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Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Shipping container wars
How many folks out there are trying to raise vegetables in shipping containers?
The Farmery
Urban Farmers
PodPonics
Growpod
Growup
Freight Farm
ECF Farmsystems
and two new contestants for your eyes and pockets; a new project on Kickstarter and a collaboration between the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative and GM (which is also a home...I won't even begin to make that list or tackle the companies OUTSIDE of the USA).
Perhaps I should save this for my end of the year predictions, but I feel there might be some leap in development soon with so many people on the case.
The Farmery
Urban Farmers
PodPonics
Growpod
Growup
Freight Farm
ECF Farmsystems
and two new contestants for your eyes and pockets; a new project on Kickstarter and a collaboration between the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative and GM (which is also a home...I won't even begin to make that list or tackle the companies OUTSIDE of the USA).
Perhaps I should save this for my end of the year predictions, but I feel there might be some leap in development soon with so many people on the case.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Green walls fighting poverty...and terrorism
I've profiled Africa's green wall spanning the edges of the Sahara to prevent rapid desertification.
It is wonderful that governments have banded together to tackle this, creating the Panafrican Agency of the Great Green Wall. Of course it's benefit, ecologically, is undisputed, I hadn't considered how important it is to other parts of life. Naturally planting trees means having natural resources and mitigating poverty. Forbes further connects the dots by pointing out more natural resources decreases the need to literally fight over dwindling supplies by joining one surging industry, extremism.
-Here's the wonderfully curious case of Cleveland State University. They were all set, it seemed, to get rid of their $250,000 green roof over leaking concerns. And now? Another $100,000 to improve the roof! Talk about student power!
-On a sad note a high school in Hawaii had over 1000 fish stolen from their aquaponics tank! Hopefully they get back up and running soon!
It is wonderful that governments have banded together to tackle this, creating the Panafrican Agency of the Great Green Wall. Of course it's benefit, ecologically, is undisputed, I hadn't considered how important it is to other parts of life. Naturally planting trees means having natural resources and mitigating poverty. Forbes further connects the dots by pointing out more natural resources decreases the need to literally fight over dwindling supplies by joining one surging industry, extremism.
-Here's the wonderfully curious case of Cleveland State University. They were all set, it seemed, to get rid of their $250,000 green roof over leaking concerns. And now? Another $100,000 to improve the roof! Talk about student power!
-On a sad note a high school in Hawaii had over 1000 fish stolen from their aquaponics tank! Hopefully they get back up and running soon!
Monday, July 21, 2014
What is a tree worth? - take 2!
Just last month I posed this very same question, and it's very important one. No consensus yet, but in 1979 an Indian botanist was the first to try to calculate it. His guess?
That's a HUGE difference from what we have seen recently. I wonder how long before we have a definitive answer?
That's a HUGE difference from what we have seen recently. I wonder how long before we have a definitive answer?
Friday, July 18, 2014
Gila words of the week: Urban Fruit Trail & Underground Rooftop Garden
Ahhh...I know I have your attention now! We're going to end the week on a very, very high note.
-What is an underground rooftop garden you ask? Have a look...
Art students from Savannah, Georgia are exploring what it is like to live in a micro house. Their choice of pop-up locations with all of the amenities...the campus parking garage. Have a look.
Their ephemeral pad even includes container gardens.
-There's a bit of flexing underway in Vancouver as Canadian Pacific Railways is looking to once again use railway lines last touched 13 years ago. This could mean the destruction of 10% of Vancouver's urban gardens, many surround the formerly defunct line. The City of Vancouver is pushing back...just a touch. And of course community gardeners are not that pleased. This could take a while to play out, let's see what happens.
-Historically why have landscape architects resisted designing productive landscapes? One blogger believes it has to do with Management, Liability and Aesthetics. Hey, wait a second, that would spell MLA...the acronym for Master of Landscape Architecture. Weird!!!
-A scaled down, more structured artistic spin of a food forest is being planned in Los Angeles. They have coined it the urban fruit trail.
-Rooftop gardens have been part of the New York landscape since the early 1880s. Take a trip back in time to find out why they became all the rage.
-Charleston, South Carolina and Waltham, Massachusetts are planning huge eco-districts. Waltham is setting aside $20 million dollars for a 58 acre agriculture and community farming hub. Charleston is designating 865 acres (!) as an eco-district, unfortunately what that means is unclear. Eco measures, including green roofs, seem to be "voluntary". Let's hope for the best!
-And last but not least for the week. Plants can hear, according to researchers from the University of Missouri. Yes, you heard that right.
