MANILA, Philippines — Bonifacio Global City launched various initiatives in keeping its effort to promote sustainable lifestyle through urban farming.
Agri-food are housed in herb gardens, where edible greens and herbs are seen, grown in carpark and office building roof decks and pocket herb gardens at the stretch of Bonifacio High Street Park — making the place stand out with refreshing greenery.
There is also the newly-launched BGC Urban Farm located by The Flats BGC, which gives BGCitizens an opportunity to have their own piece of edible garden or volunteer to take care of the local farm. The farm offers pick and pay service, which allows guests and residents to harvest their weekly supply of pechay, arugula, lettuce, kangkong and mustasa for as low as P150 to P200/bag.
Agriroofs are located in the roof decks of Three Parkade, Bonifacio Technology Center and Bonifacio High Street Park buildings. Some of the crops grown are eggplants, pechays, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and herbs. This makes otherwise idle lands and blank spaces productive and food-producing while helping cancel out carbon emissions at the same time.
This movement is also spread across other properties as Horizon Homes, Shangri-La at the Fort also started their Mini Vegetable and Herb Garden together with Greenspace as their compost partner. Horizon Homes’ garden is located on the 7th floor and is maintained by their residents and employees.
As one of the greenest estates in Metro Manila, BGC’s greenery and the outdoors have always been part of its value proposition. Since the start, it has always promoted its outdoors lined up with Golden Ficus, Palawan Cherries and Fire Trees, to name a few. All these are locally propagated in BGC’s gated nursery up the North district.
There are also pocket nurseries in the nooks of BGC’s carparks, where the plants around Bonifacio High Street are grown.
BGC also keeps a “sacred” area between Market Market and Serendra, where all Philippine endemic species are grown. Called Meditation Hill because of the artwork made by Joaquin and Gasgonia Palencia at the center, the hill is surrounded by about 50 trees that are endemic to Philippine soil – Narra, Calumpit, Malakmalak and Bagras, to name a few.
BGC also makes use of its yard waste to propagate greens. Yard waste produced around BGC are mulched to become composts, which are used to fill up the estate’s tree wells and parks.
In the days ahead, BGC is committed to develop more urban farms by transforming open and idle spaces into green, productive gardens whose fruits can be enjoyed by all. With these initiatives, it hopes to inspire and engage the community and encourage people to embrace green, sustainable practices.
RELATED: In photos: Must-have plants for newbie ‘Plantito,’ 'Plantita'