A City of Food

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the "Ecoroofs Everywhere" event at the Rocket Building in Portland. Ecoroofs are planted roofs with drainage systems, that take the place of conventional roofs. While traditionally planted in sedum and other inedible plants, last night's tour was of the roof of the Rocket Building at 11th and East Burnside. The building (which is for sale) in fascinating, as the Ecoroofs Everywhere business (http://www.ecoroofseverywhere.org/) held the reception on the 3rd floor, Noble Rot restaurant is on the fourth, and the roof over Noble Rot is planted with tons of vegetables and herbs - many of which go into daily specials at the restaurant. As an infill four-story building, it brings together much of what Portland is celebrated for - smart reuse, green building, sustainable businesses, and a love of fantastic local food. Ecoroofs are popular in Portland, so much so that the first google hit for "ecoroofs" is this page from the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=ecbbd&a=bbehci Right now, we have 172 ecoroofs in the city, and we're building more all the time. Because of the stormwater benefits, Portland offers up to $5 a square foot incentive. http://www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=48724&