Over the last week there has been a mysterious dearth of interesting living architecture articles and stories. Perhaps people are holding back for April, international gardening month?
So in the meantime, we'll feature and revisit a Popular Science's feature from last August, 8 solutions for feeding over 9 billion people by 2050.. One suggestion that was unfortunately not on the list is using food more wisely. Estimates vary that more than 30% of food is actually wasted.
Speaking of waste, I'm sure many have heard about the strawberries being trashed in Florida. Hundreds of thousands of pounds uprooted and disposed of because they wouldn't fetch a fair market price. However at least one farmer is letting people pick for free and shipping to food banks.
-Permaculture websites in Spanish are gaining in popularity, but this may be the first in Porteguese that I'm aware of.
-Oh and I can't forget the City of Chicago's main portal for the green roofs open to the public.
-Okay, well, maybe one last thing.Five easy steps on how to start an eco-village.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The latest on legislation+ more
-Pittsburgh is looking to adpot legislation that would define a green roof and establish zoning height, meanwhile Detroit which is in every third urban agriculture article you read these days because of the "right sizing" looks to create a zoning code for urban farming. Hmm..after hearing Richard Heinberg talk on Monday, I think Detroit's fate, which was a source of embarrassment to many, I think, may be a true blessing in disguise.
Speaking of which, if you're in Philadelphia and you want to start farming there, an RFP just hit the interwebs.
Meanwhile San Francisco is full-steam ahead with their urban food gardens on and around public facilities. Even more inspiring is San Fran's highway turned garden.
-In honor of World Water Week, here's a great new invention
that offers a basic sanitation service, thereby protecting drinking water and providing fertilizer in nutrient-poor soil. It's called the Peepoo. Better than the name is the cost, 2-3 cents per bag! More info about composting toilets can be found further down the page.
-A roundup of the latest New York City rooftop farms, present and future. I'd like to know more about the large commercial farm that successfully raised and sold vegetables on a Bronx rooftop in the 1980s referenced in the article.
Speaking of which, if you're in Philadelphia and you want to start farming there, an RFP just hit the interwebs.
Meanwhile San Francisco is full-steam ahead with their urban food gardens on and around public facilities. Even more inspiring is San Fran's highway turned garden.
-In honor of World Water Week, here's a great new invention
that offers a basic sanitation service, thereby protecting drinking water and providing fertilizer in nutrient-poor soil. It's called the Peepoo. Better than the name is the cost, 2-3 cents per bag! More info about composting toilets can be found further down the page.
-A roundup of the latest New York City rooftop farms, present and future. I'd like to know more about the large commercial farm that successfully raised and sold vegetables on a Bronx rooftop in the 1980s referenced in the article.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Vandana Shiva hits Hogtown - April 6
On Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) presents a free public talk by environmental activist and sustainable agriculture and biodiversity advocate Dr. Vandana Shiva as part of its President’s Speaker Series.
From the OCAD press release:
"A renowned environmental activist, philosopher, eco-feminist and interdisciplinary researcher, Dr. Shiva is celebrated for her work supporting people-centred, participatory processes towards sustainable agriculture and genetic resources. Trained as a physicist at the University of Western Ontario, Shiva is now based in Delhi, India. After leaving Canada, she became a researcher working in the fields of science, technology and environmental policy at the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India. In 1982, she formed the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy, an informal network of researchers working to articulate the knowledge and environmental struggles of Indian farmers. Through this foundation, Shiva established Navdanya, India’s largest network of seed keepers and organic producers aiming to conserve indigenous seeds, biodiversity and food sovereignty.
For more than 15 years, Shiva has campaigned on the ethical and ecological impacts of genetic engineering. She has also organized campaigns on bio-safety and helped to formulate a citizens’ response to the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. Shiva, who started her work on biodiversity with the Chipko Movement in the 1970s, sees biodiversity as intimately linked to cultural diversity and knowledge diversity. To that end, she has campaigned nationally and internationally against “biopiracy” — the patenting of indigenous knowledge. Her book on the subject, Biopiracy, deals with the emerging corporate monopolies on the living resources of the poor.
