New Zealand is down with foraging

If you're hungry for some foraged fods in the Land of the Long White Cloud check out the Wild Foods Festival on March 12,
where you can sample things like wasp larvae ice cream, and, in general...wait for it, because I can't resist...get your grub on!
Also, while you're at it you can check out this map of urban foraging for New Zealand. And if you can use it, I'm jealous.
What about stateside? Check out Urban Edibles for similar maps and Fallen Fruit started off the same way, but in the last couple of years has expanded to include WAY more than fruit!

A mainstream org embraces a rising movement when the US Green Building Council sponsors a talk on urban agriculture and edible landscapes in St. Louis on March 9. Some might argue if the USGBC is mainstream, but with the size of their workforce, they can't be considered small timers anymore.

Alex Rochas delivers this funky 1,500 foot edible green roof/rooftop garden in Los Angeles.



Looking for a great blog? Behold Danielle Nierenberg's Nourishing the Planet, it's there I read about one of Malawi's new permaculture miracle workers
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Short video on how to build a staple of permaculture gardens, the herb spiral.

Radio replay

Oops, last week I forgot to post that verticiel Inc. dropped by the Green Majority radio program (CIUT 89.5 FM) February 12 to talk about green roofs, living architecture and Toronto's new Green Roof Bylaw. Listen to the podcast, and tell us what you think!

A few things...

Hold on to your potatoes, this blog post is going to be all over the place...

Renderings are amazing in general, but if this concept is actually built, you'll be seeing pictures of this for the next 20 years.
Built to produce fruit, oil, grain, wine, gold (just kidding about the last one), Andres Jaque Architects have really outdone themselves. An urban agriculture dreamscape. Dare I ask...price tag?



Good newsish from the Canadian Council on Learning. The number of jobs in the environmental sector has been growing steadily yet enrolment in post-secondary environmental programs has dropped 9% since 1999 as opposed to a 24% increase in total Canadian grads. What is perhaps even more interesting are the theorized reasons for such a drop, including gender stereotypes and the availability of career information. Time for everyone to double their course load, then when you graduate, list all the cushy jobs you passed on...on Facebook. Alert, alert. 3,200 jobs unfilled in meteorlogical field alone this year!!!
Which gets me to thinking, maybe they'll be some more green jobs at in New York City and the whole tri-state area once the FoodNYC: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System is enacted, recommendation by recommendation. Looks like someone in both NYC and Edmontonhave been keepin' tabs on developments in Toronto! Although, Edmonton's urban agriculture section is a little smaller. I guess you gotta start somewhere, right?

Succulent Container Gardens is the latest book from Debra Lee Baldwin. I'm definitely checking it out for plants that could work well on green roofs or green walls.

Looks like DC gives the most cash back for a green roof, usually reported at $5/square foot, if all the requirements are met one can get $7!!! I think that might be the highest in North America! Check out the registration form.

And to finish things up, a nice urban foraging video. What makes it nice? It not only shows you someone wandering around, really happy with their find...it shows you a few tricks of the trade and clear (still) pictures of some free, wild eats.

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"Cash for grass" or "rip your strip" + the latest from Africa

For many of those on this side of the continent, Las Vegas' cash for grass program is a brand new idea. Hmmm...there are a few cities which have had issues with droughts over the last decade (I'm looking at you, Atlanta), I wonder how a similar program would work elsewhere? This article does a really nice job rounding up the water conservation problems and programs around the US.



Speaking of roundup, lots of info from the plateau continent in the last few weeks, including some rainwater recovery programs in Tunisia, sponsored by
International Development Research Center (IDRC-CANADA) and urban agriculture developments in Morocco.
Further down south there are a couple from Kenya. Run by an Italian NGO and Nairobi based grassroots initiative, the first story features the farm in a sack. Next up is a broader article about the urban farming movement across Africa, but starting off in Nairobi.

Okay, back to the...is there a nickname for North America? Edible geographygoes for the gusto with links galore and a preview of the USDA's Food Atlas. Bring a life vest before you decide to dive into this data.

Kongjian Yu in Harvard Design Magazine details how future cities "will be new garden cities.. emitting low or no net carbon, productive and conservation-minded. Rainwater will no longer be discharged from municipal pipes but will be retained in local ponds and supplement groundwater. Green spaces will be full of crops and fruit trees, instead of ornamental flowers and fruitless trees. Rice and broomcorn will ripen in the fields of communities and schools. In the harvest season, animals and humans will take pleasure together. Architectural surfaces will support photosynthesis. The roofs will be fish-raising ponds, with the functions of heat preservation, energy saving, and food production. Cellars will be great mushroom factories.” Sign me up.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the magazine'ssynopsis.

