This artifact represents a final project I had to complete for my Introduction to Global Public Health class. The project was an amazing experience, as it was set up like a ‘TED Talk’ conference– hence the title ‘TED x GPH.” Each student in my class chose a unique topic and submitted a proposal for his/her talk. Once these proposals were approved and feedback was received, we began working diligently on perfecting the content of our talks. The four-minute time limit proved to be a catch. Each student had to inform the rest of the class about an issue while at the same time provide a solution and a call to action. The most interesting part about this project was that the talks were not simply ‘forgotten’ at the end of each presentation class. Dr. Acton, my wonderful professor, set up individual discussion boards for each presenter. Then, it became the presenter’s responsibility to spark discussion, ideas, and questions. I was amazed by the infinitely long threads of discussions and comments in each presenter’s board. Everyone contributed unique and innovative ideas and worked together to raise awareness about each topic. I believe that this project’s setup was a great way to get students to interact with one another and to bounce ideas off each other in a way that will allow each student to remember these issues in public health and hopefully help others become more aware of the issues surrounding them and affecting their day-to-day lives.
The topic I chose for my TED x GPH talk was rooftop farming. I came up with this idea from research I had conducted in my Environment, Development, Sustainability, and Economics (ENR) class during my first semester at Ohio State. Through this research, I came across an innovative restaurant in Chicago called Uncommon Ground. This restaurant has the first certified organic rooftop farm in the United States. In urban environments, green space is usually limited and hard to find. However, there is a large amount of un-utilized rooftop space. A green roof has the ability to reduce heat island effect, decrease carbon emissions in the air, and limit energy use. Additionally, it can absorb water for multiple uses.
Today, agriculture accounts for 34% of land use, 70% of water use and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the biggest challenges we face involves the increasing global population (expected to reach 9 billion by 2050). Thus global conversation is necessary in order to rethink how we grow, produce, and distribute food. Urban farming– including rooftop farming– is one way in which we can develop a more sustainable and nutritious food system.