Plants are amazing!

The bookmark comb-through continues. This post contains information which I found terribly cool, but had no place to include it.

Did you know that plants can tell the difference between day and night and can even become jet lagged? And that they may even display altruistic behavior?

Why We Garden and Growing Up In the Backwoods

The year is almost over and I'm cleaning out the blog bag. Hoepfully you have a little time on your hands to read a couple of provocative posts, the first entitled "Why We Garden" and the second called "Growing Up In the Backwoods". Enjoy!

Season's Greetings - 2013

Christmas Time in the Country - Kenny Neal
Please Come Home for Christmas - James Brown
Zat You, Santa Claus - Louis Armstrong
Christmas is a Joyful Day - The Executor

New ways to quantify the benefits of green infrastructure

K-12 Minnesota teachers have released a comprehensive new guide for integrating school gardens with academic standards. At 268 page, there plenty for you to use as well.

-With land becoming more and more scarce, several folks have proposed planting community gardens under power lines. In California, there is a new push and in 2012 a Torontonian won a design award for the same idea.

-The benefits of green infrastructure are at least a dozen fold. But historically it has been difficult to quantify how much a green roof or green wall can increase rental and property values or reduce the cost associated with flooding. The NRDC thought it was about time that these issues were addressed.

-Sydney, Australia has a new draft green roof and green walls policy. I am not sure how this is different than the last one. The next step for Sydney is incentives! That would be exciting!

he draft policy and implementation plan promotes the measures as a means of improving air quality, supporting biodiversity and creating new places for relaxation in the city centre.

At the moment, there are around 96,000 square metres of green roofs and walls across Sydney and the trend continues to grow rapidly. Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the city is receiving around one new development application featuring a green roof or wall each week, and that there are more than 50 projects already approved for construction.

“Green roofs and walls are not only beautiful additions to buildings, they also improve air quality, clean stormwater and provide a natural habitat for biodiversity. We want to support this emerging industry, give local providers a boost and help city residents and businesses discover the benefits of installing green roofs and walls,” Moore said when announcing the new draft policy.

- See more at: http://sourceable.net/sydneys-new-green-roofs-walls-policy/#sthash.5vBRqvJm.dpu

Bill Mollison on permaculture

For those of you celebrating Christmas, you have about one week left!  If you want to procrastinate a bit more, check out the permaculture guru. Yes, I have contributed to the problem...but in an educational way!

Gift guide for living architecture lovers - 2013 edition

I did one of these last year and it seemed to be a hit! This year's I won't wait until December 23 before posting it, however...

-For anyone on your list, we'll start with this aquaponic system from Back to the Roots. They were just "the mushroom guys", now they are so much more.

-Supporting a small farmer is always a good thing, right? For the fruit lover in your life give a call to one of these apple orchards and see where you can pick up their heritage apples...or they may even deliver them to your door.

-A very easy, and attractive, living wall kit is perfect for any do-it-yourselfer.

-How about funding an experience? The Growing Power workshops are fantastic and reasonably priced. Send a friend or family member to learn and network!

A profitable aquaponics business?

Lots of big stories from the past week...

-A cool and potentially huge story is developing in Tampa. One man's vision to create an Urban Food Park now has the backing of an entire community. The hope is for a national model showcasing exhibits ranging from a commercial urban vegetable farm and food museum to an aquaponic farm and food cooperative. Definitely one to keep track of!

-Systematic urban agriculture changes might be on tap for Rotterdam as well, by utilizing a former “tropical swim paradise” as the project hub.

-The latest successful warm weather aquaponics project to receive buzz belongs to American Samoa, however this aquaponics business in Chicago seems to take the cake. They've stayed afloat for three years and now have raised $300,000 for expansion.

-You can't blame these folks for trying. A couple in New Jersey set up a crowdfunding campaign to add a green roof to their primary residence.

Urban Agriculture internship opportunity in Toronto

Year-long Metcalf Sustainability Internships are available for placement in Foodshare's Urban Agriculture program. For recent graduates only, applications must be sent to FoodShare (c/o Angela ElzingaCheng angela@foodshare.net) by December 17, 2013.

Small scale permaculture farm in Houston

Straight from the digital realm is a  45 minute plus visit to a 1/4 permaculture farm in Houston, Texas. Over 150 fruit trees on this tiny parcel of land!

A few quick hits

-After a few years China's green wall has finally been planted!

-If you're looking for some creatives ideas for green walls a recent green walls article highlights some very creative installations.

-There has been further fallout from the tragedy in Latvia as the prime minister has resigned!