Toronto's urban food strategy

Forgot to post this earlier, Sustain Ontario breaks down the Toronto Board of Health's endorsement of the report, “Food Connections: Toward a Healthy and Sustainable Food System for Toronto.” What's most impressive to me is that outlining strategies to deal with issues like school food and food literacy are waaaaay beyond what most other big, North American cities are even entertaining. A tip of the cap to the Big Smoke!

Green roof jobs in the Walking City

For those in Boston interested in green roof gigs, read on...

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Position Description: Project Manager

We are offering a challenging opportunity for a motivated individual be involved with and eventually in charge of all aspects of green roof construction. We are a small design/build green roof company that has been in the business for 6 years. We have built projects of all sizes in New England and the Mid Atlantic Regions.

Responsibilities Include:

• reading and understanding construction specifications and drawings
• ordering all materials for a job
• lining up subcontractors and putting together a construction schedule
• running a jobsite with up to 6 people
• building a green roof from the waterproofing up
• organizing the shop between jobs and materials inventory

This individual must be willing to travel frequently, be comfortable driving a dump truck and organized. Experience within the green roof industry, construction and horticulture related fields are a plus. We seek a self-starter who is a team player with good communication and computer skills.

We offer a competitive wage in a young, budding company only a mile or two away from downtown Boston and Cambridge. Visit us at: www.apexgreenroofs.com. Please email cover letters and resumes to: info@apexgreenroofs.com.

Green Roof Maintenance
Job Posting: January 5, 2010
Company: Apex Green Roofs, Inc.
Location: Somerville, MA (Boston Area)
Interview Date: ASAP

Position Description: Green Roof Maintenance

We are offering a challenging opportunity for a motivated individual to maintain all of the green roofs that we have built and will be building. We are a small design/build green roof company that has been in the business for 6 years. We have built projects of all sizes in New England and the Mid Atlantic Regions.

Responsibilities Include:

• removing invasive species on our green roofs
• check all aspects of the roof to make sure everything is working properly and nothing has been damaged
• thoroughly document all aspects of the green roofs; from the plants to water runoff
• be in constant contact with clients to update them on their roof as well as to determine a maintenance schedule
• update the database in the office so that we have a comprehensive log of our green roofs and their development

This individual must be willing to travel frequently, have a drivers license and be comfortable working alone. Experience within the green roof industry and horticulture related fields are a plus. We seek a self-starter who is a team player with good communication and computer skills. This job is perfect for someone just out of undergrad looking to be involved in a company and industry that is improving the urban fabric.

We offer a competitive wage in a young, budding company only a mile or two away from downtown Boston and Cambridge. Visit us at: www.apexgreenroofs.com. Please email cover letters and resumes to: info@apexgreenroofs.com.

Nuts!

Great article about an expanding wild edible empire. More and more I've seen products from Forbes Natural Foods popping up at farmer's markets. This dude is the dude. As a child I would try to eat beech nuts from a tree in our backyard, to no avail because of the tannins (I now learn). But, if you chase a link from the article it says you can soak them for a bit then maybe make a pesto. I'm all about pesto. Sun-dried tomato pesto. Nasturium pesto. Now beech nut pesto? Skip spring and summer, bring on the fall and beech nut season!!!

Want a great tree for a forest garden? How about some nuts? Should we add beech to the list?

Permaculture guru Geoff Lawton talks about how permaculture can be used to help Haiti.

And because I had a five year old ask me today, here's how mushroom are produced?



Thanks youtube for helping us out!

verticiel on the air + west coast living architecture crawl

I should probably have a weekly post featuring all the cool things cities have planned. But first tune in to the Green Majority radio show (CIUT 89.5 FM) Friday, February 12 at 10:30 am as verticiel Inc. drops by to talk about green roofs and Toronto's new Green Roof Bylaw.

On to the west coast, last week the City of Seattle proclaimed 2010 "Year of Urban Agriculture". Looks like they have a slew of activities planned so far.

On to Portland, where we get a primer on where to get urban agriculture and permaculture supplies.

Further south in San Fran, in two weeks the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco chapter (AIA San Francisco) will present an exhibition highlighting vertical gardens in all their splendor.

There's a call for papersfrom the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD) focusing on best practices in urban and peri-urban agriculture. Up to 2,500 words so don't get verbose!

And last but not least, we'll head to the mountains to spotlight Green Roofs Utah. I'll have to introduce myself, like a good neighbor should!

It's all about the visual + living architecture in Africa

I've had people ask before, what's the best permaculture website? Well, wouldn't you know it someone asked a similar question at permaculture tv, which, is a dynamite site in it's own right. The truth is, there's so much good information out there, aren't the interwebs wonderful?

Speaking of good websites, for those more visually inclined try Spezify, you can do a visual web search on your favorite living architecture topics.

For some great videos, check out Urban Omnibus on how the East New York Farmers market got up and running, a great primer for anyone interested in starting their own. And over at How Stuff Works to spy Stephen Brooks as he makes a nice salad from his urban foraging wanderings...in LA.
Seriously, there's rosemary growing between the sidewalk cracks?

