The practice of producing vegetables on green roofs has been gaining momentum in recent years as a method to facilitate agricultural sustainability in urban areas. Rooftop gardens are becoming an important part of the recent rejuvenation of urban agriculture, and offers alternative spaces to grow vegetable products for urban markets. Green roofs create spaces for the production of vegetable crops, which then generate opportunities for integrating agriculture into urban communities. However, vegetable production activities on rooftops are currently minimal due to multiple challenges that must be overcome before widespread implementation will occur, and these are presented and discussed herein in great detail. Although intensive green roof systems (>15 cm medium depths) are thought to be most suited for vegetable production, the greatest potential for sustained productivity is probably through extensive systems (<15 cm depths) due to weight load restrictions for most buildings. Thus, shallow-rooted vegetables that include important salad greens crops are thought to be the most suited for extensive systems as they can have high productivity with minimal inputs. Research presented herein agree that crops such as lettuce, kale and radish can be produced effectively in an extensive green roof medium with sufficient nutrient and moisture inputs. Other research has indicated that deeper-root crops like tomato can be produced but they will require constant monitoring of fertility and moisture levels. Vegetable production is a definite possibility in urban areas on retrofitted green roofs using minimal growing substrate depths with intensive seasonal maintenance. Rooftop agriculture can improve various ecosystem services, enrich urban biodiversity and reduce food insecurity. Food production provided by green roofs can help support and sustain food for urban communities, as well as provide a unique opportunity to effectively grow food in spaces that are typically unused. The utilization of alternative agricultural production systems, such as green roof technologies, will increase in importance as human populations become more urbanized and urban consumers become more interested in local foods for their families. Although cultivation of food on buildings is a key component to making cities more sustainable and habitable, green roofs are not the total solution to provide food security to cities. They should be viewed more as a supplement to other sources of food production in urban areas.

This study investigated the effects of indoor horticulture activities on the current psychological well-being of older people in two long-term care facilities over a 7-week period. Thirty-one participants at one facility served as the control group. Thirty-one participants at another facility served as the horticulture group. Participants in both facilities continued with their normal daily routine and activities over the 7-week period; however, the horticulture group participated in a 1-hour horticulture activity session once a week over the 7-week period and the control group did not. The control group and horticulture group did not differ significantly in psychological well-being prior to the start of the study. After the 7-week program, the horticulture group had a significant increase in psychological well-being, whereas the control group had a slight decrease in psychological well-being. The results of this study indicate that horticulture activities may have a beneficial effect on the current psychological well-being of older people in a long-term care facility.

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A childrens' garden was designed and installed in a preschool facility to determine if the garden was effective in increasing the children's respect and knowledge of a garden ecosystem. Evaluation of the children's involvement with the garden revealed it to be effectively incorporated into a multidisciplinary curriculum. The children's experience with the garden was a first step in developing environmental sensitivity while providing an opportunity for the staff to experience a garden as an educational tool.

Developing public awareness of the intricate relationship between people and their environment is critical to effectively deal with the increasing demands of population growth and man's ability to manipulate the environment. A holistic and practical understanding of these concerns should be introduced to young people. Evaluations of an environmental gaming/simulation for young people indicate that it offers a creative method of heightening awareness and insights into the value of master planning. This gaming/simulation (EGS) simulates the development of a subdivision in which the participants are the planners. Each participant assumes a different role with differing interest, but they must work together as decision-makers. EGS does not give the “correct” answers to living in an environmentally perfect world. It is simply a tool to increase the participants awareness of environmental concerns, to teach the value of planning, exploring alternatives, and to give an understanding of the relationships between the elements in the game.