-I often do book reviews (and maybe I should do another one some time soon), but over at Greenroofs.com they profiled the new book by Tan Puay Yok. It looks like it's worth the read.

A Latvian building collapses possibly due to its green roof

I am sure many have heard the tragic news. Over 50 people are reported dead and dozens injured after a supermarket roof collapsed in Latvia. Investigators are looking closely at the effect the green roof garden, which was in mid-construction, may have played. It is Europe's third worst roof tragedy.

Permaculture for Humanity: Beyond Buildings and Food

Larry Santoyo is a well-known, southern California based permaculture designer.
After 25 years he's accumulated a lot of experience and is kind enough to share...

An Indianapolis hospital gets a rooftop farm

Hmm..it seems like just yesterday we were talking about how hard it is to find long term employment in the urban agriculture field. Actually, it was two days ago.  The International Labour Office of the United Nations has a handy guide for getting and keeping a job in the urban agriculture field, globally, and the Resource Centre of Urban Agriculture and Food (RUAF) provides further advice.

-An MIT researcher has his second installment in the exploration of how different kinds of urban agriculture can affect communities. Here's the first, if you want to start from the beginning.

-And the big news of the week is the new (almost $800 million dollars new!) Indianapolis hospital releasing details of its full scale rooftop farm which will provide its cafeteria and occupants with plenty to eat.

-Almost nearly as exciting is the Biophilic Cities project launch. Devoted to "understanding how cities can become more biophilic", the efforts of 13 cities is currently profiled.

The largest horticultural therapy garden opens

It's hard to make money as an urban farmer...really hard. One entrepreneur in Philadelphia has done just that. Mary Seton Corboy deserves a ton of acclaim and your full attention.

-Community gardens normally are built on public lands, for obvious reasons...building a garden on private lands raises a number of potentially thorny issues. So this guide full of best practices is definitely a handy addition to your virtual book shelf.

-As far as I know the aquaponics certificate offered in the Northern Mariana Islands may be the first of its kind in the world. Maybe it went lightly reported because it's the Northern Mariana Islands and few people know where that is? Congratulations to the inaugural five.

-The largest horticultural therapy garden opened in Chicago last week. At 12,000 square feet it is the biggest in North America by far.

-No doubt you've seen a few crowdsourcing campaigns focusing on aquaponics. Some based on mushrooms, others urban agriculture. How about one that tries to do them all?

The growing population in Australia’s major cities poses a problem for city planners as well as residents seeking to find adequate green space. A rising number of previously desolate urban rooftops are now being put to use as private residential green spaces for relaxation, personal well-being and socialisation.

“There’s no question about the environmental benefits of green roofs but the social benefits are not yet fully explored,” said 360 Degrees landscape architect Daniel Baffsky, who designed the rooftop garden for the M Central building in Pyrmont last year.

“Up on the roof everyone is equal,” said Baffsky, speaking of the social hub he created for the building’s 400 residents which provides a common area for interaction. This provides a huge benefit for urban apartment owners who previously had no place for chance encounters in which they could get to know their neighbours. It also offers a community feel to those living in urban jungles.

Even single family residences are adopting green roofs as an added sanctuary and to reap the environmental benefits. Australian green roof design firm Junglefy says its main market these days is for roof gardens on home extensions.

Nick Williams, University of Melbourne plant ecologist says tough, versatile plants for a rooftop garden are a must so they can survive long periods without being watered and require little maintenance. Plants with a high tolerance to sunlight are also essential.

- See more at: http://sourceable.net/sydney-rooftop-gardens/#sthash.cWmv6RCH.dpuf

A complete permaculture design course...absolutely free?

It looks like it! Over 72 hours of video online. What's the catch? I don't know...others in the permaculture community have had issues with the leader of the organization in the past. And you do have to pay for the certification, I don't know how much that is. I'd like to hear from folks who have given this a try. Let me know how it works out!!!

Moon songs

For November's songs of the month I thought it is about time that the moon were serenaded!

Harvest moon – Neil Young

Moonlight in vermont – Willie Nelson

Kiko and the Lavender Moon - Los Lobos

I wish I was the moon – Neko Case

Moon River - Louis Armstrong

Restoration agriculture = permaculture? Kinda sorta

Last week there was a brief article about Mark Shepard, a restoration agriculture specialist. He calls his brand of permaculture "restoration agriculture", see if you can tell the differences in the video.

Green roofs may be a source of pollution?

Umm...no. By the logic laid out here, so would ordinary grass. What is it with folks taking leaps in logic to blame green roofs???

