In celebration of Earth Week, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that the Javits Center’s new rooftop farm has joined the program. Grown & Certified of the State of New York in a statewide effort to increase local producers with higher standards in terms of food safety and environmental stewardship.
The farmhouse is located more than eight stories above street level and was completed last year as part of a state-of-the-art 1.2-million-square-foot expansion of the Javits Center on Manhattan’s west side. Each year, the farm is expected to produce up to 40,000 pounds of produce, which will go into the millions of meals served to guests during events at the convention center.
On Monday, farmers in Brooklyn Grangewhich runs the rooftop farm, harvested this year’s first produce, including carrots and kale, which will be used during the New York International Auto Show, which runs through Sunday, April 24.
On the rooftop farm of the Javits Center, farmers from Brooklyn Grange they are planting a variety of crops, from basil and broccoli to tomatoes and turnips. Employees work closely with convention center chefs to integrate products into meals created for specific events, from trade shows to galas.
With more than 3,000 certified growers statewide, the program NYS Grown & Certified promotes New York farmers and food producers who adhere to the highest food safety practices and environmental standards. In New York City, the Javits Center rooftop farm joins four other rooftop farms in achieving this certification: three farms in Brooklyn and Queens, also managed by Brooklyn Grangeand an additional farm in Jamaica, Queens, operated by Gotham Greens.
To further its environmental commitment, the Javits Center also featured the creation of a food forest as part of its unique rooftop ecosystem. With seven distinct layers stacked vertically, a food forest mimics the ecological benefits and produce dynamics found in forests and is designed to increase the biodiversity, efficiency, and sustainability of food production systems. The forest is planted in a 10,000 square foot rooftop garden built as part of the recent expansion, this food forest will amplify the ecosystem services already provided by the Javits Center green roof and farm, including stormwater mitigation, thermal regulation and forage and habitat for area wildlife. The wide variety of plants will create a more complex and resilient space to grow food for humans and other species that rely on green infrastructure in the built environment. Since 2014, 35 species of birds, five species of bats and thousands of insects have been observed on the Javits Center’s green roof, in addition to five active bee hives.
from the streets West 34th a West 40th Between 11th and 12th avenues, the expanded Javits Center features a four-tier truck marshalling facility that houses up to 200 tractor-trailers at any one time, reducing neighborhood congestion and pollution and improving traffic safety. Among the new exhibit and meeting spaces is The Overview, a 54,000-square-foot special event space, the largest space of its kind in the Northeast, as well as more than 200,000 square feet of meeting room and pre-function space . All spaces are equipped with the latest technology in lighting, heating and cooling systems and wireless connectivity. The expansion has been certified LEED Gold by the US Green Building Council.
Since 2014, the Javits Center has reduced its energy use by 26% and added a new three-story building with transformers, backup generators and other electrical equipment to power the expanded convention center. With the installation of hospital-grade high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to improve air filtration and ventilation throughout the facility, the Javits Center received accreditation from the Global Biological Hazard Advisory Council (GBAC), implementing the highest standards of cleaning and disinfection in the industry.
“As we celebrate Earth Week, it’s important to reflect on our existential fight against climate change and continue our search for historic and innovative solutions to move us closer to a cleaner, greener New York State,” said Governor Hochul. “From the success of their nearly 7-acre green roof to a new rooftop farm, the Javits Center has demonstrated the power of sustainability. We are proud to welcome them to the program.” New York State Grown & Certified, that celebrates fresh, healthy produce grown in a way that is considerate of the surrounding environment.”
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