On UMass Lowell roof, a garden grows

Most of the edible crops will go into Mill City’s existing food distribution system, which is geared to expanding access to fresh food.

By John Laidler
Boston Globe
July 8, 2021

Excerpt:

The mezzanine roof at a University of Massachusetts Lowell library is now the site of a garden that will help provide fresh food to city residents in need and other community members.

Through an ongoing partnership with a local nonprofit, the university last month installed 500 growing containers for herbs, vegetables, and flowers covering the 2,300-square-foot mezzanine roof at O’Leary Library on South Campus.

The project is part of UMass Lowell’s five-year-old Urban Agriculture Program, an ongoing collaboration between its Office of Sustainability and Mill City Grows, a food justice organization that raises crops at 20 gardens in Lowell, much of which it provides free to people from under-served populations.

Ruairi O’Mahony, UMass Lowell’s director of sustainability, said just the sight of the rooftop garden — visible to students through windows in the library’s mezzanine — will benefit the campus community.

“It’s important on an urban campus to be able to show people what sustainability means in an urban setting,” he said. “So creating this garden, making efficient use of this space, is a way we can educate students about the importance of food access and food insecurity in Lowell.”

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