How to identify 50 major plant families

If you have the time Tuesday from 12-2 pm check out a free webcast entitled "How to Feed 9 Billion on a Small Planet". Miguel Altieri, one of the best agroecologists out there, is joined by other luminaries.

-Speaking of permaculture, as the weather has turned cold across much of North America there will be only a few design certification courses between now and April. So the Yoga and Permaculture retreat in California...starting Wednesday, is one of your last, best bets.

-For many people it can be difficult identifying plants in the field, even for the experts. This pdf allowing us to id the 50 major plant families is something to keep close.

Two green infrastructure reports

 A few years ago the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) put out a report entitled "Rooftop to Rivers" which showcased how 20 cities "were using green infrastructure to better manage stormwater". It's been updated for 2013; take a gander at what's changed across North America.

Save a little time to peruse the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent green infrastructure report. 

An urban agriculture cradle-to-grave analysis

More than anything I love the infographics on this website about urban agriculture. The argument for it has been made many times, but what we have seen in the industry is a lack of knowledge about how to make a good living doing it. The further North you go, the more energy costs become an issue. The same goes for aquaponics. There are a million new systems out there...but how do you run a big one profitably?
In Alabama there's a suggestion for tackling this problem. Using waste is a good thing, but there are better ideas. Has anyone done a life cycle or cradle-to-grave analysis in the aquaponics or broader urban agriculture industry yet?

Donate your urine and help Amsterdam's green roofs

You're either going to hear about this story a lot...or not at all. I'm guessing the former, so you can say you heard about it here first! It's a great idea, let's see if Amsterdam gets enough people to support a hectacre (10,000 square meters or 107,740 square feet) of green roofs by using the communal urine station downtown. This is a bit of a tradition in Holland, it seems; the Dutch definitely think outside the box!!!

Free Apps for Irrigation

Get it while you can!!!

The University of Florida released three free apps a couple of weeks ago. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they are designed for strawberry, citrus and turfgrass irrigators.

Will Montreal be next to adopt green roof bylaw?

With 3 out of 4 candidates professing their love for green roofs, and the fourth open to "encouraging" their spread, will the 8th biggest city in North America be the next to adopt green roof incentives and a green roof bylaw? Stay tuned...

Green roof research, near and far

A couple of months ago I highlighted a green roof research project which is investigating native plants suitable for the Mediterranean region. Important stuff, as is a recent project which highlights plants that can work well in the area and how much additional water plants must be given if there’s a decrease in substrate.

-A Walmart in Portland, Oregon has stepped up in a big way, offering it’s rooftop for research.

-Toronto's FoodShare posted a little more about the new and totally unique School Grown Rooftop Garden. Prepare to be amazed.

-Occasionally I like write posts featuring new and exciting projects from one country to help understand what’s going on in their GILA world. The last Singapore post was in June, here’s one article which gives us a look into what some other innovators are doing in the sovereign city state.

-Sign up right now to follow this urban agriculture series, it’s going to be a good one!

Permaculture video

The always animated and educational Paul Wheaton from over the summer at the Southern California Permaculture Convergence. Make sure you have the volume down, it's NSFW because of the length anyway, but some of the banter can be coarse!

The third edible forest + urban agriculture drops hunger by 50% in Venezuela

The USA has two food forests already (in Seattle and Holyoke, Mass -- 90 minutes from Boston). A third is being planned for tiny (less than 4,000 strong!) Basalt, Colorado, about three hours west of Denver.

-Milwaukee’s Home Gr/own initiative is bringing together 10 to 20 different food and farming related programs to boost employment and utilize vacant lots. What’s even better is this is coordinated through the mayor’s office!

-Venezuela has reduced it’s number of hungry people by over 50%, according to the United Nations World Food and Agriculture Organisation. They hope to double their 39,000 urban gardens within a year!

Songs about farms in honor of the School Grown Rooftop!

It's been a secret until now, but yesterday was the official launch of the School Grown Rooftop. Spearhead by FoodShare and based at Toronto's Eastdale Collegiate Institute, verticiel was lucky enough to participate as a consultant for the project. Lots more information to come, for now here are a couple of quick pics and a bunch of songs in honor of this tremendous project!

Sting - Fields of Gold
Robert Plant - The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn
The Muppet Show - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Loretta Lynn - You're Loking at Country
The Andrews Sisters - A Bushel and a Peck

Insect farmers meet insect chefs

Oh, I nearly forgot this. I'm all wrapped up in designing projects for next year and I almost neglected to make a virtual introduction, the folks who hope to grow insects should meet the ones who are trying to make them into tasty meals...

