Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world and now that it’s home to the world’s largest rooftop farm, it’s even better. Urban farming company Gotham Greens opened the farm on Chicago’s South Side in the Pullman area. This marks the company’s fourth greenhouse facility and the first one they’ve built outside of New York, where the company is based, EcoWatch reports.
The farm is 75,000 square feet; it sits on a Method manufacturing facility rooftop and employs over 50 people. According to EcoWatch, Gotham Greens says the farm “will produce nearly 10 million annual crops of local, premium-quality, pesticide-free, leafy greens and herbs.” Oh, and did we mention it is run 100 percent on renewable energy? Not bad for a farm located in a big city.
The farm uses control systems that “continually adjust the greenhouse environment to ensure optimal growing conditions all year round,” EcoWatch reports. Gotham Greens also recycles its irrigation water and by growing the produce locally reduces its carbon footprint.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel told EcoWatch, “With more than $1 billion in venture capital invested in the city in 2014, Chicago continues to emerge as the country’s newest hot spot for innovation and growing companies. Gotham Greens’ expansion means even more jobs and investment in the Pullman neighborhood and through cutting-edge agricultural innovation, they will provide fresh, healthy and locally-grown foods to residents across Chicago.”
The produce will be available at such markets in Chicago as Whole Foods Market, Treasure Island, Target, Sunset Foods, and Plum Market.
