EAT UP in the media

Since EAT UP‘s publication on April 12th, the first book on rooftop agriculture has received its fare share of media attention.  The fascination?  Interest in growing food on rooftops is rising as farmland disappears, transportation costs increase, and urbanites realize they can grow their own food close to home.

In an April 30th Boston Globe article, “Coming to a Roof Near You,” reporter Joseph P. Kahn discusses the burgeoning rooftop agriculture movement by highlighting Boston’s forthcoming Higher Ground Farm and EAT UP.  The article includes fabulous images (some of which appear in the book) and quotes from a phone interview Kahn conducted with me several weeks ago:

Beyond the expertise required, “A big part of this is exposure and social media coverage,” Mandel continues. “When you couple rooftop agriculture with a restaurant or grocery store, you have a lot of marketing potential. There’s an element of sex appeal there, to be honest.” 

EAT UP‘s media coverage extends to the blogosphere, where journalist CG Lawrence – who attended last week’s Roof-to-Table Launch Event in Philadelphia – wrote about the launch and freshly published book in his post, “Don’t Eat Out: EAT UP: New Book on Rooftop Agriculture.”  Click here for a full list of EAT UP‘s media coverage, which includes newspaper, magazine, and radio coverage.  Hopefully we’ll see more stories sprout up as the press release below (released yesterday) digs its roots into newsrooms near and far.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Philadelphia Green Roof Designer Writes First Full-Length Book on Rooftop Agriculture

EAT UP | The Inside Scoop on Rooftop Agriculture 

Press Contact: Lauren Mandel (lauren.mandel@gmail.com / 518-221-6230)

Green roof designer, landscape architect, and Philadelphia-native Lauren Mandel breaks down the lofty notions of Rooftop Agriculture in the first full-length book about rooftop food production.

Author photo by Geoffrey Goldberg Photography

PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 29, 2013) – EAT UP, the first full-length book about rooftop food production, has been released by Philadelphia-based author and green roof designer, Lauren Mandel.  Published internationally by New Society Publishers (a carbon-neutral publishing house), EAT UPexplains the practices and practicality of rooftop agriculture through case studies, interviews with industry leaders, and useful checklists.  With over 60 percent of the global population now living in urban areas, innovative forms of food production such as rooftop agriculture are becoming increasingly important in addressing food needs while also appealing to those interested in growing fresh food close to home.

EAT UP culminates a three-year research and photography project for Mandel.  The book consists of three sections:  home rooftop gardening, commercial rooftop farming, and the rooftop agriculture industry, making it the most comprehensive guide to date on the subject matter.

The book was unveiled on April 25, 2013 at Philadelphia eatery Good Karma Café.  The Roof-to-Table Launch Event celebrated literature, art, and food by featuring a book signing, 30-piece photography exhibition of images from the book, and seasonal food sourced from local farms, complete with food mileage labels.  The Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition consists of images of rooftop farms and vegetable gardens taken by nine photographers (including Mandel) in nine cities throughout North America.  Each photograph is framed with “twice-reclaimed” lumber made from barn siding re-purposed as flooring, re-purposed again as framing stock.  The Exhibition will hang in the launch venue (925 Pine St.) through June 29, 2013, and will then travel to Chicago’s Uncommon Ground restaurant (1401 W. Devon Ave.) where it will hang from August 20 – September 15, 2013, with a Midwest launch event on August 20.  The exhibition is available for additional restaurant and gallery spaces from July 1 – August 1, 2013 and after September 23, 2013.

EAT UP is available in print and ebook from New Society Publishers (newsociety.com), Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and local book stores.

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About Lauren Mandel – Lauren Mandel is a Project Manager and Rooftop Agriculture Specialist at the Philadelphia-based green roof firm Roofmeadow, where she designs vegetated and agricultural roofs and oversees green roof construction throughout the United States.  She has visited and photographed rooftop farms and gardens across North America and interviewed prominent rooftop farmers, CEOs, and designers.  Mandel is a contributing writer for Urban Farm and Grid magazines, a guest lecturer at universities and conferences, and a blogger ateatupag.wordpress.com.  Mandel holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Skidmore College.  She has previously worked as a landscape designer, US Forest Service wilderness ranger, organic farm intern, and a research intern for American Farmland Trust.