Rent-a-chicken

Over the last couple of years there has been a huge increase in urban agriculture interest. Recent reports of chicken abandonment, once the chickens stop laying eggs or when the going gets tough (winter!), are horrible, so it's wonderful that someone thought of a fantastic solution, rent-a-chicken!

-From the "this is so big, how did I never know that?" file comes the popular Kenyan comic strip magazine and radio broadcast Shujaaz. I may have to learn a little sheng to understand what three million listeners love!

-The University of Vermont’s Spatial Analysis Lab and the USDA Forest Service’s Northern Research Station have come up with a fantastic way to help municipalities to prioritize tree restoration projects. Could this tool be used to figure out where best to place other green infrastructure, like green roofs or green walls?

-Copenhagen has repeatedly shown to be one of the most progressive cities, in regards to green infrastructure. Here's an update on how Copenhagen is tackling climate change through progressive environmental design.

-Social cost benefits for urban agriculture as generally hard to come by, especially ones crunched by esteemed sources, so relish this report from the Netherlands.

Aquaponics: fighting crime, delighting at Disney World & worth a million bucks in Switzerland

You know aquaponics has reached new heights when it is used to fight crime and Disney World makes an exhibit around it!



I had questioned the power of aquaponics in the Caribbean, considering there is no shortage of fish. But when analyzing the amount of vegetables which need to be imported to countries like Puerto Rico, Barbados and Trinidad, right next door, it makes more sense to me now.

-One of the biggest aquaponics investments [$1,000,000 (USD or CDN, take your pick] in Europe is this massive farm in Switzerland. Capable of producing 10,000 lbs of veggies, someone in the neighborhood is going to be very happy!

Insects from a green roof infest school...or maybe they don't

Maybe the writer of the article was not the writer of the headline?

Free webinar on how to run a permaculture farming business

Big news from Illinois and Connecticut. Illinois' Governor Quinn announced $5 million in investments to 13 communities for green infrastructure improvement projects. And Connecticut's Governor Malloy has provided a $1 million grant to fund an urban agriculture center which will produce 800,000 tons of free produce and provide 40 green collar jobs.

-I forgot to mention Yale's free green infrastructure seminar this past Monday (whoops!), but there is still time to check out part two next week. The topic of discussion is green infrastructure tools in the nation's capital, which segue's nicely into Baltimore's new, 64 page urban agriculture plan.

-So, back to the webinar which slipped my memory. I almost to forgot to post a second one!!!  There's a fantastic one happening today! The topic is permaculture and how to train a core of employees, create a lasting legacy for your children (and grandchildren) through farming and market to a diverse audience.

5 common mistakes made by green roof installers

Those new to the industry, hoping to break in and even prospective clients like to know the finer points of green roof installation. To follow up on my post about ways to get a faster and more accurate green roof quote, here are five common mistakes made by green roof installers.

-Not calling all of the suppliers the week before things are to be delivered/picked up. You'd be surprised how often there is a mix-up or misunderstanding...even when you have been very, very clear.

-Not calling all of the suppliers the day before the pick up. See a theme here?

-Not checking the weather forecast religiously for the week before, and during, the installation. It seems simple but is vitally important. Do you have someplace to hide out if a rain (or in a installer's worst nightmare, snow) storm hits?

-Not thoroughly prepping the roof deck before the installation begins. It should be clean, "I could eat cake off of that" clean, because it will be reaaaaaaally hard to get to that rogue nail, left from the roofers, once your materials go down.

-Not having a backup plan if something goes wrong. What if there's a plant mix-up and you can't finish for another week? But you have another job scheduled??? What's the plan to get everything done?

October Horticultural and Urban Ag conferences

Here were are on the last day of September and just around the corner are some great conferences. For those in or interested in coming to the USA on October 25 there is the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy conference. Malaysia will be having some fun of their own during their National Symposium on Urban Agriculture on October 17.

Nightshades Unite! A plant which grows tomatoes and potatoes

No genetic engineering is necessary. All you need is a little grafting to create one plant which produces tomatoes and potatoes. In small spaces, particularly in urban environments, could this become the latest trend urban agriculture trend?

Grafting is a big part of agriculture in Japan, 90% of watermelons and other greenhouse veggies (cucumbers, eggplants) are grafted before being transplanted to get larger yields.

What could be a bigger deal than this? How about farming insects? A team from Montreal won a million dollars to commercialize their idea.