Now we'll jet over to the Africa. A story from Zimbabwe which puts struggle in perspective.

The City of Johannesburg is putting it's weight behind a permaculture training institute to help combat the socio-economic impact of HIV.

Rwanda is starting an urban agriculture program to ensure food security. I'll do my best to keep up to date on all of these new projects, so many wonderful things happening all around the world.

Legislation and action

An urban agriculture bill was filed in late January in the Missouri House of Representative; don't know much about Jason Holsman, but he's definitely thinking ahead with comments like...“Ideas like vertical sky farming and sustainable living communities just make sense for places like Kansas City and Saint Louis...”
Also, Everdale Organic Farm and Learning Centre, outside Toronto, has started Ontario's first Organic Farming Certificate.
Details below...

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Everdale Organic Farm & Learning Centre announced today that it will be launching Ontario's first Organic Farming Certificate (OFC) program in April 2010. The OFC is based on a program offered at the University of California at Santa Cruz and will help Ontario to meet a growing demand for locally grown organic produce.

Everdale is a farm-based learning centre located one hour northwest of Toronto near Hillsburgh, Ontario. Everdale has been breaking ground in farmer training since 2000, when they partnered with Agriculture Canada to create an on-farm internship program. That internship program was one of the first of its kind in Ontario. It provided hands-on farm experience to young people interested acquiring skills in organic farming.

The units of study in the OFC curriculum are:

- Organic Farming and Gardening Skills and Practices
- Managing Soil Fertility
- Garden and Field Tillage and Cultivation
- Propagating Crops from Seed and Greenhouse Management
- Transplanting and Direct Seeding
- Irrigation: Principles and Practices
- Selecting and Using Cover Crops
- Making and Using Compost
- Managing Arthropod Pests and Plant Pathogens
- Managing Weeds
- Soil Science
- Social and Environmental Issues in Agriculture

For additional news and information regarding the OFC please contact:

Gavin Dandy, Director of Farm Programming

Everdale Organic Farm & Learning Centre

gavin@everdale. org

Organic Farm Field Manager - Brampton, ON

For those in the Greater Toronto Area interested in farming, take a look at the following:

Organic Farm Field Manager

Application deadline: Friday, February 26th, 2010.

Contract Length: May 1 - Oct 31, 2010
Location: Brampton (the farm), Toronto & GTA (markets)

Organizational Mission: "Cultivating Personal, Social, Environmental, and Economic Health through Organic Agriculture."

Field Manager Job Description

Primary Goal: Cultivation of 3 acres of land to produce mixed produce for Community Supported Agriculture Programs and Farmers Markets

Primary Activities:

1. Coordinate Interns and Volunteers to carry out necessary farm tasks
2. Supervise Interns in their learning process, including regular one-on-one check-ins
3. Volunteer Recruitment and weekly scheduling
4. Facilitate CSA distribution once weekly
5. Other General Tasks: Ongoing Communication with Program Director, Washing Harvest bins, Vehicle Support, Supply pick-ups and other errands, etc

Weekly Schedule in Summary (40 hrs total):
24 hours on Farm: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings
6 hours at CSA distribution site (one afternoon per week)
10 hours admin (eg.farm scheduling, volunteer recruitment) and errands

Compensation:
$1600-2000/month from May – October, depending on experience
Two weeks paid vacation
Abundance of Produce

Qualifications:
Phenomenal social-skills and experience managing & coordinating people
Experience farming mixed produce
Commitment to balance and wellness in one’s own life
Drivers Licence and access to vehicle

To apply:
Please submit resume with cover letter by Feb. 26th to Daniel Hoffmann at daniel@thecuttingveg.com

For more information about The Cutting Veg, visit http://www.thecuttingveg.com
Daniel Hoffmann
The Cutting Veg
(647)388-7444
http://www.thecuttingveg.com
"Cultivating Personal, Social, Environmental, and Economic Health through Organic Agriculture."

City watch

D.C. is trying to up their urban agriculture cred by creating a College of Urban Agriculture (at the University of the District of Columbia).

N.Y.C., on the other hand, seems to be making things more difficult, don't worry Bloomberg will get things together.

Oakland has a new hydroponic superstore, it opened a few days ago. Technicians at the store will even show you how to set stuff up, for a fee, but still, how many times have you bought something at IKEA and wished you'd talked to someone first?

Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia is opening a lab to develop insect-and microbe-based pest control systems. After researching the technologies, they will bring them to market.

Hopping across the ocean, the UN has a position open for a senior level Urban Agriculture Expert in Monrovia.

Interesting article about how to use permaculture principles to grow a sustainable company. I hope there's a company out there willing to give this a try, it would be a fantastic experiment.

Groundhog joke of the day: What is a laughing groundhog called? A grinhog. Admit it, you at least groaned.