Roof top gardens are going big time
08 September 2011
The latest evidence that globally we are greening any available space comes from The Netherlands. It is a tribute to innovative thinkers that where growing space is scarce they have come up with ideas and other areas to use.
This latest venture is from a company called Dakboerin which was founded earlier this year to meet the growing demand for organically grown produce was spotted on Springwise. The company works with schools, offices, restaurants and local residents to use rooftops as kitchen gardens.
Dakboerin design the gardens and work with other experts to construct them. The gardens help improve companies green credentials as well as reducing food miles. Dakboerin won second prize in the Biodiversity Innovation category at the New Venture Business Plan competition in London last month.
This news follows close on the heels of a larger, not dissimilar project in the States also reported by Springwise recently. New York company Bright Farms designs, finances, builds and operates hydroponic supermarket greenhouse farms.
Again their initial aim was all about improving the food chain, reducing food miles and carbon footprint; they effectively ‘sell’ the idea to supermarkets and grocers who have to commit to purchasing the produce long-term – there is no other investment for them.
Bright Farms use these contracts to raise capital investment to finance the farms. The construction of the farms is typically on top of the supermarkets or distributions centres. Once the farm is up and running, produce is sold in the supermarket – ‘grown locally for superior taste and delivered within hours’.
Each one acre greenhouse can produce about 500,000 pounds of produce each year the equivalent to 1 – 1.5 million USD in revenue. And the beauty is that in the process 740 tons of carbon emissions are saved and 430 pounds of pesticide, 9 times less water and 14 times less land are used.
Since December 2010, ten supermarket chains have committed to working with Bright Farms including the top five. The first three commercial greenhouses will open in 2012. 
There are too many previous links to green roofs and walls on the website to mention but if you want to read more just do a search on this site!