This is a fantastic idea , but something about it seemed familiar. And then I recalled seeing someone else a couple of years ago at Nuit Blanche in Toronto talking about the promise of raising insects. I wondered if the two ventures were somehow related. It looks like they very much are...and related litigiously. Word has traveled quickly about the dispute; we'll see how this plays out!

Permaculture sites, 15 years in

A neat video which looks at a few permaculture sites 15 years after they got started...

Big jumps

Everyone realizes a lot of work needs to be done to make vertical farming viable; the industry needs cross-disciplinary help to make it efficient and inexpensive. A researcher in Sweden has published his exploration into using biogas slurry and urine as nutrient sources.

-Check out this tremendous kickstarter campaign. Being able to build colorful, custom raised gardening beds in minutes out of 100% recycled plastic would be a huge leap forward.
If they have the analysis to back up that the plastics are inert, you will be seeing these everywhere.

-One last thing to share today, a fantastic new town near Atlanta. Serenbe redefines sustainability.

Horticutural therapy...in space

I know it seems as if I post an aquaponics story nearly every day; what can I say, the industry is bananas right now! Here's the latest on the Sweet Water Organics saga. A few folks wanted to buy what was left after it closed, but everyone passed, it seems some equipment has gone missing and no utilities are at the site. How did that happen?

-In Denver, Colorado a bicycle powered organization is doing its best to reduce food waste, a problem around the world. In the last 18 months they have rescued and delivered over 250,000 pounds of food to those in need!

-Next year Toronto could be looking at its first large green wall, if officials listen to a community group who prefer it to the normal sound barriers.

-Earlier this week I'd made the resolution to place a greater focus on integrating horticultural therapy practices into all of our projects. This article is a wonderful primer for how I, and you, can do that.

-Looking way down the line, researchers across North America are involved with ways to grow food in space...and use them for horticulturally theraputic measures as well. If dreams of a colony on Mars are one day a reality, people are going to need every type of relaxation technique that they can get their hands on.

Aquaponics conference starts tomorrow September 20!

A quick hit, before I forget.

Daily temperatures are up and down and the leaves are beginning to change. If you'd like to catch a few more rays as fall descends across North America head to Tuscon for the 2013 Aquaponics Association Conference which starts tomorrow. It coincides nicely with the opening of the world's largest aquaponics store and education center in Colorado.

Technical green roof time and then the eye candy

A few technical stories to get us going...

-The UK's first cradle-to-cradle demonstration project is scheduled to begin very soon. By-products from tenants will be turned into, among other things, aggregate material to be used as drainage in green roofs.

-And in Greece scientists are investigating which native plants might work best on a Mediterranean green roof.

And now for the visually stunning...

-Patrick Blanc has done it again! The tallest vertical garden will belong to the industry's godfather with a tremendous project slated to be completed in Australia later this year. If it looks anything like the following, it will raise the bar for us all.







-I had never heard of Dezeen before this week, but will check them out again after they posted pictures of this incredible kindergarten rooftop gardening project in Vietnam.

The biggest aquaponics survey to date

Researchers from three schools– Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland and West Virginia University – are combining forces to conduct the largest survey of the aquaponics field.
 If you're in the field,  help them out!

September songs!

I looked back at the archives and September has gotten short shrift!

Bobby Vinton - Sealed with a Kiss
Peter Gabriel - Biko (September 1977)
Fiona Apple - Pale September
Dinah Washington - September in the Rain
Jerry Orbach - Try to Remember 

Ambitious urban agriculture projects from around the world

It's just one of those incredible weeks where all the cool stuff seems to be profiled at once!

-In Thailand gardeners have taken to rooftops to cultivate edible algae, spirulina, which can be a viable sources of protein. This is the first I’ve heard of the practice, I hope it takes off.

-Want a more high tech way of farming? How about using robotics in urban agriculture? Students in India are experimenting with ways for robots to do the work...and cheaply!

-For the past few years I have covered how folks in North America are utilizing urban agriculture to help newcomers integrate into their new homes. It's nice to see other countries, in this case Israel, is doing the same thing. Master’s thesis, anyone?

-This building in Tokyo, which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, is trying several exciting urban agriculture technologies...all at one time. These pictures really make the concepts come alive and make you wonder how long before someone in North America gives this a try.

-Australia definitely wins this week’s “We try hardest award” with their $46.5 million dollar school kitchen garden plan which will fund 800 schools! Congrats!!!

-And lastly the urban agriculture movement in the Netherlands looks like it might get a huge boost. Nearly two dozen developers expressed interest in turning a downtown office building, with two floors available, into an urban agriculture hub.

