Growing green: BMC opens second rooftop farm
Boston Medical Center says the additional 5,000 square feet of growing space will quadruple the amount of produce it grows for patients and the local community. Boston Medical Center (BMC) has opened a second rooftop farm on the roof of one of its administrative buildings, Newmarket Farm, adding 5,000 square feet of growing space to quadruple the amount of produce it produces for patients and the local community. The new space, which will be officially opened on June 13 by Boston Area Gleaners, will provide food for local nonprofits and community centers. The first rooftop farm opened in 2017, Power Plant Farm, was used to provide patients with fresh, nutritious food and support a clinical program at BMC called the Preventative Food Pantry. The hospital expects the new space will quadruple its annual produce production and reduce food waste and transportation costs.
gepubliceerd : 3 weken geleden door Isabel Tehan in Business
Boston Medical Center says the additional 5,000 square feet of growing space will quadruple the amount of produce it grows for patients and the local community.
Boston Medical Center has opened a second farm on the roof of one of its administrative buildings, which will produce food to be donated to local nonprofits and community centers.
The new space, called Newmarket Farm, will add 5,000 square feet of growing space.
BMC opened its first rooftop farm in 2017, and says it's the first hospital in Boston to have a rooftop growing garden. Food from that first space was used to provide patients at the hospital with fresh, nutritious food, according to BMC. Called Power Plant Farm, the initial space at 750 Albany Street is about 2,500 square feet, and produces 30 crop varieties.
The new garden will officially open on June 13 atop 960 Massachusetts Avenue. BMC will partner Boston Area Gleaners, a local food access nonprofit. The hospital expects that the new space will quadruple the amount of produce grown annually — already several thousand pounds — and add a cleaning and refrigerating system to reduce food waste and the cost of transportation.
The farms support a clinical program at BMC called the Preventative Food Pantry, from which physicians can prescribe healthy foods that can aid in recovery from certain illnesses, according to BMC.
“Our rooftop farms increase green space in our community, reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint, and strengthen at-risk local food systems. We are proud to expand fresh food availability in the local community while adding more pathways to support critical clinical programs, like the Preventive Food Pantry, in our hospital,” said David Maffeo, senior director of support services at BMC in a statement.