Growing Food Locally:Integrating Agriculture Into the Built Environment

"With a little ingenuity, the flat roofs and vacant lots of urban centers can be used effectively for food production. Numerous models can bring building-integrated food production to your project, while making our food supply chain more sustainable."

So begins Alex Wilson's front-page story about building-integrated and urban-based food production.  Wilson, a founding member of BuildingGreen (www.buildinggreen.com), where the article appears, is a thought leader in subjects related to sustainability. His article is worth reading not just because it's a call to action; it's also a report on successful projects throughout the country. Yes, there are entrepreneurs and community activists who have been selling tomatoes harvested in rooftop greenhouses, and transforming abandoned urban lots into intensively productive vegetable gardens. Considering that the average vegetable travels 1500 miles to get to market in this country, we would be well-served to heed Wilson's advice.