the science barge - NYC urban farm

winter is upon us here in daegu....there is a biting chill in the air....many of the colorful leaves have fallen to the ground, leaving the trees bare.....the parkas, hats, and mittens have been pulled down from the top shelf of the closet......it's officially soup season! i took out the biggest pot i own (which isn't all that big!) and put together a delicious mini batch of homemade soup. vegetable bouillon, salmon, organic kale and potatoes. simple, delicious, and delightfully warming on this cold winter day. this kind of nourishing food reminds me so much of berkeley.....i miss the farmer's markets like crazy. it makes me long for a garden on the rooftop of this 20 story high-rise where i could grow my own vegetables that i know are without pesticides or the use of diesel fuel in transportation. even though i am able to buy some "organic" fruits and vegetables here, for the most part they are being imported all the way from new zealand.
as my soup was simmering on the stovetop and these thoughts were crossing my mind, i received an email from a friend who lives in new york city. she is the education coordinator for "the science barge," which is a sustainable urban farm floating in the hudson river estuary.this urban farm is powered by solar, wind, and biofuels and irrigated by rainwater and purified rainwaters. the science barge web site informs: "we grow food in the city with no carbon emissions, no net water consumption, and no waste stream. the vegetables grown on the science barge require 7 times less land and 4 times less water than field crops." the barge offers sustainability education to school groups during the week and the general public on the weekends. they define "sustainability" as: "producing what we need without damaging the world around us." below is a fantastic video about the science barge that i found on a website/blog titled: "apartment therapy (new york): changing the world one apartment at a time." this blog's author writes, "with rooftop systems like the science barge's, we could have greenmarkets in every neighborhood. or imagine schools growing veggies to supplement the cafeteria offerings. even just the idea of barges around the city producing locally-grown vegetables opens up a world of possibilities."

for more information on THE SCIENCE BARGE, click on the link to the right, under "for the love this earth."
youtube video from: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/planttherapy/planttherapy-the-science-barge-024855