All photos are by Victoria Jane Photography unless otherwise noted.

You guys! I recently had the glorious opportunity to tour the flagship of Gotham Greens' rooftop greenhouse. This particular location (one of four!) is conveniently located above Whole Foods in Gowanus. I was definitely in plant lady heaven, and couldn't stop smiling even if I tried. If you don't already know, Gotham Greens is the urban farming pioneer growing and harvesting hyper-local, pesticide-free greens on rooftops. Every vegetable and herb is sustainably grown using 100% clean and renewable energy.

I was accompanied on this tour by two of my very lovely friends and fellow plant lovers - Minna, blogger behind Living Minnaly & Victoria, the photographer behind most of my yoga shots (follow her work @vmorris41)! We couldn't stop squealing over the baby plants, and ended up taking home our very own baby basils (Bae & Lil Mozz), along with an endless supply of greens that is literally THE freshest and most beautiful greens I've ever laid eyes on.

Before I share more from our tour, let's first chat about why we should all try to eat more locally.

Why Eating Local Matters

Local foods are fresher

As I mentioned before, buying local means you are eating closer to the source. As a New Yorker, I can nosh on Gotham Greens that were harvested just a day earlier... which is really cool to think about. Since it's not being shipped cross-country, you cut back on transport time and can actually enjoy your veggies when they are freshest and most nutrient-dense. Seeing my lettuce from Gotham Greens has lasted past 3 weeks BLOWS MY MIND. It has helped me waste less food (and money), since I actually have time to finish all of my greens before they wilt.

Buying local helps your local economy

And who wouldn't want that? Pay it forward and help your community grow strong instead of only pumping money into large corporations. Produce is fresher, healthier, and tastes better local. Plus, you're supporting your local farmer. It's a win-win, really.

Local foods are better for Mother Earth

When your produce is being shipped thousands of miles away, that's a really huge carbon footprint to be considered. Since Gotham Greens is stationed in close proximity to their consumers, they greatly reduce transportation fuel, refrigerated food transport, and unnecessary air pollution.

My friend Minna has also written an incredibly insightful post about why she eats local - read about it here.

Gotham Greens Rooftop Tour

If you reside in NYC, lucky you! Starting this week, Gotham Greens is offering free weekly tours at their Gowanus location! Although, you can't go inside the greenhouse (no one wants hair in their greens!), you can see the beauties and learn about the forward-thinking process on their observation deck pictured below. Sign up HERE.

Rooftop Observation Deck photo courtesy of Gotham Greens

And more reasons on why we love Gotham Greens...

• They specialize in urban farming - each of the four locations are located on top of rooftops, a typically overlooked and under-utilized space turned into a greenhouse!
• Their produce is 100% pesticide-free - So, that means there are absolutely zero harmful chemical pesticides, insecticides or herbicides. Nada.
• They use hydroponics to grow their plants - Hydroponics is an irrigation system using mineral-nutrient water rather than soil. The water is recycled & reused through this system, and is the most water-efficient form of agriculture in the world [source].
• Gotham Greens are 100% powered on clean energy - With relying on natural sunlight, Gotham Greens produces over 50% more crop than conventional greenhouses while using 25% less energy per pound of crop produced [source].

More from our tour...

Here's Minna and I in our natural habitat.

And some good ole iPhone plant selfies!

The Plant Ladies of NYC!!! (With Miss Victoria who is the magician behind the lens!)

Huge thanks to Gotham Greens for partnering on this post, as I am truly, truly in love with this brand. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own. You'll never see a post on here that isn't authentic to me, by the way. My blog is my baby. And you guys are my community.

Lots of love to Victoria (@vmorris41) for always taking the most amazing photos & to Minna (@livingminnaly) for always writing from the heart - you ladies are the best of the best, and I feel lucky to have you both!