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.