Yashoda Sukhnath

5/22/14

Eng 1121-D428

Final draft of Essay #3

The Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm

What is the Brooklyn Grange? It is the dominant rooftop farming and accelerated green roofing business in the United States. They perform the world’s biggest rooftop soil farms located on two roofs in NYC. The Brooklyn Grange not only grows and distributes fresh vegetables and herbs, but it also supplies urban farming, green roof advising, and installation services to customers internationally. There’s a story behind building the Brooklyn Grange and in order for the farm to achieve reach and growth, they work together as a team, promoting urban farm education center, and training hundreds of young farmers.

Before the Brooklyn Grange farm became well- known to everyone worldwide there was a story behind it. In May 2010, a group arose on Northern Blvd, having arrived from the subway at 36th street, and got off of bicycles to accumulate outside a building. They were dressed in hats, plastic work gloves, and had shovels and shears. They displayed these to build the biggest soil rooftop farm in the world, called Brooklyn Grange with the group behind it settling on the name before they settled on their borough (Cardwell). The project took six days of craning 3,000 pound soil sacks seven stories up to the roof. About two dozen hardworking friends and family members helped shoveling in the sun to reach their goal. The West end of the urban farm was still being worked on with a black plastic root-barrier and the East end was burrowed into neat, absolute- divided rows dotted with tomato seedlings and vegetable cork. Gradually, a farm formed its structure.

The Brooklyn Grange team formed to achieve reach and growth to grow food on the rooftops and new spaces of New York City, their project was to develop an economic assertable model for urban crop production and to harvest healthy vegetables for their town and also to help the environment. There are about two acres of rooftops under planting in Brooklyn and Queens and they’ve sold over approximately 120,000 pounds of vegetables to restaurants, CSA member and directly to farm stands. However, they extended their project to growing vegetables and now maintain egg laying hen and have started a marketing hive, fertilizing bees for their honey. Their educational non- profit partners, City Growers, manages thousands of NYC’s small minority groups of people each season for academic courses and workshops.

In addition, the rooftops are regularly busy with activities such as educating about urban farming, training children and adults. Also, harvesting with trainees registered in the farm training program, or hosting a calling office group for a collaborative retreat. They converted into a romantic affair for dinner parties, wedding ceremonies and film screenings. However they are a farm, and growing healthy food is their dedication. Their dream is having a farm in New York City. They believe that NYC can be more tenable, that their air can be cooler and waterways can be cleaner. They also think that 14 percent of their disposal areas consist of food scraps that should be made into natural energy for plants. Again, they believe that food should be fresh and not in a box sitting for two weeks because they believe the main concept is sitting down with your family, viewing the sunset, munching on a ripe delicious tomato. “Cities are beginning to realize urban agriculture is much more than growing tomatoes and kale,” (Pasquarelli) said Nevin Cohen, assistant professor of environmental studies at the New School. “It’s beneficial as an ecological business and for the social benefits that accrue from growing food in the city” (Pasquarelli).

The Brooklyn Grange farm is completed by a team of inspired working people dedicated to achieving a more tenable and tasteful New York City. The community mention them as The Farmily because they consist of not just a center group of directing partners but also as a loyal chain of trainees including financier, landlord, town partners, and assistant farmers. Without the hard working team of their town, Brooklyn Grange could not accomplish the development they have achieved since the opening of 2010 in the spring. Fougeron an individual visiting the one-acre roof top farm in Queens said “but on the top floor I beheld young and hip urban farmers tilling the earth with their vintage Coach bags and babies, plucking out carrots and flowers for the day’s orders of fresh produce from local restaurants and residents. Why aren’t there more rooftop gardens everywhere in the city”(Wender)? He was surprised to see how the farmers are working with so much dedication. There are many important people working at the Brooklyn Grange such as: Ben Flanner, the head farmer and president of the farm. He is a trained Industrial Engineer and is in business and marketing. He organized Eagle Street Rooftop Farms in 2009, the first rooftop soil farm in NYC and is acknowledged as a leader in rooftop urban agriculture. Anastasia Cole Plankias, vice president and founding partner, is a published writer and veteran of the NYC restaurant industry. She has her own radio station, the Heritage Radio Network segment where she shares her love for food politics. Anastasia is passionate about making her city a greener and more tenable place to live. Gwen Schantz, chief operating officer and founding partner, she is an experienced urban farmer, a tenable food apostle, and co-founder of the Bushwick Food Cooperative & Community Supportive Agriculture. She directs Brooklyn Grange’s Contracting and Installations division, arranging and establishing green roofs, gardens, and other spaces for customers in NYC.

Indeed the Brooklyn Grange is New York’s superior urban farm education center, and has trained hundreds of young farmers since the opening of 2010. The team are dedicated to sharing their apprehension with others, and to adapting the next generation of urban farmers for achievement by teaching significant skills through hands on programs. “People showed evidence of their interest and support to the new farming scenario by joining not only the volunteer days in the roof or the various funding platforms they activated, but by participating in the social activities aimed at building a community,” stated (Altuna). The Brooklyn Grange has trained many refugees from Asia and Central America or Mexico, who bring with them cultural and agricultural beliefs that better their farming practices and their town at the farm. Registrars get work experience and build their resumes. They support the founding of City Growers , a non profit education program related to rooftop farms. City Growers has brought about 10,000 children and adults to their farms for educational purposes and workshops where they learn about science, nutrition, and much more.

Before the Brooklyn Grange farm became well- known to everyone worldwide, there was a story behind it and in order for the farm to achieve the reach and growth, they’re a group of people who work together as a team. It’s also an urban farm education center, and has trained hundreds of young farmers. The Brooklyn Grange is the dominant rooftop farming and accelerated green roofing business in the United States. They maintain the world’s biggest rooftop soil farms located on two roofs in New York City. Urban farming has the ability to become a global green evolution, developing the economy, health and supporting of our urban communities. In New York City, urban farming is modifying the way communities access food production, socialization and maintainability.

Works Cited

Cardwell, Diane. “Six Stories Above Queens, a fine spot for a little Farming.” New York

Times 13 May. 2010. Print.

Pasquarelli, Adrianne. “Gotham farmers sprout cash crops.” Crains New York, July 28.

2013.

Wender, Jessie. “Eye on Culture: Brooklyn Grange.” The New Yorker, Sep 5. 2011

Altuna, Naiara, Dell’ Era, Claudio, Verganti, Roberto. “Exploring Nature and Scalability

of Social Innovations through the design driven perspective.”