MCG and Melbourne Park bosses consider rooftop stadium gardens inspired by Boston Red Sox Fenway Park scheme
MCG and Melbourne Park bosses are eyeing a Boston Red Sox scheme that turned an underused patch of Fenway Park baseball stadium into a huge rooftop fresh fruit and vegetable farm.
Future Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Future Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Stadium gardens to feed fans and families in need could be built in major grounds such as the MCG and Melbourne Park under an innovative model already operating in the US.
The Boston Red Sox turned an underused patch of its famous Fenway Park baseball stadium into a 464 sqm rooftop fresh fruit and vegetable farm in 2015.
“Fenway Farms’’ now produces more than 1814kg of food such as carrots, kale, spinach and lettuce each year that it uses in its ballpark restaurants and donates to charities.
MCG and Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust chiefs have voiced interest in the initiative, which the Red Sox have also credited with improving air quality and conserving energy.
MOPT chief executive John Harnden applauded the Fenway Farms model as “a great initiative”, revealing plans to adopt a similar sized garden at Melbourne Park.
“Within the current plans for stage three of the $972 million Melbourne Park Redevelopment, we are excited to share that a kitchen garden will form part of our new function and media centre,’’ he said.
“This will allow our chefs to prepare meals using fresh, local produce for our guests and is one of several sustainability initiatives included in the design.’’
He said the stadium garden would “achieve impressive, inspirational outcomes — from water conservation to energy use or food waste’’.
MCC chief executive Stuart Fox said the rooftop garden concept had merit as another way to engage the community and build on the MCG’s green credentials.
“The MCC, as custodians of the MCG and Yarra Park, support and seek avenues that increase community participation within the precinct,’’ he said.
“In maintaining the condition of Yarra Park for the continued use by the community, the MCC’s commitment to sustainability and the environment comes to the forefront.’’
The MCG already boasts the first on-site organic recycling program in an Aussie stadium, turning food waste into product mixed with sand and used as a top dressing to maintain Yarra Park.
MORE FUTURE VICTORIA NEWS:
COULD THE YARRA RIVER END UP WITH TWO NAMES?
THE MIDDLE-RING SUBURBS THAT MILLENNIALS ARE LOVING
THE EASY FOOD FIX THAT COULD CURE HEALTH CRISIS
It turned 154 tonnes of organic matter into 42 tonnes of soil food last year.
QT Melbourne executive chef Andy Harmer said a rooftop kitchen garden, installed at the city hotel two years ago, was living proof growing food in the city was possible.
The popular nightspot has around 80 planter boxes on its roof and grows everything from lemongrass and lillypillys to onions, potatoes and strawberries, which are then used in the kitchen and for creating fresh cocktails.
QT also launched a Secret Garden Bar on Thursday, letting the first 40 to 50 people up to the roof for a special experience among the foliage.
“I think one of the big driving forces behind doing it was to educate the guys in the kitchen as to where produce comes from and how it’s grown,” Mr Harmer said.
“A lot of people think that their food just ends up on their plate.
“If you’re going to have a garden you may as well use it.”