A new way to invest in local agriculture!
-San Francisco legislator, David Chiu, is proposing a green roof bylaw for all-new buildings in San Francisco.
-Every once in a while the Ecologist puts together one nice long blog with all sorts of interesting links. Here's one which has a ton of great articles about vertical farming, including a couple of ventures in Japan.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
The ultimate municipal food policy database
Writing sound policy for growing food just got much easier. The Growing Food Connections Policy database "provides examples of
local public policies that have been adopted to address a range of food
systems issues, from rural and urban food production to food aggregation and distribution
infrastructure.
Spread this far and wide!
Spread this far and wide!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Rooftop beer
Last week I wrote a bit about Congressman Tim Ryan's love for urban agriculture. Silly me, I didn't even realize he had a new book out.
-In LA a rooftop garden has drawn a lot of publicity, especially once they launched their very own beer grown with hops from their rooftop..
-To assist with their rehabilitation, a jail in Denver is opening an aquaponics facility.
-In the same week, both Pittsburgh and Oakland have announced that they are both working hard to open up vacant land for urban agriculture.
-In LA a rooftop garden has drawn a lot of publicity, especially once they launched their very own beer grown with hops from their rooftop..
-To assist with their rehabilitation, a jail in Denver is opening an aquaponics facility.
-In the same week, both Pittsburgh and Oakland have announced that they are both working hard to open up vacant land for urban agriculture.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Michigan State University offers free online urban agriculture course
Michigan State University has announced a new, free, online urban agriculture course which is part of their Food Knowledge Cloud. The course runs from November 3 to December 19.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Aquaponics courses in Colorado + Buffalo's Urban Agriculture Turnaround
At the end of this year and in 2015, aquaponics enthusiasts have the opportunity to learn from the best in Colorado. Advanced aquaponics and aquaponics immersion courses I'm sure will be well-attended, up next in December is the aquaponics and medical marijuana course.
-Toronto has a municipal election coming up in about two weeks. It looks like two of the major candidates strongly support more funding for urban agriculture! Not to be outdone, prominent American politicians are throwing their support behind urban ag as well, Congressman Tim Ryan is probably the biggest proponent so far.
-How did Buffalo, a resource-strapped city, go from a laggard to an urban agriculture mecca in just 10 years? A University of Buffalo researcher outlines their path to success:
-Engaging in “ordinary, incremental, persistent practices” ;
-Building a diverse but unified coalition ;
-Balancing incremental and systemic change;
-Nurturing communitywide capacity ;
-Responding nimbly to windows of opportunity ;
-Getting support from local government ;
-Connecting food to the popular issues of the day .
Check out the whole article in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Engaging in “ordinary, incremental, persistent
practices”
Changes in local laws followed years of on-the-ground action by MAP, which grew food, sold it to low-income residents, and raised fish on an urban aquaponics farm.
Building a diverse but unified coalition
MAP’s “Rust Belt radicals” had limited policy reach on their own, so they partnered with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, government officials, farmers and others to get messages out. All had a shared vision for improving Buffalo’s food system.
Balancing incremental and systemic change
MAP built urban farms (incremental change), while also pushing lawmakers to amend land use laws (systemic change).
Nurturing communitywide capacity
MAP trained hundreds of youth to produce, distribute and sell food, and worked with partners to send policymakers to food-related workshops. This created a large body of experts with the know-how to move Buffalo’s food policies forward.
Responding nimbly to windows of opportunity
MAP and its allies jumped at the chance to advise planners writing the city’s new Green Code. Such windows of opportunity may open rarely; activists must take advantage when they do.
Getting support from local government
Continual engagement with city planners and councilmembers resulted in an awareness of problems surrounding food, which in turn led to proposals for new laws.
Connecting food to the popular issues of the day
Economic revitalization is a priority for post-industrial cities across the Rust Belt. Recognizing this, MAP lobbied policymakers on the idea that food — and good food policy — could be vehicles for economic development.
