Annie Novak at Eagle St Rooftop Gardens, The Selby
As part of my media and communications degree I have to take units in different mediums - even though I want to be a writer, it makes sense to understand how PR, radio and online media work. The class this semester was in video production, and our main project was a 6 minute factual documentary on a topic of our choice. We chose to explore organic food, with three interview vignettes with vastly different subjects - the organiser of a sustainable food market in the heart of Sydney's red light district Taylor Square, the immunologist owner of Sydney's only organic restaurant The Peasant's Feast, and finally, most spectacularly, the founding member of a community garden in Sydney's Woolloomoolloo. Nestled amidst the infamous Coke sign and the buzz of busy William St, the garden is a true paradise. I've never marvelled at something the way that I marvelled at this garden. As we walked through the backstreets of Sydney, dotted with hostels and graffiti and a real urban jungle, there, suddenly, was this island of green. On the day of our shoot we couldn't have prayed for better weather: the sun was a brilliant blue and there were even butterflies (!!) that hovered tantalisingly around as we filmed. The beautiful flowers were all in bloom, a sprawl of daisies, peonies, sunflowers and poppies bleeding into each other. I have never seen anything quite like it. It was a moment of real magic, to see nature thriving in such an environment. The members of the community garden meet once a month all together, and can come any other time they liked (the garden is not locked). The children who play in the basketball court nearby often reach over to pick the tomatoes that climb up the garden's fence. It is truly spectacular.
These photos from The Selby reminded me of this project - whose marks have just been released and I'm excited to see how I went. Of course, this garden in Eagle Street, Brooklyn has a much better view than council tenaments and cross city tunnels. From this rooftop garden members can see Manhattan's famous, instantly recognisable skyline, all jutting buildings and shining hope. The garden is pretty chic, it's even been featured in Vogue, and farmer Annie Novak believes that all flat-roofed condos in New York that can conceivably hold a rooftop garden should have one. It's not a bad thought. After seeing the woolloomoolloo community garden I couldn't stop thinking about how everyone should have a little patch for earth for themselves. To grow and nurture and learn..
Not really fashion-related, sorry (although the garden was in vogue, haha!), but I couldn't stop myself from posting after seeing these pictures. What are the solutions to our environmental problems in big, concrete jungles of cities? Rooftop community gardens might not be the whole answer, but they can help.
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