Shiva’s book Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Survival (Zed, 1989) has had an international impact. She was a co-chair of the 1991 World Congress on Women and Environment, and she edited “Women, Ecology and Health: Rebuilding Connections,” in Development Dialogue (1993), the publication of the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation. Shiva has also launched a global movement called Diverse Women for Diversity, for the defence of biological and cultural diversity.
Shiva has written extensively, both to form and address the agenda of development debate and action. Her most recent publications include Earth Democracy; Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (South End Press, 2005); Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed (Ed., South End Press, 2007) and Soil Not Oil (South End Press, 2008).
In 2003, Time magazine called Shiva an environmental hero, and Asia Week described her as one of the five most powerful communicators of Asia. Among her many awards are the Right Livelihood Award, the Order of the Golden Ark, the United Nations Global 500 Award and Earth Day International Award (1993), the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace (2008), and the Save The World Award (2009). She serves on the boards of many organizations, including the World Future Council, the International Forum on Globalization and Slow Food International."
Dr. Vandana Shiva: "Soil not Oil: Earth's design in times of climate change"
Tuesday, April 6, 7 p.m.
Ontario College of Art & Design
Auditorium (Rm 190), 100 McCaul Street, Toronto
416-977-6000 | www.ocad.ca
From the OCAD press release:
"A renowned environmental activist, philosopher, eco-feminist and interdisciplinary researcher, Dr. Shiva is celebrated for her work supporting people-centred, participatory processes towards sustainable agriculture and genetic resources. Trained as a physicist at the University of Western Ontario, Shiva is now based in Delhi, India. After leaving Canada, she became a researcher working in the fields of science, technology and environmental policy at the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India. In 1982, she formed the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy, an informal network of researchers working to articulate the knowledge and environmental struggles of Indian farmers. Through this foundation, Shiva established Navdanya, India’s largest network of seed keepers and organic producers aiming to conserve indigenous seeds, biodiversity and food sovereignty.
For more than 15 years, Shiva has campaigned on the ethical and ecological impacts of genetic engineering. She has also organized campaigns on bio-safety and helped to formulate a citizens’ response to the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. Shiva, who started her work on biodiversity with the Chipko Movement in the 1970s, sees biodiversity as intimately linked to cultural diversity and knowledge diversity. To that end, she has campaigned nationally and internationally against “biopiracy” — the patenting of indigenous knowledge. Her book on the subject, Biopiracy, deals with the emerging corporate monopolies on the living resources of the poor.
Shiva’s book Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Survival (Zed, 1989) has had an international impact. She was a co-chair of the 1991 World Congress on Women and Environment, and she edited “Women, Ecology and Health: Rebuilding Connections,” in Development Dialogue (1993), the publication of the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation. Shiva has also launched a global movement called Diverse Women for Diversity, for the defence of biological and cultural diversity.
Shiva has written extensively, both to form and address the agenda of development debate and action. Her most recent publications include Earth Democracy; Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (South End Press, 2005); Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed (Ed., South End Press, 2007) and Soil Not Oil (South End Press, 2008).
In 2003, Time magazine called Shiva an environmental hero, and Asia Week described her as one of the five most powerful communicators of Asia. Among her many awards are the Right Livelihood Award, the Order of the Golden Ark, the United Nations Global 500 Award and Earth Day International Award (1993), the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace (2008), and the Save The World Award (2009). She serves on the boards of many organizations, including the World Future Council, the International Forum on Globalization and Slow Food International."
Dr. Vandana Shiva: "Soil not Oil: Earth's design in times of climate change"
Tuesday, April 6, 7 p.m.
Ontario College of Art & Design
Auditorium (Rm 190), 100 McCaul Street, Toronto
416-977-6000 | www.ocad.ca
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Toronto's secret green wall + more
Question: If a green wall goes up in Toronto and no one knows, does it exist?
-So I'm puttering around the Toronto Reference Library (TRL) yesterday when I stumbled upon this on the 2nd floor.
WOW! Not that I know everything, but, I hadn't heard much about this at all. And I googled it, only a couple of brief notes on it's existence. What gives TRL??? This approximately 50 square foot beauty we should all know about. Especially, because it's one of perhaps five in the Toronto Metro area...and third biggest to my knowledge!!!
