First Hospital Rooftop garden-released by Boston Medical Center
Today’s good news Comes from The Good News Network.
Boston Hospital Is Treating Food as Medicine with its Own Rooftop Garden
It’s a worldwide paradox: why is it so common for hospital food to be essentially bad for you?
Tackling the problem head-on, Boston Medical Center—already one of the greenest hospitals in the nation—has opened two extensive rooftop gardens. These gardens give patients and physicians access to fresh food while adding green space to the hospital campus.
BMC had one rooftop garden, through which it supplied fresh foods to its cafeteria and inpatient catering. Now, a second one, utilizing the ample rooftop space of the hospital campus, can also provide fresh foods to underserved communities, cementing BMC as a place of healing, whether through a shot in the arm or a vibrant kale salad.
Through a partnership with Boston Area Gleaners, fruits and vegetables cultivated in the 4,915-square-foot grow space will be distributed to local non-profits and community centers twice weekly during the growing season. This will address food insecurity and increase access to essential fresh foods across Boston.
Called the ‘Newmarket Farm,’ it triples BMC’s total grow space and quadruples the amount of produce BMC expects to grow annually. The new garden will specialize in growing vegetables, including collard greens, kale, and arugula, as well as culturally relevant crops, including Aji Dulce peppers, bok choy, and callaloo.
It will also advance BMC Health System’s commitment to sustainability. The green space reduces heat-absorbing pavement in the community and slows stormwater runoff impact, as plants collect and retain rainwater directly. The garden operates while reducing water waste through high-tech irrigation that waters the crops directly at the root.
“Our rooftop farms increase green space in our community, reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint, and strengthen at-risk local food systems. We are proud to expand fresh food availability in the local community while adding more pathways to support critical clinical programs, like the Preventive Food Pantry, in our hospital,” said David Maffeo, Senior Director of Support Services at BMC.
“The Newmarket Farm models how hospitals can further invest in the health of our communities while building environmentally resilient spaces.”
BMC has a program called Food Is Medicine, which works with a local grocer to craft labeling formats that speak directly to citizens’ disease risks and/or desire for knowledge about better nutrition.
For example, food items that may help control blood sugar are expressed on the packaging as being better for diabetics, or foods that may help lower blood pressure are labeled as potentially heart-healthy.
The city’s cultural diversity has seen the labeling materials printed in a variety of languages, from Vietnamese to Haitian-Creole.
The good news in this article is space is being put to use for the good of the community and hospital patients. Today’s JohnKu talks about clear thinking. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Genius by John W. Howell © 2024
Who’s idea was that?
To use roofspace to feed folks . . .
Utter pure brillance.
Fiction Favorites 
I remember staying in student accommodation of Edinburgh university one year when visiting the Edinburgh festival. It was a reasonably priced option. When we arrived – we were in a room in the top block of the tiered facility we looked out across the roofs of the lower blocks. Each were covered in grow bags. I thought how good the students were growing their own veg and said so. My wife whose eyesight was sharper laughed. They’re all cannabis she said. Mind you trying to grow cannabis outside in Scotland indicates hope beating experience rather easily. Nice story john!
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Yours was nice as well, Geoff. 😁
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Rooftop gardens really need to be more common. Though, it isn’t possible in areas with slanted rooves. Schools might want to consider it to help with giving students healthier options that they’ll throw in the garbage. 😀
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You would think more could be done. Loved the student reaction to healthy choices.
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Brilliance indeed! I love these examples of ingenuity, and your JohnKu is perfect! 🌞
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Thank you, Gwen. I think some fine minds are at work. 😊
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This is outstanding, John!
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I agree, GP. Thanks.
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This is what I am talking about! How cool.. how wonderful…
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I agree, Annette. Would be nice to see more of this kind of thing. Thanks. 😊
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Yes, the rooftop gardens are certainly wise, with very good results.
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I agree, Tim. Thanks.
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What a great idea.
Thanks for letting us know, dear John
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I hope you have a great weekend, F4oC. 😁
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This is a great idea. We’ve paved and roofed so much that any secondary use of this space is great.
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I agree, Craig. Would like to see more.
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Many years ago, when I heard about rooftop gardens, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Since then, I’ve wished I could see more gardens (or just an occasional tree) on roofs. I love this idea of a hospital growing food on the roof! And I agree that food is medicine. Eating homemade soup in the cold months certainly makes me feel good.
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I agree. I love soup and it does make one feel good. Thanks, Dave.
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WOW, this is so exciting! You go, Boston!!
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Yes indeed. Thanks, Liz.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Hi John, this is a great idea. Thanks for sharing about it.
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So glad to share, Robbie.
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This is a great example of “killing two birds with one stone.” It looks like contributing to a solution for food insecurity, furthering green space, and reducing water waste *can* peacefully coexist. Well done!
