SustainableFacility January/February 2011 : Page 25
Q Garden rooftops provide an opportunity in urban environments to safely interact with nature. Gary Comer Youth Center, photo courtesy of American Hydrotech, Inc. Q Low-income residents and children plant and maintain a 3,800-square-foot vegetable garden at the Louisville Scholar House. Photo courtesy of American Hydrotech, Inc. “The rooftop garden is both an oasis from urban stress and also a stepping stone to future careers,” says Hess. “The rooftop really shows the sky is the limit when youth and gardening are brought together.” SCHOLAR HOUSE, LOUISVILLE Rooftop vegetable gardens have great potential as educational oppor-tunities. A similar program on a slightly smaller scale exists on the roof of the Scholar House in Louisville, Ky. The Scholar House provides housing for low-income single parents and children while the parents pursue degrees from local colleges and universities. Part of the adjacent child development center is an accessible rooftop where residents and children plant and maintain a 3,800-square-foot vegetable garden. “Our children have eaten many vegetables that they had not even seen before,” said Cathe Dykstra, president and chief executive offi-cer of Family Scholar House, the parent organization of the Louisville Scholar House. “They tried them because they grew them and cooked ROOFTOP VEGETABLE GARDENS ALLOW FOR THE DISTANCE FROM THE SOURCE OF FOOD TO THE TABLE TO BE MEASURED IN FEET INSTEAD OF MILES. Q Everything from cucumbers to potatoes to popcorn is planted and harvested as part of the “seed-to-table” program. Gary Comer Youth Center, photo courtesy of American Hydrotech, Inc. them with their parent. Our programs are about learning new things to break the cycle of poverty. Nutrition and environmentally-friendly living are integral to the future for our families and our community.” GARDEN ROOF ASSEMBLY Both projects utilize American Hydrotech’s Garden Roof Assem-bly, which starts with a hot rubberized asphalt waterproofing mem-brane and includes insulation, drainage/water retention compo-nents and soil. The soil is specially engineered for a lighter weight and optimum drainage, which allows it to be installed on a roof where weight can be a concern. This creates a gardening experience almost indistinguishable from one at ground level. Unlike a con-tainer garden, this type of built-up assembly allows nutrients and water to be shared across the roof and provides plenty of room both horizontally and vertically for the plants’ roots to spread and grow. Rooftop vegetable gardens allow for the distance from the source of food to the table to be measured in feet instead of miles. This increases the nutritional quality of food and provides new opportu-nities for an urban population that often has limited access to fresh, high-quality produce. As the local food and urban agriculture movements gain momentum, urban rooftops will become an inte-gral part of the way we feed our cities. SF >> ANNA SUARDINI , ASLA, GRP, is the Garden Roof Technical Sales Coordinator for American Hydrotech, Inc. She can be reached at asuardini@hydrotechusa.com or 312.337.4998. Visit www.SustainableFacility.com for a video on these rooftop vegetable gardens. W W W . S U S TA I NAB LE F A C I LIT Y. C O M 25
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