London roof gardens to feed 2012 Olympians
London roof gardens to feed 2012 Olympians
Unused spaces in London could be converted into allotments. The city's mayor, Boris Johnson, has outlined plans to create roof gardens to feed the 2012 Olympic athletes. The scheme is set to be launched today.
Owners of suitable properties will be offered incentives to convert spaces into
roof gardens, according to The Times. The plan is to feed athletes competing in
London's
2012 Olympics with home grown produce.
Johnson's aides are reported to have been scouring London for suitable spaces. It is thought that the
flat roofs in the city amount to an area roughly 24 times the size of Richmond Park.
Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food, told the paper she wanted to create a "sea of green in the air". Explaining the benefits of the scheme, Boycott said: "They also help reduce flooding, improve
insulation and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
It is not just flat roofs that could be transformed into
allotments.
"This accommodates anything, from roof gardens to gardens in youth offender institutions, to canal banks and banks of reservoirs - the lost pieces of land that are just gathering dust," Boycott added.
The programme is being coordinated by Sustain, a food and farming alliance, on behalf of Johnson.
"During the Olympics we want to be providing an image of a
sustainable city that we can be proud of. Roof gardens are a way of reducing pollution and improving air quality, as well as producing food," said Ben Reynolds of the organisation.
The scheme has been inspired by similar initiatives in
US cities.
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