Yashoda Sukhnath

4/24/14

Eng 1121-D428

First half of Essay #3

Brooklyn Grange

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 distribute fresh vegetables and herbs, but also supplies urban farming and 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 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.

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, arrived from the subway at 36th street and got off from bicycles, accumulating outside a building. They were dressed in hats, plastic work gloves, and had shovels and shears, they displayed to build the biggest soil rooftop farm in the world. Called Brooklyn Grange — the group behind it settled on the name before they settled on their borough.(Cardwell, Diane. “Six Stories Above Queens, a Fine Spot for a little Farming”) The assignment took six days of craning 3,000 pounds soil sacks seven stories up to the roof. About two dozen of 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 black plastic root-barrier and the East end was burrowed into neat, absolute- divided rows and dotted with tomato seedlings and vegetable cork. Gradually, a farm formed its structure.

When they form to grow food on the rooftops and new spaces of New York City, their assignment was to develop a economic assert able model for urban crop production and to harvest healthy, vegetables for their town and also helping the environment. About two acres of rooftops under planting in Brooklyn and Queens, they’ve sold approximately over 120,000 pounds of vegetables to restaurants, CSA members and exactly to farm stands. However they extended moreover their assignment to grow vegetables: they now maintain egg laying hens and started a marketing hive, fertilizing bees for their honey and conducting local arrogance into their DNA. Educational non profit partners, City Growers, manages thousands of NYC’s minority each season for academic courses and workshops.

The rooftops are regularly busy with activities: harvesting with trainees registered in the farm training program, or hosting a calling office group for a collaborative retreat. Also, 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. They believe that NYC can be more tenable that their air can be cooler and waterways can be cleanser. They also think that 14% of their disposal area consist of food scraps should be made into natural energy for plants. Again, they trust that food should be fresh and not behind somewhere 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,” 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, Adrianne. “Gotham farmers sprout cash crops”)