For more information please visit eatupag.wordpress.com and roofmeadow.com.

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Roof-to-Table Launch Event!

Roof-to-Table Launch Event || photo by Jane Winkel

It is my great privilege to announce that EAT UP | the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture was launched on Thursday amidst family and friends at Good Karma Café (928 Pine Street) in my hometown of Philadelphia.  The event drew in over 100 enthusiastic readers from as far as Toronto, who are now some of the first owners of EAT UP.  The book arrived at the event hot off the press after its publication on April 12, 2013.

Launch Event crowd || photo by Jane Winkel

Busy sales table || photo by Jane Winkel

The Roof-to-Table Launch Event celebrated three necessities of urban living: literature, art, and food.  Literature was highlighted through piles of fresh, EAT UP books topped off with a book signing (which was in high demand!).  The event celebrated Art through a 30-piece photography exhibition of images from the book, which painted a colorful backdrop for the festivities.  The Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition features images of rooftop farms and vegetable gardens taken by nine photographers (including myself) in nine cities throughout North America.  Each photograph is framed with “twice-reclaimed” lumber made from barn siding re-purposed as flooring, re-purposed again as framing stock.  The event also featured the flavors of fresh, local Food!  The Avenue Delicatessen catered the event with a focus on locally-sourced produce, artisan breads and honey, and home-made jams.  Food mileage tags let guests know just how close key ingredients were produced!

My grandmother with her book || photo by Jane Winkel

Young vegetable plants sprouting from metal pales and terracotta pots and two vintage typewriters furthered the event’s ”author’s farmhouse” theme.  Piles of EAT UP postcards and note card sets sprinkled about enhanced the decor, luring people in for a closer look at rooftop agriculture imagery.

The Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition will hang in the launch venue through June 29, 2013, and will then travel to Chicago’s Uncommon Ground where it will hang from August 20 – September 15, 2013.  A Midwest Roof-to-Table Launch Event on August 20 will be open to the public.  The exhibition is available for additional restaurant and gallery spaces from July 1 – August 1, 2013 and after September 23, 2013.

EAT UP | the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture, published by New Society Publishers (a carbon-neutral publishing house), is the first full-length book about rooftop food production.  Its three sections target home rooftop gardening, commercial rooftop farming, and the rooftop agriculture industry, making it the most comprehensive guide to date on the subject matter.  The book is available in print and ebook online and in stores.

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Gotham Greens + Whole Foods = fresh

It’s official.  Whole Foods Market and New York-based rooftop farming company Gotham Greens are partnering on a high-tech greenhouse atop the supermarket chain’s forthcoming Gowanus location.  The Gothamist Daily reported that on April 1, Whole Foods announced the partnership, which will yield a 20,000 square foot (0.5 acre) hydroponic rooftop greenhouse.  The Brooklyn market will represent Whole Foods’ eighth New York City location, and the first to house a commercial rooftop greenhouse.

Gotham Green‘s courtship with Whole Foods began with the company’s 15,000 square foot (0.3 acre) flagship location in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which has sourced fresh produce to various Whole Foods locations since 2011.  The demand for roof-fresh greens and herbs is clearly through the roof, as the two companies embark on this new chapter in their relationship.

Produce grown in the rooftop greenhouse will be available in the store below (as well as in other Whole Foods New York locations), thereby minimizing transportation costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions.  As with Gotham Greens’ flagship location, no pesticides will be used on the crops as they mature in their hydroponic haven.  The greenhouse’s year-round production will incorporate sustainable technologies that include solar generated power and a sophisticated irrigation system that uses 20 times less water than conventional ground-level row farming.

But wait, there’s more!  The Daily News reports that Gotham Greens is slated to open an even larger commercial rooftop greenhouse in Jamaica, Queens.  This 60,000 square foot (1.4 acre) behemoth – one of the largest in the country – will occupy the roof of an industrial building.  The hydroponic facility is expected to create 30 jobs and yield approximately 500 tons of produce per year, according to Gotham Greens founder and CEO, Viraj Puri.

