SPOKANE – A garden that produces both food and biomass while capturing carbon all on one roof might seem like a lofty goal, but design scientists D. Bruce and Margaret Ruhl believe it’s possible: they have the plans to prove it.
Bruce and Ruhl study “permaculture” meaning permanent culture or agriculture. Their plans for the rooftop of the Spokane Public Market include a self-sustaining garden yielding everything from potatoes to edible flowers to beehives.
The permaculturists said rooftop gardens can help return urban Spokane to its roots of vast parks, like Manito Park, that once defined the city.
But it would be more than a garden. The designers want to include a stage and event area for live music, weddings, etc. to maximize the social benefit of the space.
“Usually down on the street level things are really noisy,” Bruce said. “Here we can go up on the roof and all of a sudden be in a living ecosystem that is self-contained and isolated and requires no input.”
The two said Spokane is the perfect setting to experiment with agriculture science because of Eastern Washington’s rich history in farming. And rooftops, they said, are an ideal spot to plant their idea.
“It’s actually more energy efficient to build it on the rooftops instead of breaking down all the old warehouses that we have in Spokane,” Ruhl said. “It’s utilizing a resource that a lot of people normally see as worthless.”
They need more community support as they currently are fundraising for the project. Their goal is to have plants on the roof of the Spokane Public Market at 24 W. 2nd Ave by February 2014, yielding food to be sold at the market below by the late spring harvest.
For more information, visit the Spokane Public Market 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Thurs-Sat or Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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