Here's what I could glean without being too intrusive. It has some pretty good lighting for the top portion. All the plants (including several different kinds of ivy) look healthy. The plants (about 100) seem to be randomly placed in synthetic felt and there's ample room in the bottom drainage basin. At first I wondered why it's back here where no one can see it, but because of the way the library is constructed it couldn't be anywhere else. One might think these are just so-so pictures, but it's obscured from the front by a huge pillar so it's impossible to photograph head on.
I talked to a couple of librarians to learn more...I'm wondering who put it up and when. One librarian said it went up about 6 months ago and had no idea how rare they were. Hopefully I'll find out more soon.
-Got a tip today on a new website. Anyone who has a green job to fill or is looking for a green job knows that there are WAY too many websites to search. It's nice that everyone has a piece of the pie, but surely, can't there be a better way? Behold... Green Job Spider. Look, even jobs in Mexico and Canada! I wonder, is this the only green job spider out there???
While we're at it, here's a rare PAYING permaculture summer gig in Cleveland, Ohio.
-Speaking of Ohio, the Lucas County Arena in Toledo appears to be the first LEED certified sports arena. Can't find any pictures of their 900 square foot green wall, but we've got this 7 month old rendering. Dudes, you have the FIRST LEED CERTIFIED SPORTS ARENA IN THE WORLD...you deserve major kudos and the whole world should know!!! What's with folks not wanting publicity???
-Brad Lancaster and David Spicer are headed to the West Bank to lead the world's first permaculture design course in June 2010. You also get some skype visits by other heavyweights. Green the deserts indeed!
-Wickedly long article from The Age featuring most of the really progressive present and future vertical farming. A great primer.
-Top 10 lists are the best. Here are a few green roof homes not normally profiled. The house OUTrial
looks great.
-So I'm puttering around the Toronto Reference Library (TRL) yesterday when I stumbled upon this on the 2nd floor.
WOW! Not that I know everything, but, I hadn't heard much about this at all. And I googled it, only a couple of brief notes on it's existence. What gives TRL??? This approximately 50 square foot beauty we should all know about. Especially, because it's one of perhaps five in the Toronto Metro area...and third biggest to my knowledge!!!
Here's what I could glean without being too intrusive. It has some pretty good lighting for the top portion. All the plants (including several different kinds of ivy) look healthy. The plants (about 100) seem to be randomly placed in synthetic felt and there's ample room in the bottom drainage basin. At first I wondered why it's back here where no one can see it, but because of the way the library is constructed it couldn't be anywhere else. One might think these are just so-so pictures, but it's obscured from the front by a huge pillar so it's impossible to photograph head on.
I talked to a couple of librarians to learn more...I'm wondering who put it up and when. One librarian said it went up about 6 months ago and had no idea how rare they were. Hopefully I'll find out more soon.
-Got a tip today on a new website. Anyone who has a green job to fill or is looking for a green job knows that there are WAY too many websites to search. It's nice that everyone has a piece of the pie, but surely, can't there be a better way? Behold... Green Job Spider. Look, even jobs in Mexico and Canada! I wonder, is this the only green job spider out there???
While we're at it, here's a rare PAYING permaculture summer gig in Cleveland, Ohio.
-Speaking of Ohio, the Lucas County Arena in Toledo appears to be the first LEED certified sports arena. Can't find any pictures of their 900 square foot green wall, but we've got this 7 month old rendering. Dudes, you have the FIRST LEED CERTIFIED SPORTS ARENA IN THE WORLD...you deserve major kudos and the whole world should know!!! What's with folks not wanting publicity???
-Brad Lancaster and David Spicer are headed to the West Bank to lead the world's first permaculture design course in June 2010. You also get some skype visits by other heavyweights. Green the deserts indeed!
-Wickedly long article from The Age featuring most of the really progressive present and future vertical farming. A great primer.
-Top 10 lists are the best. Here are a few green roof homes not normally profiled. The house OUTrial
looks great.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Urban Ag Tax Incentives in MD.
-"Where’s the food security when foods representing more than 70% of our diet—the bulk of what we eat” come from across the world?
