Local Congressman Jerrold Nadler Gets Behind The Green Roof Movement

The environmental movement has taken root all over New York. From compost workshops in Flatbush to community gardens in Park Slope, the support for localized sustainable agriculture grows. Now, there is something else.  BrightFarms, a sustainable agricultural hydroponics business, recently announced plans to build the world’s largest rooftop garden in Sunset Park. The rooftop farm will be located on the roof of a former U.S. Navy building, Federal Building #2.

The 100,000 square foot hydroponic greenhouse will grow up to 1 million pounds of local produce a year, including tomatoes and various herbs, according to Super Market News.

“I am so pleased that the revitalization of Federal Building #2 is continuing,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler in a press release. “As we watch this once-dormant industrial space recreated as a variety of innovative and productive uses, we can take great pride in the years of work and vision required to come to this point. This site is truly becoming a part of Brooklyn’s working waterfront once again. I look forward to tasting the first tomatoes and lettuce grown on its roof.”

Prior to the rooftop farms announcement, renovation of the unused industrial space created 1,700 construction jobs for New Yorkers according to The Real Deal.

As this project starts taking shape, will other Brooklyn neighborhoods work to transform abandoned or industrial spaces for urban farming? Readers, do we want a similar model here in Bensonhurst and if so, where?