I am done with the project, except for collecting photos from the participants at the festival and adding those to the site/map. But that’s it for me and Seeding the City. I managed to get about 60 sites around nyc (don’t know if I will get photos from all of them) and I hope that some of those sites continue to grow and thrive. I had about a dozen trays left from the various growing seasons and the festival, which I am hoping to donate to a local group. I will let you know when that happens also.

It has been an interesting project from which I have learned a lot (not the least of which was about green roofs!) and it wouldn’t be the project it is today without the help of the amazing Amanda Burr who project managed it from infancy to tween hood. But now it is time to say goodbye and move on to other amazing projects.

If you want to build your own green roof – the recipe and resources are here. If you want to stay in touch about upcoming projects, sign up for my mailing list here or become a fan of my FaceBook page.

sedum growing strong

See if you can spot the Seeding the City cameo!

Join me at the Festival to build your own green roof module and take home one with a flag and install it on your roof to become a part of the growing network.

For more information on the Festival:

- Info.: http://www.festivalofideasnyc.com/about

- Interactive Map: http://www.festivalofideasnyc.com/map

- Plan-Your-Visit (Festival Program): http://www.festivalofideasnyc.com/program

- Blog: http://www.festivalofideasnyc.com/blog

- Facebook: facebook.com/festivalofideasnyc

- Twitter: twitter.com/ideasnyc

- YouTube channel: youtube.com/ideasnyc

- Flickr Acct./ Stream: flickr.com/photos/festivalofideasnyc

And thanks to M ss ng P eces for the great vid!

Those of you who are on my general mailing list (if you aren’t already, sign up here: http://evemosher.com/gallery2/page/contact) know about the inventory loss that we suffered in February. Due to some mis-communication completely out of our control, half of our modules (they were awaiting spring installation) were thrown out. It is reported that the plants were replanted, so that is good – but it is a loss of a lot of materials, labor and the time that it took for them to get established. (The modules that we have still have mostly done really well – the sedum spreading and the grasses growing anew).

So… we are starting a fundraising campaign. We’ll be launching a campaign (complete with donor gifts) in a couple of weeks. This fundraiser will allow us to collect money to both continue the original network of green roofs as well as plan and produce workshops with communities around the city who are interested in either creating a green roof for their community (schools, institutional organizations) or hosting a green roof workshop day for their constituency (community organizations, neighborhood and block associations).

If you are a current proud host of a module, watch for an email soon, we want to come check on the plants and do a quick soil acid test to make sure everything is growing well!

As always, if you are interested in participating as an individual or if you think you might like to host a workshop – email me!

p.s. i will try to get some photos up of the herbs right away!

October 19, 2009

Patches of green sprouting across New York City

October – December, 2009

It may feel like fall in most of the New York, but on rooftops throughout the city, as little patches of green are sprouting, it feels a little more like spring.

Seeding the City, another public intervention by the artist Eve Mosher, is a rooftop installation 4 square feet of green roof (sedum and grasses) and a bright yellow and green flags with the project logo. The project, two years in the making, will introduce city residents to urban environmental issues and the role that green roofs play in creating a more sustainable city.

Before Mosher installs each green roof, she asks that the recipient put her in touch with two or three neighbors who are interested in the project. This neighbor-to-neighbor referral system creates a community network and gets people talking about sustainability.

The installations are being mapped and documented on the project site, SeedingTheCity.org.

Seeding The City is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Development Fund of the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC).

Mosher is an artist that creates art that encourages participation in the urban environment, her 2007 work; HighWaterLine received international attention for raising public awareness about climate change through an arresting public act.

PDF Version

More coming!

The first one went to the amazing people at Georgia’s Place in Crown Heights. I will upload photos asap. My amazing project manager, Amanda, picked up the modules at Covenant House and brought them out to Crown Heights. They looked great – they are quite small but I realized during an interview that I did that this project is all about POTENTIAL.

Forming community networks that have the POTENTIAL to rally together to take on issues in their neighborhood.

Planting small green roof modules that have the POTENTIAL to become larger.

Given people an entry into urban environmental issues and remediation so they have the POTENTIAL to educate others or educate themselves further and speak about issues.

Given that, the little modules have a lot of POTENTIAL! (Hence the name, Seeding the City, it is about planting little seeds of ideas for people to act on). Wonderfully enough, at the first site, we talked about planning a Spring Planting Day where the residents will plant lots more green roof modules to install on their rooftop. (Maybe they will even make a few to give to their friends and neighbors to carry on the tradition!)

The second installation is at EcoArtSpace, where there will be modules on display for public viewing and information about the project. It is part of the “Down to Earth Show” – there is an opening on October 3rd, from 6-8pm (at 53 Mercer Street) and will be up through November.

Three more installations should happen over the weekend and early next week – I will keep you updated. The flags are also on their way! 

The grasses are having a hard time, but the sedum have already started to spread.

And some local wildcards have taken root…

I wonder what kind of wildlife have been taking advantage of the greenery?