On a sunny summer day, with the juxtaposition of the city’s historic skyline and the fledgling rooftop farm, this picture captures the essence of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture programme. Participants learn as they work at this sustainable, organic 20,000-square-foot rooftop garden in McCormick Place, the largest convention centre in the western hemisphere. Here, lettuce is harvested for the convention centre’s chef; typically, the produce is served less than 24 hours from harvesting. The first growing season yielded roughly 3,000 pounds of produce - kale, swiss chard, aubergine, carrots, and more.

Finalist - Greening the City