In 2008 the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative (APFC) was formed, dedicated to building a replicable system for regional staple foods. Recently they opened a processing facility called the Shagbark Seed and Mill Co. As the collaborative grew, they discovered that growing staples is relatively easy; harvesting and processing them into dry beans, milled flour, or pressed oils, and then transporting and storing those foods is the complicated part, requiring investment in infrastructure and equipment.
Here's a short video and for the full shebang, get this month's Permaculture Activist.
-House Bill 1062 was introduced last week in the House of Delegates Ways and Means Committee that would allow for local jurisdictions to give tax exemptions to landowners for
urban agriculture use!
-The Kiwanis Club in Olympia, Washington grows vegetables for the local Food Bank. Not just a little, 24,000 pounds last year. With another 13,000 square feet planned, they are going full tilt.
-Ever wanted to find a good permaculture podcast? How about a really good one? How about 25 exceptional ones?
In 2008 the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative (APFC) was formed, dedicated to building a replicable system for regional staple foods. Recently they opened a processing facility called the Shagbark Seed and Mill Co. As the collaborative grew, they discovered that growing staples is relatively easy; harvesting and processing them into dry beans, milled flour, or pressed oils, and then transporting and storing those foods is the complicated part, requiring investment in infrastructure and equipment.
Here's a short video and for the full shebang, get this month's Permaculture Activist.
-House Bill 1062 was introduced last week in the House of Delegates Ways and Means Committee that would allow for local jurisdictions to give tax exemptions to landowners for
urban agriculture use!
-The Kiwanis Club in Olympia, Washington grows vegetables for the local Food Bank. Not just a little, 24,000 pounds last year. With another 13,000 square feet planned, they are going full tilt.
-Ever wanted to find a good permaculture podcast? How about a really good one? How about 25 exceptional ones?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Peak Oil expert Richard Heinberg in Toronto
Peak oil expert and author Richard Heinberg will be speaking in Toronto on March 22, sponsored by Post Carbon Toronto. The talk will be held at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. West, Toronto. Doors will open at 6:00 pm. A member of Post Carbon Toronto will present a primer and an overview of the Peak Oil issue at 6:30pm and then Mr. Heinberg will speak at 7:00, followed by audience discussion.
Author of nine books, including the newly released Blackout, Richard Heinberg is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. With a wry, unflinching approach based on facts and realism, Mr. Heinberg exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future.
Senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute, Mr. Heinberg is best known as a leading educator on Peak Oil—the point at which we reach maximum global oil production—and the resulting, devastating impact it will have on our economic, food, and transportation systems.
“All of the debts for society’s century-long industrial fiesta are coming due at the same time. We have no choice but to transition to a world no longer dependent on fossil fuels, a world made up of communities and economies that function within ecological bounds. How we manage this transition is the most important question of our time.” Richard Heinberg
http://transitiontoronto.ning.com/
---
The Sierra Club lists it's books of the week, all dealing with food, they include:
Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager (by Langdon Cook, $27, Skipstone, 2009): Former fast-food consumer Langdon Cook started foraging to impress his future wife. Now a seasoned gatherer, Cook shares his acquired love of finding dinner in unexpected places. Each chapter concludes with a recipe featuring wild ingredients such as dandelions, wild nettles, berries, mushrooms, and clams.
A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces (by Maria Finn, $20, Universe, Mar. 2010): Maria Finn proves that green-thumbed urbanites needn't feel limited to a few houseplants. Charming illustrations accompany instructions for growing lemons, shitake mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, figs, and more on windowsills, balconies, patios, and rooftops. Chapters on foraging and community gardening round out the book.
Public Produce: The New Urban Agricuture (by Darrin Nordahl, $30, Island Press, 2009): City planner Darrin Nordahl examines the impact of public gardens, profiling successful efforts and detailing opportunities for change. Nordahl weighs in on food literacy, foraging, community health, and public policy.
Author of nine books, including the newly released Blackout, Richard Heinberg is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. With a wry, unflinching approach based on facts and realism, Mr. Heinberg exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future.
Senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute, Mr. Heinberg is best known as a leading educator on Peak Oil—the point at which we reach maximum global oil production—and the resulting, devastating impact it will have on our economic, food, and transportation systems.