What do you think about year-round rooftop production?  Would your neighborhood welcome one of these cutting edge farms?

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Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition!

Roof-To-Table Photography Exhibition flyer || by Lauren Mandel (photo credits to Lauren Mandel, The Fairmont Waterfront, Patrick Rogers Photography, Allen Ying Photography, Jake Stein Greenberg, and Ari Burling Photography)

The EAT UP | Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition captures the vibrancy of North America’s burgeoning rooftop agriculture movement.  With fresh roofscape imagery and gritty portraiture, this collection of 30 colorful photographs portrays food’s journey from urban roof to plate.

The exhibition coincides with the publication of EAT UP | the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture, the first full-length book about rooftop food production.  The book includes over 100 images of skyline farms and vegetable gardens, most of which are printed in black and white to satisfy the publishing house’s carbon-neutral mission.  By featuring images from EAT UP, the exhibition aims to bring the colors of rooftop agriculture to life while spreading the imagery of a movement.

Each archival photograph is framed in double-reclaimed lumber that transformed from barn siding to flooring to frame stock.  EAT UP author Lauren Mandel curated this travelling exhibition.  The works of nine photographers showcase rooftop imagery from nine cities: Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Portland, San Francisco, Sarasota, Montreal, and Vancouver.  The contributing photographers are:

- Allen Ying Photography
- Ari Burling Photography
- Jake Stein Greenberg
- John Q. Porter
- Lauren Mandel, MLA, ASLA
- Lufa Farms
- Michael I. Mandel, PhD
- Patrick Rogers Photography
- The Fairmont Waterfront

The exhibition is now on display in Philadelphia at Good Karma Cafe (928 Pine St.) through June 29.  The show will travel to Chicago from August 20 through September 15, where it will occupy the walls of Uncommon Ground (1401 W. Devon Ave.), a restaurant with its very own rooftop farm.  The photographs are available for purchase (both framed and unframed), so stop by if you’re in the area!  If you’re interested in hosting this exhibition at your own gallery, restaurant, or public venue, please contact Lauren at lauren.mandel@gmail.com.

Rooftop agriculture is real, it’s happening. Now pick up a spade, a fork, or a pen and help kick-start this revolution.

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fancy plants

Designing and building a rooftop farm may come with a hefty price tag.  While many ground-level farms offset costs by expanding acreage, rooftops are limited by the bounds of the building below.  So how do you get the most bang for your buck with a slim budget and limited space?  Some rooftop growers invest in “fancy plants” to attract business.

Uncommon Ground chef Patch Carroll admires his restaurant’s crops ||  photo by Lauren Mandel

Heirloom cultivars - diverse crop varieties that became scarce with the onset of industrial agriculture – are re-emerging and gaining momentum in restaurants, farmer’s markets, and backyard gardens around the country.  Restaurateurs and foodies alike find the unique flavors of heirloom vegetables irresistible, but many of these crops are difficult to grow, or transport without significant bruising.  The solution?  Grow them close to the kitchen!  There, you can keep a close eye on your babies and eliminate their transportation all together.

In north Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, the iconic restaurant Uncommon Ground fully embraces the cultivation of “fancy plants” in it’s 0.06 acre rooftop

Organic rooftop mustard greens || photo by Lauren Mandel

farm.  In May I spoke with Dave Snyder, Uncommon Ground’s Rooftop Farm Director from 2008-2012, about his crop selection.  Dave explained that he and the head chef work together to select specialty crops that the restaurant can’t source elsewhere.  During the 2011 season, Dave grew 37 crop varieties on the roof, some of which were more rare than others.  During our interview Dave pined over a rare tomato breed called the Purple Calabash, which he said attracted a lot of attention in the restaurant below.  The cultivar bruises like a peach, and so other restaurants decline to carry the magnificent ingredient.

Uncommon Ground capitalizes upon its ability to grow specialty crops that are relatively unattainable by other storefronts.  Guests with sophisticated pallets and encyclopaedic plant knowledge may know exactly what’s in each bite.  Most guests flock to Uncommon Ground because the food simply tastes too good to be true.