An 8 story green roof and rooftop garden

We finished a green roof in downtown Toronto in mid-August. It is doing well, here are a few photos of the installation; from the rooftop (the eighth story) you can see Lake Ontario.

At about 2000 square feet, it features planter boxes with 15 inches of medium for the residents to plant in and a conventional green roof filled with native wildflowers, native grasses, a few trusty sedum species and roseroot, a first on a green roof...as far as I can tell!

Using a green roof for biofuels + The changing language of green infrastructure

So I was reading this article about a biomass energy facility in Connecticut that recently installed a green roof. Great idea, it will reduce their winter energy bill and carbon footprint by at least 35%. But then I got to thinking, what if you used green roofs to grow plants like switchgrass for biofuel? Of course, it's not like there's a limit of products to burn for energy...but maybe there's a crop which would yield even more energy? Just spit ballin'...

Here's an early trend watch. This writer believes there's now a tendency to frame green infrastructure projects as "weather proofing", not "sustainability" endeavors. Agree, disagree?

Lastly, I couldn't let tomorrow go by without posting this hit by The Temptations. Enjoy! 

A verticiel green roof - 4 years later

This is Year #4 blogging about one of our earliest installations. It's a rarity in the green roof world that folks keep track of how things develop over time. As always, the older pictures for those new to the blog:

Upon completion (2009), Day 1!!!

End of year one (2010):

End of year two (2011):

End of year three (2012):

End of year four (2013):

A few notes from this year:

-I would pay a million dollars for an animal that ate only dandelions!

-The seeds on the tips of sedum floriferum kind of hurt! Also, it seems to do well in lots of sun (10+ hours), but does even better in about 6 hours of sun. The plant can also be a bit difficult to control. Some have readily headed into the no growth zone and need to be cut back in the spring and the fall, with special care taken to make sure no pieces land otherwise you have new plants in no time.

-Hairy cap moss grows really well between stones even with intense sunlight.

-There is some data to support that green roofs raise the price of a home, but I would bet green roofs also raise the price of surrounding homes. One afternoon a real estate agent and prospective home buyers gawked for hours, perhaps a neighbor's green roof can increase the price of yours?

-These carex festuca grasses are good, but just seem to look more vibrant at grade.
-A long drought this summer seems to have affected the coloring of the plants, for instance the yellow you see over the last two years (of the sedum angelina) was not evident this year.

-Sedum blue spruce is a plant that needs some shade and seems to be doing quite well in between the towering chives. By itself it suffered and barely held on, but now with the chives spreading it looks like a green roof champ.

Is Boston's urban agriculture movement about to take off...or implode?

A few weeks ago we learned that Boston was changing its zoning guidelines to allow more urban agriculture. And wouldn’t you know it, last week Higher Ground announced their rooftop farm is in the planning stages and there seem to be a bunch of other interested parties (including Lufa Farms who just opened their second farm in Montreal) at the table! In 2013 Boston may have gone from middle of the pack in the rooftop farming world to first place by late 2014.
Or will it be only be highly commercial ventures which survive. A San Franciscan seems to think their struggle to keep community urban agriculture alive will be experienced by Boston.

We did a little world urban agriculture news crawl in the last post, but didn't stopover in Asia. Let's rectify that...

-We'll start in Japan where there's a 9 story high (like Higher Ground’s farm) urban farm which is up and running. Seems they are employing a wide array of technologies inside and outside the building.

-There have been a billion articles about a really eclectic rooftop in China, but no video. Until now, thanks to the Brisbane Times.



-A 350 square meter (3760 square foot) living wall in London has been just as well covered as the amazing roof in China. If you haven’t heard (or read), feast your eyes. Let’s add it to last year’s list!!!

-There are others in the urban agriculture world who are thinking big. One particular fellow wants to build 100 aquaponics farms (2/3 in Charlotte, 1/3 in Haiti) and another just signed on to stake Alberta’s claim in the aquaponics game.
In Fiji the national university and Joe’s Farm (love that name) are pioneering research and development into an aquaponic system and mushrooms production.

Still more from the last couple of weeks! Two studies document urban agriculture in Seoul and Los Angeles.

Phew! That's it for now!

Two urban agriculture firsts for new york city + Urban horticulture around the world

It's been a while since we did a global urban agriculture crawl...First up is Morocco.

Future Megacities - Urban Agriculture in Casablanca, Morocco from crossdocs on Vimeo.


Next is Lima, Peru where city officials are betting on urban agriculture to help stem malnourition and poverty.