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Well said, Debbie. Yes they can coexist.
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Yes, brilliant! The food our hospitals serve is often inedible. Hubs was at Duke for a week and I had to bring him in meals every day from outside the hospital. The stuff they gave him to eat was awful.
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Yes, so true. I was in a hospital for 70 days when I was 21 and lost 25 pounds.
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My husband lost 12, despite my daily input of food for him. Of course I have to walk a mile+ from the parking lot, by which time the food was cold!
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Poor guy. You should get a medal though
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Better – I lost some weight with all the walking!
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YAY
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This is a great idea. It definitely needs to become more widespread. Whenever I’ve stayed in hospital, the food has been terrible. Cardboard doesn’t even begin to describe it…
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I agree Esther. I would hope it does become more widespread.
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As the JohnKu points out, It’s a brilliant idea whose time is now.
Although there are more rooftop and community gardens every year, we have a long way to go.
However, baby steps count. I know this from building gowns by hand, one stitch at a time- needle in, needle out . When I begin, it’s a daunting monster.
Time passes, the stitches add up and a gown has been created.
Thank you for your weekly good news posts John!
🐂 🐖 🐷𝐗
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I love your dress metaphor. You have described the challenge of many projects.
🐂 🐖 🐖🐷X
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Agree & Thank you!
🐂🐖🐂🐖
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🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦
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🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦
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🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦🥬
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🥬🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦🥬
Best fed Oxen award!
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For sure 🥬🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦🥬🌽
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🌽🥬🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦🥬🌽
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🌽🥬🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦🥬🌽🧂
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🥇🌽🥬🥦 🐂🐖🐂🐖🥦🥬🌽🧂🥇
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We win.
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Pure brilliance indeed! Fresh food, removal of CO2, reducing heat absorption…talk about a trifecta of good! Thanks for sharing such great news with a nice touch of environmental positivity!
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That is a great trifecta, Monika. Thanks for the lovely comment.
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A green hospital!
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Go figure.
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Fantastic…. Wonderful they are embracing freshly home grown produce… This brings Hope to my heart!.. Many thanks John for sharing this article… We need more people to follow this idea…
Have a lovely weekend x
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We do need more to follow, Sue. Have a lovely weekend
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Well I am a little prejudice as we grow our own food lol… And I am always trying to encourage others to do the same, even if herbs on a window ledge.. 🙂 xx ❤ 🥦🍅🍎🌱🌱🌱
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I did that in the seventies. Had a farm and raised everything.
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Good for you John. Now it’s time to enjoy your writing and your wonderful dogs. I’d say you’ve done your bit. Xx ❤️ 👏💕
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Thank you, Sue 😊
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Love to hear about community-centric projects like this.
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I do too, Mitch. Thanks.
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Reasonable idea, dear John! Organic people should back to nature!👍🎉🍤🍤🍤🍻
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I agree. Thanks Maria.
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Great idea, John. Fresh food is the best. I’ve never gardened, not even tomatoes. Have you? Your John-Ku was excellent.
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In the 70s I had a ten acre farm and grew everything. We never went to the store. I even had a milk cow so we had all the dairy products too.
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Both obvious and brilliant. 🌱 It takes the right people to make it happen, of course, but exciting to think of rooftop potential!
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I agree. I love genius when I see it. Thanks, Michele.
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Takes one to know one! ✨ You’re welcome and thank you, John.
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😁🤗
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👍🏻🤗
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😊
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Perhaps this will become a trend at more hospitals. One of the hospitals in our area has a garden that the emplyees maintain.
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That is a great thing, Pete. Congrats to those people.
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A great article, John. Thanks for sharing it. The Johnku is perfect for it. Hugs.
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Thank you, Teagan. Hugs back.
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That was a very interesting article. It is a great initiative and good news.
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I would love to see this kind of thing expanded. Thanks, Thomas.
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I like it!!
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THANKS
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Such a great idea!
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Yes they are. Thanks, Becky
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This is wonderful to hear, John. So many times the worst food for you is in the hospital. Great news here❣️
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Yes it is. Thank you. 😊
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A refreshing change You’re so welcome, always❣️
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If only this (and other good news) made the headlines. Here in Boston, this story has barely hit the press. Thanks for sharing, John
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Yeah it not about calling people names so there is little press interest.
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Sigh!
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This is a really smart idea, and I’m glad it’s being utilized because we really do need to make sustainability a priority. Which it already SHOULD be, but for the lip service in too many parts that has solved little. Nice story Sheriff.
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Yeah chin music is cheap. Thanks, Marco
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Ha!
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😊
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Brill-iant! I hope more big companies of any sort take note and do the same. Clean healthy fresh food must be so hard to come by in cities. I heartily approve!
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I agree with you and wish more of this kind of thing was being done. Thanks, Betsy er IIsa.
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😉 🙂
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