-What is an underground rooftop garden you ask? Have a look...
Art students from Savannah, Georgia are exploring what it is like to live in a micro house. Their choice of pop-up locations with all of the amenities...the campus parking garage. Have a look.
Their ephemeral pad even includes container gardens.
-There's a bit of flexing underway in Vancouver as Canadian Pacific Railways is looking to once again use railway lines last touched 13 years ago. This could mean the destruction of 10% of Vancouver's urban gardens, many surround the formerly defunct line. The City of Vancouver is pushing back...just a touch. And of course community gardeners are not that pleased. This could take a while to play out, let's see what happens.
-Historically why have landscape architects resisted designing productive landscapes? One blogger believes it has to do with Management, Liability and Aesthetics. Hey, wait a second, that would spell MLA...the acronym for Master of Landscape Architecture. Weird!!!
-A scaled down, more structured artistic spin of a food forest is being planned in Los Angeles. They have coined it the urban fruit trail.
-Rooftop gardens have been part of the New York landscape since the early 1880s. Take a trip back in time to find out why they became all the rage.
-Charleston, South Carolina and Waltham, Massachusetts are planning huge eco-districts. Waltham is setting aside $20 million dollars for a 58 acre agriculture and community farming hub. Charleston is designating 865 acres (!) as an eco-district, unfortunately what that means is unclear. Eco measures, including green roofs, seem to be "voluntary". Let's hope for the best!
-And last but not least for the week. Plants can hear, according to researchers from the University of Missouri. Yes, you heard that right.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Urban agriculture growing and dying
It's always good to check in with the folks at the permaculture podcast. Last week we heard what could be done with 1/6 of an acre in a temperate climate.
-Check out this app, it ranks neighbourhoods by environmental criteria like green roofs, community gardens, farmers markets, parks and public transit. It's a great way to help select your next home.
-A children's hospital in San Antonio is building a massive 2 acre garden to teach the community about the relationship between food and health.
-After 360 years a South African community garden will sprout again. Boston is similarly celebrating urban agriculture with their first Urban Agriculture Day.
Unfortunately in Bangalore things are going in the opposite direction. The city, which was a burgeoning urban agriculture oasis, will probably see urban agriculture wither because of development pressures.
-The USA's first urban agriculture kids camp kicked off a couple of weeks ago. I'll add this to my end of the year predictions...I think you'll be seeing a lot more of these in the future.
-Check out this app, it ranks neighbourhoods by environmental criteria like green roofs, community gardens, farmers markets, parks and public transit. It's a great way to help select your next home.
-A children's hospital in San Antonio is building a massive 2 acre garden to teach the community about the relationship between food and health.
-After 360 years a South African community garden will sprout again. Boston is similarly celebrating urban agriculture with their first Urban Agriculture Day.
Unfortunately in Bangalore things are going in the opposite direction. The city, which was a burgeoning urban agriculture oasis, will probably see urban agriculture wither because of development pressures.
-The USA's first urban agriculture kids camp kicked off a couple of weeks ago. I'll add this to my end of the year predictions...I think you'll be seeing a lot more of these in the future.
Monday, July 14, 2014
A $1 billion dollar green infrastructure project
If there's every been a bigger story in green infrastructure, which has been more lightly covered, I would be hard pressed to recall one. The famous Los Angeles river is slated for a very big makeover.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Documental agricultura urbana en Colombia
Alright! A documentary in Spanish about microgardens in Bogota and Medellin!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Experimental GILA projects in Asia
Some experimental systems and projects to watch over the coming year as Malta and India experiment with aquaponics (the later to up farming's "cool factor". Kuwait is trying its hand at urban farming as well.
It looks like the water folks are slowly moving towards green infrastructure at the same time that green roof folks are migrating there as well. In late July, North Carolina is having a green infrastructure talk during their water symposium.
It looks like the water folks are slowly moving towards green infrastructure at the same time that green roof folks are migrating there as well. In late July, North Carolina is having a green infrastructure talk during their water symposium.
Monday, July 7, 2014
July internet gleanings
Foraging has really picked up steam in the last couple of years; after all it's always fun to pick up tasty morsels during your journey. I find the same is true on the web. Sometimes I find some interesting tidbits along the way.
-The Guardian has churned out some pretty good GILA articles recently. Here they profile some projects from around the world, two of which are relatively underreported, one in Deu Horta Na Telha, Sao Paulo. And the other in Tokyo. Who wouldn't want tomatoes hanging from a ceiling in the staff meeting room?
