Webinar on Shade Tolerant Green Roofs + aquaponics in St. Louis

-On July 5 I'll be presenting a case study on a shade tolerant green roof. If you aren't already signed up for the GRHC webinars, you should, because they are great!
I'll talk more in depth about the cold climate, shade dominant green roof more later next week, but wanted to give folks a heads up before Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (July 4) arrive. By the way, if you live in Niagara Falls and like fireworks, this must be the time of year for you!

-Spied an article last week giving a darn good reason not to compost grass clippings: when the herbicide manufacturer warns you against it!
So, I am not really following Dupont's logic. With municipalities across the United States and Canadabanning herbicides and pesticides, wouldn't Dupont capitalize on the trend and develop a safe biological alternative to be ahead of the curve and corner that market?

-Reductions in state and federal funding are hitting everyone hard,
including agricultural colleges.

-Apartments, gardens and an aquaponic fish farm will revitalize an industrial site, with ex-convicts having an opportunity to be gainfully employed.
Smart move by this developer to bring a little piece of Madison to St. Louis. Also, love the train tracks outside. If things get REALLY busy, shipping across country should be a breeze!!!

Edible green roof plants - my quest begins today!

Anyone who knows even a tiny bit about living architecture can rattle off lots of benefits. And the more benefits we can add to the list, the better. Quite often sedum species plants are used on green roofs, as I've heard a colleague say they are the "silver bullet" of the industry. Drought tolerant, available in lots of colors and sizes, needing minimal care are just a few characteristics which make it a "go-to plant". But what about edibility? Could I eat some of these plants in a pinch? Or, should I be dining on them on a regular basis?
I've wondered for a while, so during my spare time I'm going to research and post my findings.

Here's where I've started, Plants For A Future . One of my favorite websites seems like a great place to start. And I should add (as they do) "Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally, PFAF (or verticiel Inc.!!!!) can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants".
With that, let's start the roll call.
According to their database, the top 5 list of sedum species plants for their edibility/medicinal rating would be:

5 Sedum makinoi
4. Sedum spectabile aka Ice Plant
3.
Sedum telephium aka Orpine
2. Sedum arboroseum aka Garden Stonecrop

And the top spot goes to...
1. Rhodiola rosea aka Rose Root
This seems to be quite a plant, according to the website "it has an enhancing effect upon physical endurance and sexual potency" in addition to "The raw flowers have been eaten in the treatment of tuberculosis".

I'll try to update this list quarterly, so stay tuned!!!

Alaskans attempt to eat local...365 days a year?

-Utne magazine has had some fantastic articles in the last few weeks. A seed library sounds like a fantastic idea, one easily (cheaply too!) implemented in conjunction with a local partner, like a food bank or gardening club. On a more somber note, they note how the farm crisis, which is not front page news in the US or Canada, has not actually passed.

-There's crazy and then there's this...a few Alaskans have pledged to eat local food all year long. Now, to someone who hasn't spent a ton of time in Alaska, this sounds hard. It sounds even harder than I imagined when I read 98% of Alaskan food is imported. If these folks can pull it off, then there's no reason anyone in North America cannot.

India's great green wall

-In downstate and upstate New York there are a few new opportunities for interns and PhDs alike in food systems and stormwater management.

-A new living wall product has hit the web. Good luck to these folks, they have exceeded their own expectations 5 fold!

-Exactly a year ago we read about plans for a great Green Wall across the Sahara to stop desertification. It appears to have hit some snags, but India seems to want to give it a go.

The lexicon of living architecture : The Vertical Street

-A company in Australia has proposed a vertical city. First time that I've heard that term, let's see where it pops up next. Hey, this could be a game. I'll call it "follow the meme". Or perhaps "follow the fad". "Track the trend"? Okay...I'll seriously stop.

-Haven't seen too many master's thesis on green roofs, so we should consider ourselves lucky to learn so much about the Plateau Mont Royal green roof in Montreal. A 91% decrease in air condition requirements? Wow.

-Did anyone else catch the "bad" and the "good" living wall discussions at Treehugger?

-Is there a land grab going on in Africa? I only know a little about PR, but claiming that your company pays "40% higher than the minimum wage in Mozambique", still might mean that you're getting away with highway robbery. What's more minimum wage in Mozambique apparently varies...greatly.

-Finally, Beirut is getting it's first green roof.

A green roof, one year later

Well, actually it's about 13 months later, but boy, did this one take off!



We should've suggested a few herbs considering how much sun this roof gets and how much the owner likes to be up on the roof. Live and learn!

Quantity, then subsidize urban gardens?!?

Summer is officially here (well, not officially, but it sure feels like it). Lots of stuff going on, one day I promise to share it all.
For now, let's see what's new and interesting in the world.

-What if we subsidized gardens the way we subsidize so many other products/services in North America? Interesting question.

-I think we can all applaud the efforts of these citizen scientists to
quantify the benefit of urban gardens. I love the fact that skilled professionals are using their down time to help out their community and tackle an issue not many "professional" scientists have.

-There's a new urban food class in a Vancouver high school. Looks like the efforts of one teacher can really pay off.

Tis all!!!