Rooftop farming could prove beneficial

MILWAUKEE, June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. residents like Milwaukee's Erik Lindberg who engage in rooftop farming could soon be at the forefront of a beneficial and profitable field, an expert says.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities founder Steven Peck, whose group engages in rooftop farming just like Lindberg, said the potential of the growing farming field is great, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday.

"We have probably a handful of projects. A lot of the rooftop gardening we do may have a commercial or selling component, but it's often set up because of the social benefits it provides," Peck said.

Lindberg, who started a garden on the roof of his Community Building & Restoration business, said a growing number of Milwaukee locations are embracing rooftop farms and gardens.

The Journal Sentinel said among the Milwaukee sites currently with rooftop gardens are the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District building, the Grohmann Museum at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the Urban Ecology Center.