Inside Urban Green

An Academic Greenscaping Opportunity

 

The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is trying to make this new dorm the first LEED gold rated residence hall in the state. It evidently has, or is going to have, an edible garden on the roof that will supply the cafeteria. I suspect this is in the future because although the roof garden appears in the video there is no sign of vegetable gardening. In fact, it looks like there is a sedum green roof and a rather traditional lawn and patio garden.

Knowing what I know about our land grant institutions there is little or no chance that the edible garden will utilize any form of sub-irrigated planter system (SIPs). There are thousands of dorms across the country that present golden opportunities to teach young people about the many benefits of modern SIPs urban agriculture. Few, if any, are seizing the opportunity.

MIT is one example of urban gardening modernity in the U.S. that I have blogged about. They have a campus EarthBox garden. In my view, the McGill Edible Campus in Montreal is the finest example of modern campus gardening anywhere in the world. Do you know of any other dorms or campuses that have SIPs gardens? 

Green Dorm: UWM students move-in to new green dorm - WITI

WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE - Moving day has arrived at UW-Milwaukee, as students are about to start the new school year later this week. Some lucky students are moving in to what looks to be the state's most unique dormitory. Cambridge Commons is the university's newest dorm and designed to reduce the environmental impact of the building. The dorm has a rooftop garden and the food grown is used in the cafeteria. The dorm also has two classrooms where some professors will teach classes instead of having 50 or more students drive to campus. The university is trying to make it the first LEED gold certified residence hall in the state.

McGill University Edible Campus

via www.youtube.com

Note: There is loud background music in the video. Check your sound.

The website that hosted the McGill University Edible Campus slideshow went out of business. Thanks to jardinssurtoit this video shows them all.

Another Canadian Rooftop SIP Edible Garden

SP Photo by Richard Marjan, The StarPhoenix

These are sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) producing fresh vegetables on the roof of the Pinnacle  condominium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. A group of students from the University of Saskatchewan were inspired by the work of The Rooftop Garden Project and McGill University Edible Campus in Montreal. Rooted is the name of their student urban gardening group.

Why is it that we do not have more rooftop and ground level SIP edible gardens like this here in the U.S.?  It starts with education. We desperately need new educators who have not been indoctrinated by the retrogressive horticulture programs of our land grant institutions. It is a huge bureaucracy whose dogma is not easy to overcome.

Excerpts from the StarPhoenix article...

"It's nice to see people that are interested in this type of thing. I just wish we could get the knowledge out," said resident Les Hodgson. He helped tend the plants and wants the project to continue. "It just takes care and water. Why not use the top of your roof? There's nothing up there," he said.

The Rooted group built the containers and residents did the weeding and watering. Best estimates people could provide at least one-quarter of their produce needs throughout the growing season with rooftop gardens. Much of the produce from this project was donated to the Childhood Hunger and Education Program (CHEP) and Interval House.

"It makes a huge difference just in terms of well-being and the carbon footprint if we're able to grow our own food," Best said. "The food doesn't have to travel anywhere, except maybe downstairs."

The project also created a "hang out" space at the top of the building. With no shortage of volunteers tending the plants, the garden also grew a sense of community among the residents.

"I think it should be on every roof that's safe," Thair said.

"I think what gives life meaning is a sense of connectedness to your community," he said. "From my perspective, the main benefit is people working together."

McGill University Edible Campus Project

There is a very informative interview with Vikram Bhatt, Director of the McGill School of Architecture’s Minimum Cost Housing Group (MCHG) in the McGill Reporter. 

“This isn’t a about fighting against parking lots and plazas,” said Vikram Bhatt in the middle of a fertile patch of radishes, carrots, sunflowers and pumpkins that thrives on the east side of Burnside Hall where but a few short years ago only concrete and a rock basin could be found. “This is about working together to make better use of our city spaces.” ...Read more...

I call what he said here urban greenscaping. He goes on to talk about the McGill Edible Campus project done in partnership with the Rooftop Garden Project (part of the Montreal based NGO Alternatives). The Edible Campus is an outstanding project in support of local food and I've blogged about it before. 

EarthBoxes Coming To A MIT Garage Roof

Planning the MIT garage roof EarthBox garden

McGill University sub-irrigated container garden - rooftop in the background

There will be an EarthBox garden on a garage roof at MIT this summer. What a great idea that was pioneered by McGill University in partnership with the Roof Top Garden Project in Montreal. 

Gardeners on the roof
Vegetables, flowers to grow atop West Garage in sustainable agriculture exercise

Going green, giving back
Each plot will consist of one EarthBox, a low-cost, compact and water-efficient growing container that's about the size of a large suitcase. The EarthBoxes will be available for purchase, at a discount and complete with soil and fertilizer, through MIT's Endicott House. While there is no fee for a plot, gardeners must supply the EarthBox, soil and plants. Read more...

There could be (should be) one of these gardens on every campus in the country. All it would take is some student sweat equity and a relatively small amount of money. 

One of the many advantages of sub-irrigated box, bed and bucket gardens is portability and their incremental nature. There is no need to make a big decision to till a plot of land with all the complexities involved regarding land acquisition, possible soil contamination and need for soil amending. 

Just start with one or two boxes, beds or buckets. Keep it simple and watch both the vegetables and garden size grow.   

The only thing that prevents this from happening is lack of knowledge and leadership.

McGill Edible Campus Garden

BubbleShare: Share photos - Craft Ideas

If you haven't seen it before, this is a slideshow of the sub-irrigated box and bucket edible garden on the campus of McGill University in Montreal. 

It is a most impressive community effort on the part of The Rooftop Garden Project and McGill University students. 

2008 National Urban Design Award

These are three photos of "Making the Edible Campus" an award winning project at McGill University in Montreal. It was done in partnership with The Rooftop Garden Project, also an award winner.

Why is it that we have nothing like this in all of the United States? 

From the jury comments:

Amongst the interesting “fragments” submitted from across the country, the jury appreciated the social foundations and community/volunteer involvement as well as the sustainable urban objectives of this scheme. With simple, direct layouts it aims to employ underused corners and spaces within the public realm to grow produce linked to a food collection and meal delivery system, creating a sustainable prototype that could potentially be expanded to other university campuses and across the city.

Click on the first photo and it will take you to more photos showing the beauty, practicality and community involvement associated with this outstanding project.

The Edible Campus

Above is a view of the edible campus at McGilll University in Montreal. This award winning project is a joint venture between McGill and The Rooftop Garden Project. Student volunteers created an urban edible landscape that is truly spectacular. That is not ivy growing on the wall. These vines are a source of fresh nutritious food.

You can see the 2007 project in a series of 73 photos progressing from a rather uninviting bare hardscape to a verdant edible garden—green in every sense of the word.

Why is there nothing like this in the great City of New York where I live? If there is, I have not found it. Our institutions appear to be stuck in a horticultural dead end defined by clay pots and saucers.

Notice the simple construction of the "growers". Even a non-DIY person could make these planters. And no, you will not find the highly misleading term "self-watering" used to describe them.