Last up is Bangalore, India. This article has two amazing things going for it: It briefly details urban agriculture in Bangalore and introduces us (or at least me) to a much richer way to describe "urban agriculture". I'll have to start using terms like "urban horticulture" and "terrace gardening" more often. Secondly, look at that picture!

-I am always on the look out for the project which can be crowned the biggest, best or first green roof or biggest green wall. The title of first rooftop farm on a housing project goes to New York City.
How about the oldest rooftop farm? For now the title stay in New York City as well!

Permaculture in Afghanistan

In late June I shared some living architecture projects from around the world. For eons I've had this video bookmarked, but have never shared it. Independence day seems to be the perfect day to share.

Could green infrastructure solve problems...and create some too?

Wow, the last couple of weeks has served up some really tasty articles from the GILA world.
A few of the articles are of the “now that you mention it, that makes sense” variety.

A piece from Grist summarizes some interesting research, the bottom line being those who live in poor neighbourhoods are more likely to experience the phenomenon known as “heat islands”.
And because people of colour are disproportionally poor, there is a racial component as well. Green infrastructure/living architecture could help alleviate this, of course, but if municipalities aren’t investing in GILA, it may be up to individuals to lead the charge of cooling their neighbourhoods, one home at a time.

But we shouldn’t just assume having a ton of trees, green roofs or any green infrastructure will fix the problem...they could actually make more! I had no idea how virulent some soil borne fungal diseases can be. This leads me to think soil scientists should be more involved in designing soil mixes for any urban soil installation!

-If you’ve been watching the web, no doubt you have seen that some cities (spearheaded by individual residents and city officials) are moving forward with and strongly supporting urban agriculture. For instance, Indianapolis (yes, Indianapolis) an urban agriculture store opens soon. And Denver has a developer offering urban gardens when you purchase a unit.  Some cities, like LA, seem to be a bit more inconsistent. What is absolutely clear is that even cities, like New York and Vancouver, with progressive urban agriculture agendas passed by city councils, if money and land are the bottom lines, there will be a tug of war. 

-The last story for sharing today features the San Francisco Giants turning some concrete at the ballpark into an organic vegetable garden. One minor quibble. The article calls the project “ambitious”. I don’t have all the figures, but I tend to think if you have a payroll of over $136 million dollars, you have money to burn and it won’t be that hard to get done.

How to run a profitable permaculture business + a tasty future of farming article

Straight talk from someone who has gone from $0 to over $5 million in sales. A rare treat, since professionals tend not to share the secrets which make them a success!

I love when bloggers go link crazy in their posts. Especially to information relevant to the article, not copious irrelevant pop culture references, mind you. So if you're like me...enjoy this!

Book review - Eating the Landscape + Praying mantis on a green roof

There are lots of books which combine personal musings and food. Enrique Salmon's book, Eating the Landscape, is unique in that he's not just some foodie writer, he's an Indigenous ethnobotanist with a gift for storytelling. With warm, colloquial and riveting writing, he manages to combines timeless myths from the southwest US/northern Mexico and more recent personal history to produce an enjoyable book.

And I just had to post this picture. While doing maintenance on a green roof a few days ago I spotted this praying mantis egg sack.

If you've never seen one hatch, check this out!

Featured green roof project - Woodsworth Co-op

This week we'll be installing a green roof on top of Toronto's Woodsworth Coop. The man behind the name led a very interesting life. If you're in the St. Lawrence Market area and have never seen a green roof installation before, come on down and have a look from the park across the street.  
Here's our canvas:

11 ways to a faster, more accurate green roof or green wall quote!

So you've decided to get a green roof or green wall. And you need a quote. Fast, you want this project done in a couple of weeks. Here are the questions that you need to ask yourself. The answers will go a long way towards helping the prospective designer/installer generate an accurate quote. This is even more important if he/she doesn't have time to view the prospective work site, be it rooftop or wall:

1. What kind of green roof or green wall are you interested in? 
2. Why are you interested in that type of green roof or green wall?
3. What is the height of the roof from the ground or how high will the green wall reach?
4. What is the square footage of the surface to be greened?
5. What is the shape of the surface to be greened? Is it just a flat square or rectangle? If it's a roof how many vents, pipes, odd corners will need to be considered?
6. What type of plants might you be interested in?
7. Is the roof or wall easy to get to? Describe the access.
8. The dead load of the roof is...?
9. Is there a place to put materials when the roof (or wall) is being installed?
10. Do you know what type of water proofing membrane is up there already?
11. Is the roof or wall heavily shaded? Very sunny? Very windy?