“All of the debts for society’s century-long industrial fiesta are coming due at the same time. We have no choice but to transition to a world no longer dependent on fossil fuels, a world made up of communities and economies that function within ecological bounds. How we manage this transition is the most important question of our time.” Richard Heinberg
http://transitiontoronto.ning.com/
---
The Sierra Club lists it's books of the week, all dealing with food, they include:
Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager (by Langdon Cook, $27, Skipstone, 2009): Former fast-food consumer Langdon Cook started foraging to impress his future wife. Now a seasoned gatherer, Cook shares his acquired love of finding dinner in unexpected places. Each chapter concludes with a recipe featuring wild ingredients such as dandelions, wild nettles, berries, mushrooms, and clams.
A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces (by Maria Finn, $20, Universe, Mar. 2010): Maria Finn proves that green-thumbed urbanites needn't feel limited to a few houseplants. Charming illustrations accompany instructions for growing lemons, shitake mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, figs, and more on windowsills, balconies, patios, and rooftops. Chapters on foraging and community gardening round out the book.
Public Produce: The New Urban Agricuture (by Darrin Nordahl, $30, Island Press, 2009): City planner Darrin Nordahl examines the impact of public gardens, profiling successful efforts and detailing opportunities for change. Nordahl weighs in on food literacy, foraging, community health, and public policy.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
save the apples! + more
*An interesting apple conservation effort is underway across the USA to save heirloom apples.
Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT) has named 2010 "Year of the Apple".
Some interesting tidbits from their press release.
-Roughly nine out of ten apple varieties historically grown in the U.S. are at risk of falling out of cultivation and falling off our tables.
-The Red Delicious, now comprises 41% of the entire American apple crop. Eleven common varieties produce 90% of all apples sold in chain grocery stores.
-Of some 15,000 to 16,000 apple varieties that have been named, grown and eaten on the North American continent, only
about 3,000 remain accessible through nurseries.
- There are signs of hope. Despite the economic downturn, heirloom and antique apple varieties are being
successfully marketed at many of the 5,000 farmers' markets and 2,500 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects in
the U.S. Some CSAs, like the one of Mortez's Mountain Apples near Boone, North Carolina, specialize in introducing
customers to a wide variety of delicious heirlooms.
The Renewing America's Food Traditions Alliance is now proposing that at least 90 endangered apple varieties in each
region be earmarked for recovery to our orchards, cideries, restaurants and kitchens. RAFT will be releasing its first
regional list of apples for recovery - including over a hundred heirlooms unique to Appalachia - at the Marketing
Opportunities for Southern Farmers conference on February 27th at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina.
To find out ways you can celebrate the Year of the Heirloom Apple, go to http://www.raftalliance.org and http://www.garynabhan.com.
For further information contact:
Gary Nabhan gpnabhan@email.arizona.edu, Regina Fitzsimmons pimareggie@gmail.com, Kanin Routson kaninroutson@gmail.com,
(all at 520 621-5774), or Ben Watson BWatson@chelseagreen.com, John Bunker john.p.bunker@gmail.com, Tom Burford
burford@msn.com and Dan Bussey yorkshireman@hughes.net.
----
*Calling all Toronto students with an interest in food issues! Here is your chance to participate in the consultation process for the Toronto Food Strategy's consultation report - Food Connections: Towards a Healthy and Sustainable Food System for Toronto Food Connections Members of Toronto Public Health's Food Strategy team will facilitate a consultation session on March 19, 2010 from 9AM-11AM. Light refreshments will be provided. Location to be confirmed (later this week).
*What does permaculture look like? Applied permaculture on the Quail Springs
is the quintessential example. The founder says seven generations are needed to bring the necessary cohesiveness between the people and the land, so look for this to be PERFECT in
200 years.
*The Zumtobel Group created an award that focuses on those contributions in architecture and engineering that can improve quality of life. The Zumtobel Group Awards were announced a few days ago with a dozen bright ideas including the two winners: A creative work environment that's completed in Sao Paulo, and a visionary research proposal for a "self-sufficient" New York City. Check out a winner!
Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT) has named 2010 "Year of the Apple".
Some interesting tidbits from their press release.
-Roughly nine out of ten apple varieties historically grown in the U.S. are at risk of falling out of cultivation and falling off our tables.