- See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/10/018.html#sthash.J8mbpbD5.dpuf
Engaging in “ordinary, incremental, persistent
practices”
Changes in local laws followed years of on-the-ground action by MAP, which grew food, sold it to low-income residents, and raised fish on an urban aquaponics farm.
Building a diverse but unified coalition
MAP’s “Rust Belt radicals” had limited policy reach on their own, so they partnered with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, government officials, farmers and others to get messages out. All had a shared vision for improving Buffalo’s food system.
Balancing incremental and systemic change
MAP built urban farms (incremental change), while also pushing lawmakers to amend land use laws (systemic change).
Nurturing communitywide capacity
MAP trained hundreds of youth to produce, distribute and sell food, and worked with partners to send policymakers to food-related workshops. This created a large body of experts with the know-how to move Buffalo’s food policies forward.
Responding nimbly to windows of opportunity
MAP and its allies jumped at the chance to advise planners writing the city’s new Green Code. Such windows of opportunity may open rarely; activists must take advantage when they do.
Getting support from local government
Continual engagement with city planners and councilmembers resulted in an awareness of problems surrounding food, which in turn led to proposals for new laws.
Connecting food to the popular issues of the day
Economic revitalization is a priority for post-industrial cities across the Rust Belt. Recognizing this, MAP lobbied policymakers on the idea that food — and good food policy — could be vehicles for economic development.
- See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/10/018.html#sthash.J8mbpbD5.dpuf
-Toronto has a municipal election coming up in about two weeks. It looks like two of the major candidates strongly support more funding for urban agriculture! Not to be outdone, prominent American politicians are throwing their support behind urban ag as well, Congressman Tim Ryan is probably the biggest proponent so far.
-How did Buffalo, a resource-strapped city, go from a laggard to an urban agriculture mecca in just 10 years? A University of Buffalo researcher outlines their path to success:
-Engaging in “ordinary, incremental, persistent practices” ;
-Building a diverse but unified coalition ;
-Balancing incremental and systemic change;
-Nurturing communitywide capacity ;
-Responding nimbly to windows of opportunity ;
-Getting support from local government ;
-Connecting food to the popular issues of the day .
Check out the whole article in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Changes in local laws followed years of on-the-ground action by MAP, which grew food, sold it to low-income residents, and raised fish on an urban aquaponics farm.
MAP’s “Rust Belt radicals” had limited policy reach on their own, so they partnered with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, government officials, farmers and others to get messages out. All had a shared vision for improving Buffalo’s food system.
MAP built urban farms (incremental change), while also pushing lawmakers to amend land use laws (systemic change).
MAP trained hundreds of youth to produce, distribute and sell food, and worked with partners to send policymakers to food-related workshops. This created a large body of experts with the know-how to move Buffalo’s food policies forward.
MAP and its allies jumped at the chance to advise planners writing the city’s new Green Code. Such windows of opportunity may open rarely; activists must take advantage when they do.
Continual engagement with city planners and councilmembers resulted in an awareness of problems surrounding food, which in turn led to proposals for new laws.
Economic revitalization is a priority for post-industrial cities across the Rust Belt. Recognizing this, MAP lobbied policymakers on the idea that food — and good food policy — could be vehicles for economic development.
Changes in local laws followed years of on-the-ground action by MAP, which grew food, sold it to low-income residents, and raised fish on an urban aquaponics farm.
MAP’s “Rust Belt radicals” had limited policy reach on their own, so they partnered with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, government officials, farmers and others to get messages out. All had a shared vision for improving Buffalo’s food system.
MAP built urban farms (incremental change), while also pushing lawmakers to amend land use laws (systemic change).
MAP trained hundreds of youth to produce, distribute and sell food, and worked with partners to send policymakers to food-related workshops. This created a large body of experts with the know-how to move Buffalo’s food policies forward.
MAP and its allies jumped at the chance to advise planners writing the city’s new Green Code. Such windows of opportunity may open rarely; activists must take advantage when they do.
Continual engagement with city planners and councilmembers resulted in an awareness of problems surrounding food, which in turn led to proposals for new laws.