Heirloom tomato at SHARE Food Program || photo by Lauren Mandel

In Vancouver, British Colombia, specialty crops similarly dot the roof of The Fairmont Waterfont hotel.  I spoke with executive chef Dana Hauser in August, who rattled off a laundry list of crops grown on the roof for use in the hotel’s kitchens.  She mentioned several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, six types of basil, and some unexpected rooftop crops like rhubarb, figs, and goosberries.

It’s safe to say that marketing the uniqueness of your rooftop crops is invaluable.  Whether customers come for the superior flavors or for the experience of eating something they can’t get anywhere else, these “fancy plants” create something to brag about.

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3… 2… 1… action!

Australian film crew at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm || photo by Lauren Mandel

While standing in the spotlight may be uncomfortable at times, the strategic rooftop farmer embraces the media and “eats up” it’s marketing potential.  Simply put, media coverage can be instrumental in disseminating a farm’s brand.  Print and broadcast media coverage can go a long way, and social media may go even further within certain demographics.  Regardless of whether a newspaper journalist, cinematographer, or blogger visits your rooftop farm, it will behoove you to be accommodating and put your best foot forward.  The media’s relationship with a rooftop farmer, as with any public figure, can be either helpful or harmful in building the farm’s reputation, so be prepared!

Over the past few years, Trey Flemming from Urban Apiaries has learned how positive media relations can go a long way.  Trey and his urban honeybees often appear in magazine and newspaper articles around Philadelphia, as well as in online articles, blogs, and documentaries.  With all the attention, the Urban Apiaries brand has reached new heights: corporate America.  While once available only at local co-ops and specialty stores, Trey’s honey is now available at Terrain – Urban Outfitter’s garden center.

Annie Novak, from Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, similarly embraces media coverage.  When I visited Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in 2011, Annie welcomed me to the roof while in the middle of a photo shoot on the other side of a kale patch.  With a warm air and magnetic disposition, it was no wonder that Annie simultaneously engaged a film crew, a foreign journalist, and myself (the aspiring author).

Annie welcomed each person to the roof with the same friendly smile, before she figured out who they were.  Just remember, out on a roof you never know to whom you may be speaking.

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the pitch.

In America, over an acre of farmland is lost every minute.*  With the increasing appeal of urban living and pop culture’s rediscovery of fresh food, urbanites are planting farms and gardens throughout cities. In the midst of this agricultural renewal, contaminated soils and vanishing garden space compel farmers, activists, and restaurateurs to look toward the skyline for a food solution.  Rooftops provide the space that cities need to grow fresh veggies close to home.

Eat Up| The Inside Scoop on Rooftop Agriculture will be the first book publication dedicated entirely to rooftop agriculture.  This three-part series provides a practitioner’s view of how to turn dreams of rooftop farms and gardens into actual spaces that feed people.  Each volume digs into the nuts and bolts of rooftop agriculture for either home gardeners (volume one), entrepreneurs and restaurateurs (volume two), and policy makers and academics (volume three).  All three volumes operate under the Eat Up brand.

The goal of Eat Up is twofold: to act as the pivotal voice of a movement, and to empower people to bring fresh kale, tomatoes, and beets to tables across America.  With inspirational photographs of rooftop farms, interviews with skyline farmers, and insider strategies, Eat Up provides readers with the practical tools they need to feed their stomachs and their souls.

Rooftop agriculture is not a fad – it is the future of our urban food system.

* U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2009. Summary Report: 2007 National Resources Inventory. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC, and Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.

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diversified marketing

Writing a book is the easy part.  The challenge seems to come with publication and promotion.

The first draft of “Eat Up” was targeted toward academia, and the tone was dry and, well, academic.  The current version of the book is geared toward a much broader audience, which includes policy makers, practitioners, city planners, designers, community activists, economists, and academics.  The book is very readable and its new content targets these varied audiences, but how do you attract these readers in the first place?  The answer lies in promotion, strategically selecting a publisher, and finding a key person to write the foreward.

Since the book bridges several disciplines, the promotional strategies, publishing house, and foreward author would ideally target different audiences.  If the publishing house is well respected in the design community, for example, then a food author should be approached to write the foreward.  In theory, this method of diversified marketing will lure in a wide variety of readers, and help spread the word and push sales.

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