-Similarly the Christian Science Monitor mentions urban agriculture in Cuba, which many people have heard all about, but also profiles Lima, Peru, which is the personification of under the radar. Did you know that two water treatment plants will treat one hundred percent of the city’s wastewater by the end of 2014? Lima can irrigate the green areas in and around the city including community gardens.
-Here's a fantastic study covering 250 urban farms across the US and Canada. What urban agriculture activities do they engage in, where are their operations set up, how are they funded and what is their budget plus much, much more.
-We can add asbestos to the list of contaminants found in the soil of community urban gardens.
-This urban WWOOFer has done great work in Denver. Juggling (forgot about signing up) over 20 clients) is quite a feat.
-Of course I am blogging about this document because of the urban agriculture component, but the whole thing is fantastic, especially if you are into forecasting the future of cities.
-The last story today is a small disagreement over a $250,000 green roof. At Cleveland State University the 7,000 square foot gift is being disassembled because...well...there are two versions to the story.
-The Guardian has churned out some pretty good GILA articles recently. Here they profile some projects from around the world, two of which are relatively underreported, one in Deu Horta Na Telha, Sao Paulo. And the other in Tokyo. Who wouldn't want tomatoes hanging from a ceiling in the staff meeting room?
-Similarly the Christian Science Monitor mentions urban agriculture in Cuba, which many people have heard all about, but also profiles Lima, Peru, which is the personification of under the radar. Did you know that two water treatment plants will treat one hundred percent of the city’s wastewater by the end of 2014? Lima can irrigate the green areas in and around the city including community gardens.
-Here's a fantastic study covering 250 urban farms across the US and Canada. What urban agriculture activities do they engage in, where are their operations set up, how are they funded and what is their budget plus much, much more.
-We can add asbestos to the list of contaminants found in the soil of community urban gardens.
-This urban WWOOFer has done great work in Denver. Juggling (forgot about signing up) over 20 clients) is quite a feat.
-Of course I am blogging about this document because of the urban agriculture component, but the whole thing is fantastic, especially if you are into forecasting the future of cities.
-The last story today is a small disagreement over a $250,000 green roof. At Cleveland State University the 7,000 square foot gift is being disassembled because...well...there are two versions to the story.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Green roof reading room
If you're looking for the best in green roof research, Deep Dyve is your website. Recently published papers include a comparison of irrigation efficiency and plant health of overhead, drip and sub irrigation for extensive roofs and the effect of green roof media depth on Crassulacean plant succession over seven years
Science Direct is another must read, last month's best article (in my humble opinion) expounded upon the best growing media for a few select sedum species plants.
Science Direct is another must read, last month's best article (in my humble opinion) expounded upon the best growing media for a few select sedum species plants.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Don't put crocodiles in your rooftop garden!
It's wonderful when public officials just "Get It!" The mayor of Montreal seems to be one of them, when it comes to urban agriculture. He's encouraging Montrealers to grow food in public spaces and relaxing zoning laws to allow more commercial and residential urban agriculture, in addition to giving them the right to sell to grocery stores or sell on their farms!
-There were a couple of articles about a living wall in California which had failed and is now a communal eyesore. I wanted to see what kind of living wall this was, it seems to be more of a vegetated sound barrier than a "living wall", in my view. What do you think?
-A new title holder for the world's largest vertical garden/living wall has been crowned.
-Check out this handy garden sensor which can relay real-time data about the status of your garden and if you like the idea, support them on Kickstarter.
-We need a 596 acres-esque company in every city! By piecing together every master plan in New York City history they have found sites that were planned open spaces that were behind fences and opened them for public use and helped residents understand why things look the way they do.
-Lastly to follow up on Monday's post about rooftop terraculture, if you're going to do it, make sure to stock your rooftop pool with easy to handle animals. So that would eliminate crocodiles!
-There were a couple of articles about a living wall in California which had failed and is now a communal eyesore. I wanted to see what kind of living wall this was, it seems to be more of a vegetated sound barrier than a "living wall", in my view. What do you think?
-A new title holder for the world's largest vertical garden/living wall has been crowned.
-Check out this handy garden sensor which can relay real-time data about the status of your garden and if you like the idea, support them on Kickstarter.
-We need a 596 acres-esque company in every city! By piecing together every master plan in New York City history they have found sites that were planned open spaces that were behind fences and opened them for public use and helped residents understand why things look the way they do.
-Lastly to follow up on Monday's post about rooftop terraculture, if you're going to do it, make sure to stock your rooftop pool with easy to handle animals. So that would eliminate crocodiles!
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