Rooftop Gardens as a Reality

A Farm Grows in Brooklyn...on a Rooftop! from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

As many of you know, Charleston Urban Agriculture was founded upon the inspiration of rooftop gardens.  Sadly, we abandoned the idea after it looked like it would be too logistically complex and financially exhaustive.  In historic Charleston, it would be necessary to prove that the old buildings could bear the weight of a full scale garden or mini farm, such as the one in the video, and we currently lack the ability to put together feasibility studies and test the structural integrity of potential sites.

However, as we continue to expand, and enhance our relationships with the City and the College, it may be time to revisit this idea.  Brooklyn, the site in the video, has no shortage of historic buildings, including, from the looks of it, the one used for the garden being described.  Greater cooperation with the City could lead to a partnership in which they could take the lead in selecting and approving appropriate buildings.  At the same time, the College will be hiring a Director of Sustainability, complete with a consistent budget of significant size derived from the new Sustainability Fee. 

Furthermore, the Sustainability Committee has already approved a feasibility report for Green Roofs on campus.  It would be a fairly easy transition to take a few of the Green Roofs and convert them for agricultural use.

On campus, we are already a step closer than we were just a few short months ago.  With the influx of funds allocated specifically for initiatives such as this, a Director appointed specifically for this purpose, and active Sustainability Committees on both the Administration and Student Body level, we are at a point where we could, with some effort, soon be eating food in Liberty that was separated from its source by just a few flights of stairs.  But you must be your own advocate.  Be sure to tell administration members or city officials that this is something you want.