-The Red Delicious, now comprises 41% of the entire American apple crop. Eleven common varieties produce 90% of all apples sold in chain grocery stores.
-Of some 15,000 to 16,000 apple varieties that have been named, grown and eaten on the North American continent, only
about 3,000 remain accessible through nurseries.
- There are signs of hope. Despite the economic downturn, heirloom and antique apple varieties are being
successfully marketed at many of the 5,000 farmers' markets and 2,500 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects in
the U.S. Some CSAs, like the one of Mortez's Mountain Apples near Boone, North Carolina, specialize in introducing
customers to a wide variety of delicious heirlooms.
The Renewing America's Food Traditions Alliance is now proposing that at least 90 endangered apple varieties in each
region be earmarked for recovery to our orchards, cideries, restaurants and kitchens. RAFT will be releasing its first
regional list of apples for recovery - including over a hundred heirlooms unique to Appalachia - at the Marketing
Opportunities for Southern Farmers conference on February 27th at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina.
To find out ways you can celebrate the Year of the Heirloom Apple, go to http://www.raftalliance.org and http://www.garynabhan.com.
For further information contact:
Gary Nabhan gpnabhan@email.arizona.edu, Regina Fitzsimmons pimareggie@gmail.com, Kanin Routson kaninroutson@gmail.com,
(all at 520 621-5774), or Ben Watson BWatson@chelseagreen.com, John Bunker john.p.bunker@gmail.com, Tom Burford
burford@msn.com and Dan Bussey yorkshireman@hughes.net.
----
*Calling all Toronto students with an interest in food issues! Here is your chance to participate in the consultation process for the Toronto Food Strategy's consultation report - Food Connections: Towards a Healthy and Sustainable Food System for Toronto Food Connections Members of Toronto Public Health's Food Strategy team will facilitate a consultation session on March 19, 2010 from 9AM-11AM. Light refreshments will be provided. Location to be confirmed (later this week).
*What does permaculture look like? Applied permaculture on the Quail Springs
is the quintessential example. The founder says seven generations are needed to bring the necessary cohesiveness between the people and the land, so look for this to be PERFECT in
200 years.
*The Zumtobel Group created an award that focuses on those contributions in architecture and engineering that can improve quality of life. The Zumtobel Group Awards were announced a few days ago with a dozen bright ideas including the two winners: A creative work environment that's completed in Sao Paulo, and a visionary research proposal for a "self-sufficient" New York City. Check out a winner!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A few things...
P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village will be getting it's very own Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory. Looks like they got their fair share of bigwigs to chip in, still, donations are welcome.
A couple in California drop their water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009 and get sued by the city for not having enough plants on their lawn. Hmm...
As we mentioned a few months ago, in May the Expo Theme Pavilion in Shanghai will be hosting the 2010 World Green Roof Infrastructure conference. They will also debut the world's largest green wall, 5000 square meters. It's growing slowly, but surely.
If you ever need some info on trees or a handy pocket guide for edibles , you know where to go.
A couple in California drop their water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009 and get sued by the city for not having enough plants on their lawn. Hmm...
As we mentioned a few months ago, in May the Expo Theme Pavilion in Shanghai will be hosting the 2010 World Green Roof Infrastructure conference. They will also debut the world's largest green wall, 5000 square meters. It's growing slowly, but surely.
If you ever need some info on trees or a handy pocket guide for edibles , you know where to go.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Canadian Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust is accepting applications for their 2011 program
For those interested in agriculture, land management, horticulture or the food chain and TRAVEL...
The Canadian Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust is accepting applications for their 2011 program. Applications are due by April 30, 2010 and forms can be downloaded from the Nuffield Canada website at http://www.nuffield.ca.
Nuffield Farming Scholarships are awarded to enthusiastic individuals, between the ages of 25 and 45, who wish to explore topics of their choice in agriculture, land management, horticulture or the food chain. Three scholarships of $15,000 each are available for 2011.
A key part of the scholarship is the opportunity for winners to study a topic of interest to themselves through out their travels. Scholars must complete their project within two years of the award and are required to travel and study for a minimum of two months in total. On return from their study tour, Scholars are expected to produce a written report and present their findings at the annual general meeting as well as to others in their industries.
