Maya Donelson tends the rooftop garden of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. Photo by Peter DaSilva for The New York Times.

By Marian Burros
New York Times. June 16, 2009

This summer, Tony Tomelden hopes to be making bloody marys at the Pug in Washington, D.C., with tomatoes and chilies grown above the bar, thanks to the city’s incentives for green roofs.

Mr. Tomelden, the Pug’s principal owner, says he’s planting a garden to take advantage of tax subsidies the city offers in his neighborhood if he covers his roof with plants.

“If I can do something in my corner for the environment, that seemed a reasonable thing to do,” he said. “Plus I can save money on the tomatoes.”

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“It has really helped us because we bring home food to our families and we also have a source of income out of vegetables harvested,” said Mr. Flores. “For every harvest, the lowest net income per family is P500,” he said noting income depends on the yield and frequency of harvest of crops planted. He cited that eggplant has an estimated minimum harvest of 10 kilograms a week. “We sell eggplant at P18/kg,” said Mr. Flores. “In the market, eggplant sells at P20/kg.”

Article originally published January 9, 2008 in the Manila based newspaper BusinessWorld. Link to JPEG image of the article here.