolutionize City Schools

NEW YORK—Students at Manhattan School for Children (MSC) on West 93rd Street guided tours through their new science classroom—a 1,420 square-foot, state-of-the art rooftop greenhouse on Monday. It is the first of its kind in the city at a public school, a pilot project, which may expand to 100 schools across the city over the next 10 years if successful.

read more...

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/47075/

[Sahib Punjabi]

Feeding the Hungry Cities: Backyard Chickens, Rooftop Gardens, and Vertical Farming

http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2010/12/feeding_the_hungry_ci...

[Sahib Punjabi]

OK!. I know long reads but really good info on both posts :-)

Related post...also speaks of Vertical Farming :-)

It is Elegant, but is It Feasible?

Category: urbanization week
Posted on: December 8, 2010 8:13 AM, by Sharon Astyk

As Urbanization Week continues, Liz Borkowski put up a great post about feeding cities that includes a nice, rational (look at the comments for more good stuff) discussion of the idea of Vertical Farming. I'm glad to see the issue come up, because it has so much power. I'm grateful to Liz for providing such a balanced and rational discussion, since most of them aren't.

http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/2010/12/growing_up_and_other_...

[Sylvia Bernstein]

Thanks for posting, Sahib. I read them both. Worth the time.

[Sahib Punjabi]

Vertical farming

Does it really stack up?

Agriculture: Growing crops in vertical farms in the heart of cities is said to be a greener way to produce food. But the idea is still unproven

Really good article in the Economist...Love the conclusions :-)

"The immediate opportunity may simply be to take advantage of the space available on urban rooftops, says Mr Head, and to pursue urban farming rather than vertical farming....I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw large retailers with greenhouses on their roofs growing produce for sale in the shop,” It is unclear how competitive this will be. Rooftop farming may not be able to compete with other suppliers in a global market unless people are prepared to pay a premium for fresh, local food....But, for the time being, this more down-to-earth approach is much more realistic than the sci-fi dream of fields in the sky"

http://www.economist.com/node/17647627?story_id=17647627&fsrc=rss

 

[Sahib Punjabi]

The ultimate "Roof Garden"

 

f humans are to colonize space, how will we manage sustainable agriculture? Enter the science of aeroponics.

If you were to attempt to raise a garden utilizing only lunar or Martian soil, chances are that your precious plants would either die a horrible death or survive albeit malnourished.

While there are probably exceptions to this rule (i.e. asparagus might be able to thrive within Martian dirt), the vast majority of terrestrial plants will need terrestrial soil in order to thrive, which poses a huge problem for humanity (as people need to eat off world, let alone find employment).

 

 

http://io9.com/5712467/extraterrestrial-farmers-to-raise-grain-with...

[Sahib Punjabi]

Now if only we could somehow incorporate  fish thus combine "Aquaponics" with Aeroponics (as far as I am aware, in my limited knowledge, this is just the spraying of water to the roots) :-)

Sahib Punjabi said:

The ultimate "Roof Garden"

 

f humans are to colonize space, how will we manage sustainable agriculture? Enter the science of aeroponics.

If you were to attempt to raise a garden utilizing only lunar or Martian soil, chances are that your precious plants would either die a horrible death or survive albeit malnourished.

While there are probably exceptions to this rule (i.e. asparagus might be able to thrive within Martian dirt), the vast majority of terrestrial plants will need terrestrial soil in order to thrive, which poses a huge problem for humanity (as people need to eat off world, let alone find employment).

 

 

http://io9.com/5712467/extraterrestrial-farmers-to-raise-grain-with...

[Sahib Punjabi]

What Urban Rooftop Gardening Could Do For The Middle East

With so many flat roofs across the Middle East, surely the region is ripe for a bit of rooftop gardening?

 

Recent reports that people in the Gaza Strip are embracing rooftop gardening has got us thinking about the urban gardening phenomena and it’s relevance to the Middle East. Whilst growing your own maybe something greenies love to do, there is a real incentive for those who have not bought into the green-agenda to take part too. That’s the beauty of urban gardening: it works on lots of levels and has multiple benefits. So as well as helping to reduce air pollution, keeping the city cool during hot summers and warmer during cold winters, the rooftop crops can help those living in poverty stave off starvation and even generate a decent income.

http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/12/rooftop-garden-middle-east/

[Sahib Punjabi]

A "hot" trend for 2011 "Hyperlocal" food:

 

"Up on the roof: Eateries grow own 'hyperlocal' food

When chefs at Frontera Grill on North Clark Street in Chicago want to make salsa for their customers, they needn’t look any further than their own roof for the necessary ingredients.  

From Bell Book & Candle in New York City to Ledge Kitchen & Drinks in Dorchester, Mass., restaurants across the nation are recognizing the benefits of growing their own food directly in their restaurant buildings."

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=176101

 

Not sure if they are using any Aquaponics here...missing out "hyperlocal" fish if they are not...

 

So to go one better, how about adding some "roof garden" solar? Just see what is planned in NJ

http://www.nj.com/suburbannews/index.ssf/2011/01/largest_single-roo...