Canadian Nuffield Scholars are also required to participate in the Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) where they will meet with scholars from other countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and France to exchange ideas and experiences, and join a network of people who are at the cutting edge of primary industry. The 2011 conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand.
Applications must be received by April 30, 2010. Application forms are available from the Nuffield website http://www.nuffield.ca or on Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust (the United Kingdom site) -http://www.nuffield.org.
For more information contact:
Rod Bradshaw
Secretary, Nuffield Canada
secretary@nuffield.ca
(403) 224 2633
----
How about this photo? Comments???
The Canadian Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust is accepting applications for their 2011 program. Applications are due by April 30, 2010 and forms can be downloaded from the Nuffield Canada website at http://www.nuffield.ca.
Nuffield Farming Scholarships are awarded to enthusiastic individuals, between the ages of 25 and 45, who wish to explore topics of their choice in agriculture, land management, horticulture or the food chain. Three scholarships of $15,000 each are available for 2011.
A key part of the scholarship is the opportunity for winners to study a topic of interest to themselves through out their travels. Scholars must complete their project within two years of the award and are required to travel and study for a minimum of two months in total. On return from their study tour, Scholars are expected to produce a written report and present their findings at the annual general meeting as well as to others in their industries.
Canadian Nuffield Scholars are also required to participate in the Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) where they will meet with scholars from other countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and France to exchange ideas and experiences, and join a network of people who are at the cutting edge of primary industry. The 2011 conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand.
Applications must be received by April 30, 2010. Application forms are available from the Nuffield website http://www.nuffield.ca or on Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust (the United Kingdom site) -http://www.nuffield.org.
For more information contact:
Rod Bradshaw
Secretary, Nuffield Canada
secretary@nuffield.ca
(403) 224 2633
----
How about this photo? Comments???
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
March! + po-tay-toe/po-tah-toe
Looks like we made it. I just kept telling myself "Make it to March and you're almost through winter." Not that this was a particularly tough winter in Toronto, not that cold at all. Just very grey and not much snow. I mean, half the fun of winter (for me, at least) is the snow! And the slush. And the puddle ice. But with no precipitation, can't have much of that.
With two days of sun, I'm feeling giddy...
-To start things out, the Sustainable Solutions Series in Los Angeles:The Permaculture Design Course Experience kicks off in just a few weeks. This weekend permaculture design course is run by some of the best in the business (Larry Santoyo, Toby Hemenway, Scott Pittman, John Valenzuela and more!). Check out the video to get a taste for what Earthflow folks are all about.
-Speaking of LA, when is a green roof, not a green roof? When terms like cap parks slowly pick up speed. Cap parks basically cover a portion of a freeway (read highway, parkway, thruway, expressway, turnpike) with a planted concrete lid. And in LA, designs by AECOM for
four projects spread across Hollywood, downtown LA, and Santa Monica, comprising 44 acres, would carry a price tag of $1,000,000,000,000. That's 1 trillion. Wow. Don't worry, you've got a few years to express you feelings about the project before it gets started.
-Cool little organic garden venture in San Diego.
-Today's video! Here's an excellent backyard greenhouse/aquaponic system flic. Automated computerized control and wifi system...the whole nine yards.
With two days of sun, I'm feeling giddy...
-To start things out, the Sustainable Solutions Series in Los Angeles:The Permaculture Design Course Experience kicks off in just a few weeks. This weekend permaculture design course is run by some of the best in the business (Larry Santoyo, Toby Hemenway, Scott Pittman, John Valenzuela and more!). Check out the video to get a taste for what Earthflow folks are all about.
-Speaking of LA, when is a green roof, not a green roof? When terms like cap parks slowly pick up speed. Cap parks basically cover a portion of a freeway (read highway, parkway, thruway, expressway, turnpike) with a planted concrete lid. And in LA, designs by AECOM for
four projects spread across Hollywood, downtown LA, and Santa Monica, comprising 44 acres, would carry a price tag of $1,000,000,000,000. That's 1 trillion. Wow. Don't worry, you've got a few years to express you feelings about the project before it gets started.
-Cool little organic garden venture in San Diego.
-Today's video! Here's an excellent backyard greenhouse/aquaponic system flic. Automated computerized control and wifi system...the whole nine yards.
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