Strike A Chord: Brooklyn Grange Ahead Of The Green Game

The New York City Council has passed a package of bills that would require green roofs to be installed on all new buildings. One business is already ahead of the green game. 

 

Brooklyn Grange has rested high above the day-to-day chaos of the Brooklyn Navy Yard since 2012. The roof-top farm is a peaceful oasis where vegetables and flowers are grown above the bustle. Co-founder Gwen Schantz said Brooklyn Grange isn't just a farm, "The goal from the get-go for our business has been to prove that ubran farming can really work. It can be a profitable business model."   

 

Brooklyn Grange sells the plants and vegetables it grows to local grocers and at farmers markets. They work with their sister organization, City Growers, to educate children about urban farming. Schantz heads up the design department to build green roofs and green spaces all over New York that are functional and environmentally beneficial, "We've managed to put in about 6 acres of green space on rooftops throughout the city."

 

Schantz said green roofs serve the environment way more than people might think, "They absorb storm water, they cool the air, clean the air, they give us oxygen. They provide food a nesting location for animals, like birds and insects," Schantz said. They really are incredibly productive." 

 

Brooklyn City Councilman Rafael Espinal led the effort to have green roofs installed on all new buildings.

 

"New York City, being one of the largest cities in the world, has to lead on climate issues. Especially when wehave a federal government that's been pushing back on climate policy," Espinal said. 

 

Espinal said plenty of businesses see the benefit of green roofs, including Brooklyn Grange. And that's a good start.