SNU College of Engineering Raises Potatoes though Rainwater Harvesting

- Potatoes from the Concave Rain Garden on the Roof of SNU Building No.35
- Harvested Potatoes to be Delivered to Seniors Living Alone in Gwanak District


▲ People Harvesting Potatoes from Rooftop Rain Garden of SNU College of Engineering

 
SNU College of Engineering harvests organic potatoes raised from its concave rooftop rain garden.
 
SNU College of Engineering (Dean Cha Kook-Heon) has held its “5^th SNU Building No.35 Rooftop Garden Potato Harvest with Gwanak Local Residents” on July 6^th. This event is hosted by Department of Environmental Engineering (Professor Han Moo Young) and co-supervised by Urban Agriculture Network (CEO Yeo Yeong-Ok), Gwanak Self-Sufficiency Center, and Gwanak Residents’ Committee.
 
40 local residents and 20 SNU faculty members, professors and students have participated in this event. The 150kg of harvested potatoes will be donated to seniors living alone in Gwanak district.
 
The background of this event is the coming together of SNU students who are poor at farming and Gwanak local residents who lacked land to harvest crop raised with rainwater and sweat. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s rooftop garden that has officially opened in 2013 is highly praised to strengthen the bond between SNU and local community.
 
Professor Han Moo Young who has hosted the event comments, “This concave rooftop rain garden saves electricity, minimizes building’s heat island effect, and temporarily stores rainwater to prevent flooding. Our experience demonstrates that rainwater harvesting is more easily maintained and raises stronger crops than tap water harvesting.”
 
He adds, “Rain garden is a space that reminds people to save energy and water. As the main purpose of buildings under government possession is to carry out social responsibilities, it is our aim to implement rain gardens to the rooftop of community service centers.”