The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) recently announced the opening of its 20,000-square-foot green roof atop Building 44 of it’s Northwest Washington campus.
The school’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) has called the rooftop garden the centerpiece of its Urban Food Hub. As urban populations swell to space-gobbling proportions, ways of producing food in small spaces—such as a roof—become increasingly important for meeting dietary needs, school officials said. In fact, other Urban Food Hubs are popping up in other wards throughout the District.
“The green roof stands as a model of progress not only for the University of the District of Columbia, but also as a positive step in the fight to ensure that all District residents have access to fresh and nutritious food,” said CAUSES Dean Sabine O’Hara in a statement.
The garden’s first crops—cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard and African basil—were chosen because they require low maintenance. The garden also contains 11 other types of bee attracting plants to encourage pollination.
In addition to being a source of food, the rooftop garden also presents significant environmental benefits. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, green roofs provide shade and remove heat from the air, they reduce energy use and absorb greenhouse emissions and pollutants from the air, among other things.
UDC’s garden also features a storm water system that will harvest rainwater and capture water runoff from the roof, as well as a greenhouse and research space.