A new online green roof course

-First Sweet Water Organics folded up shop, now another pioneering aquaponics operation in New York has to call it quits as well.

-Here's an online outlet to learn about green roof design, installation and management courtesy of Iowa State University this fall. In the design section, hopefully the course will touch on professional tools like this handy stormwater calculator.

-Remember that green roof which just collapsed way back when? The $13 million dollar lawsuit is just now being heard in court. A ruling could happen in November.
This was big news back in 2011 with many people who knew nothing about green roofs captivated by this rare, tremendous failure. Thankfully we see green roofs, normally, in a more positive light. For instance as a lead character in the Amazing Race Canada.

Shhh...it's coming!

This is all I can say...for now!

Sydney rules living architecture!

Sometimes the stars aline and cool stories from one place hit the web at the same time.

The beautiful picture above is from a decommissioned ship west of Sydney. Living...and floating...architecture! How would the world look if more ships were turned into buoyant gardens... bobbing around in harbours around the world?
-Sydney’s University of Technology is introducing Sydneysiders to living walls with edible plants or as some call them, edible walls. Although that term always strikes me funnily, but maybe that’s the next frontier? Walls that produce food...and that you could eat? Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoryesque!

-If you're in a horticultural therapy program or just studying on your own, here are some flash cards to help your preparation.


-Los Angeles has upped the ante and is now offering all property owners $2 per square foot (up from $1.50) to rip up their lawns and to plant drought tolerant plants!

-Here’s a story which I thought would’ve gain wider attention. Milwaukee is well-known for its environmental leanings, they are one of a few municipalities with a green roof rebate. So I sympathize with small landowners that bigger ones are getting special treatment...and three times the rebate.

Kelven, I mean Kleven, is synonymous with living architecture?

They call this place, in Kleven, Ukraine, the "Tunnel of Love". I'm not making this up. 

The Farmery, an update

It's been 10 months since I last wrote about the Farmery.  Here's an update on their development since then.
 
-Super huge news out of Vancouver. The parks board unveiled a local food action plan, which includes 55 strategic actions (like planting fruit trees and community gardens in parks) to implement over the next five years.

-Can anyone help me understand why this article uses the term "green roofing" at all?

-I wonder if the abandonment of chickens in Montreal by those who discover that they can't (or don't want to) take care of them is a continent wide trend? Sadly it looks like it may be.

40 hours of free permaculture lecture + urban agriculture opportunities in Africa

A supermarket in South Africa has embraced alternative technologies like no one else, by incorporating solar energy and aquaponics to get closer to being a fully sustainable supermarket.

-Watch, listen, revel in 40 hours of permaculture lectures from Bill Mollison!

 

-An urban agriculture internship, with flexible starting times and lengths from 2-8 months, has 

opened up in South Africa.

-Even better is an urban agriculture scholarship to pursue a PhD co-sponsored by schools in Sweden and Ghana!

A closer look at vertical and rooftop farming leaders

Even if you're new to the vertical and rooftop farming industry you know the major players spend their time heads-down trying to produce food, not on the radio, TV or in the papers touting what they do. That's why it's nice to see, over the last 6 weeks or so, some longer articles and audio on some of the pioneers, Lufa Farms, Alterrus and FarmedHere.

-In general I believe the more green the better. But when it comes to a place like Abu Dhabi, I would love to see this proposed lush 19,000 square foot green roof become something more climate relevant, like a xerogarden. With deck chairs and umbrellas too, perhaps?

-In Uganda one enthusiast is trying the simplest materials possible to make an aquaponics system, included in his list of components are an old fridge, water and perfume bottles.

-Another innovator in Canada, this one 16 years old, has invented his own green wall system and turned it into a educational opportunity for children.

-Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been involved in some inspiring projects over the years, recently they've been involved in developing a curriculum to accompany the farm based at a suburban Vancouver school.

The Art of Fermentation - Sandor Katz

Sandor Katz is the godfather of Fermentation. As we slide into the summer with pickling season right around the corner, it's a good time to brush up.

Aquaponics for profit

Across the world those involved with aquaponics are trying to make it work. We've seen some failures recently and some will succeed, some won't. In Melbourne, Australia a local non-profit is giving it a go, while in New York State a two year old operation needs an influx of cash to keep things going.

-If you're in New York and want to provide some expertise to get their green infrastructure program off the ground,  don't dawdle...there's only 2 weeks left to apply. (See middle row, bottom of page 7).

-I forgot to post this a while ago but it's not too late to join a free course on the Sustainability of Food Systems.

-And lastly for today check out how Russians are proving small scale organic farming can feed a village and more!