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London Grows Food on Supermarket Roof
A London community has brought a supermarket rooftop to life with vegetables, plants and wildlife, having transformed it into a space to grow and re-connect with food.
Based on top of Thornton’s Budgens, an independent supermarket, Food from the Sky sells their harvest in the store below; just ten meters from soil to shelf.
Vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs and even mushrooms all dot the skyline of the 450 sq meters of gardens, which were established in May 2010. Beyond its use as a growing space, the roof also acts as an education project where people can learn practical skills and re-connect with nature right in the middle of the city.
This year, Food from the Sky has run an entire foundation course on food growing, biodiversity and sustainable living. Over 650 children and local teenagers are also set to have food growing lessons on the roof this year, while young and old from across the town have been volunteering regularly to make it all happen.
“It began with a vision I had four years ago while walking down the streets of London, longing for the bounty and beauty of the land of Embercombe, a sustainability center that I had just left,” explains co-founder Azul-Valerie Thome, from the not-for-profit organization the Positive Earth Project.
“I started ‘seeing’ orchards on all flat roofs, dangling strawberries, tomatoes, with children and elders learning together. I asked myself, could we bring the landconscious communities and healthy food to the roofs of London?”
In 2009, Azul met Andrew Thornton, the owner of Thornton’s Budgens and her vision for a highrise haven of delicious food became reality. Martin had a roof, a community supermarket and a whole support system already in place. With over 17,000 visitors to the shop per week, Azul asks: “Where and when better to capture people’s imaginations to remind them where their food comes from?”
More Information:
www.foodfromthesky.org.uk
Story from Positive News UK
Based on top of Thornton’s Budgens, an independent supermarket, Food from the Sky sells their harvest in the store below; just ten meters from soil to shelf.
Vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs and even mushrooms all dot the skyline of the 450 sq meters of gardens, which were established in May 2010. Beyond its use as a growing space, the roof also acts as an education project where people can learn practical skills and re-connect with nature right in the middle of the city.
This year, Food from the Sky has run an entire foundation course on food growing, biodiversity and sustainable living. Over 650 children and local teenagers are also set to have food growing lessons on the roof this year, while young and old from across the town have been volunteering regularly to make it all happen.
“It began with a vision I had four years ago while walking down the streets of London, longing for the bounty and beauty of the land of Embercombe, a sustainability center that I had just left,” explains co-founder Azul-Valerie Thome, from the not-for-profit organization the Positive Earth Project.
“I started ‘seeing’ orchards on all flat roofs, dangling strawberries, tomatoes, with children and elders learning together. I asked myself, could we bring the landconscious communities and healthy food to the roofs of London?”
In 2009, Azul met Andrew Thornton, the owner of Thornton’s Budgens and her vision for a highrise haven of delicious food became reality. Martin had a roof, a community supermarket and a whole support system already in place. With over 17,000 visitors to the shop per week, Azul asks: “Where and when better to capture people’s imaginations to remind them where their food comes from?”
More Information:
www.foodfromthesky.org.uk
Story from Positive News UK
Photo © Food From the Sky
by Nicole Vosper
Food growers at the rooftop garden above the supermarket in Crouch End, London