Economic revitalization is a priority for post-industrial cities across the Rust Belt. Recognizing this, MAP lobbied policymakers on the idea that food — and good food policy — could be vehicles for economic development.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Wisconsin wants more green roofs
-Last week plans for a potential urban farm in Battle Creek, Michigan, organized by several (eight, to be exact) churches, were potentially scuttled when neighbors complained that there would be too much traffic and a reduction in property values.
They were hoping the land would produce as much as 220,000 lbs of fruit and vegetables. The timing of this unfortunate disagreement is impeccable as Earth Island reports how cities across the US are struggling with how to amend its’ current laws and the disparate concerns of residents.
-Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources wanted Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's to install 5 million gallons of rain collecting capacity by the end of 2017. Last year, alone, the City did 4 million! So the DNR may raise it’s bar. Here’s your stat for the day, digging more deep tunnels to store wastewater “would cost between two and six times more per gallon of capacity than the various types of green infrastructure” and "This is our lowest-cost approach."
The ultimate goal? 740 million gallons' worth of storage capacity by 2035. The district estimates it will distribute $1.3 billion over the next 20 years in grants to its green infrastructure partners.
-One city council candidate in Ottawa is suggesting adopting a green roof policy. It could have happened earlier, but the delay comes from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. A change has to be made at the provincial level to allow Ottawa to change its’ own laws. The article references Toronto’s green roof bylaw which has been fantastic. Being one of the first has its advantages. It also has its' disadvantages, as now people seem to realize that the bylaw's emphasis on 90% coverage within 2 years does not help the urban agriculture movement at all. As you know most food we eat are annuals. How (and when) will this be changed? Good question.
-Istanbul has rolled out it’s own green roof bus. It’s called the “Botobüs,” a combination of “botanic” and “bus”.
They were hoping the land would produce as much as 220,000 lbs of fruit and vegetables. The timing of this unfortunate disagreement is impeccable as Earth Island reports how cities across the US are struggling with how to amend its’ current laws and the disparate concerns of residents.
-Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources wanted Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's to install 5 million gallons of rain collecting capacity by the end of 2017. Last year, alone, the City did 4 million! So the DNR may raise it’s bar. Here’s your stat for the day, digging more deep tunnels to store wastewater “would cost between two and six times more per gallon of capacity than the various types of green infrastructure” and "This is our lowest-cost approach."
The ultimate goal? 740 million gallons' worth of storage capacity by 2035. The district estimates it will distribute $1.3 billion over the next 20 years in grants to its green infrastructure partners.
-One city council candidate in Ottawa is suggesting adopting a green roof policy. It could have happened earlier, but the delay comes from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. A change has to be made at the provincial level to allow Ottawa to change its’ own laws. The article references Toronto’s green roof bylaw which has been fantastic. Being one of the first has its advantages. It also has its' disadvantages, as now people seem to realize that the bylaw's emphasis on 90% coverage within 2 years does not help the urban agriculture movement at all. As you know most food we eat are annuals. How (and when) will this be changed? Good question.
-Istanbul has rolled out it’s own green roof bus. It’s called the “Botobüs,” a combination of “botanic” and “bus”.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Urban farming and music, the next trend?
In the past couple of weeks I've seen two articles about the music industry's link to urban farming.
There's Taja Sevelle, who founded a non-profit back in 2005 called Urban Farming, which is responsible for over 62,000 community gardens across the US.
And let's not forget a newcomer to the scene, Kimbra Lee Johnson best known for the Gotye song below, who recorded her latest album at an urban farm in Los Angeles.
There's Taja Sevelle, who founded a non-profit back in 2005 called Urban Farming, which is responsible for over 62,000 community gardens across the US.
And let's not forget a newcomer to the scene, Kimbra Lee Johnson best known for the Gotye song below, who recorded her latest album at an urban farm in Los Angeles.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Pushing boundaries with new green roof plants
So last year I tried a few new species on green roofs and in my backyard. After some research I thought a few could do quite well in lower Canada, upper USA. Here's what I found:
Rhodiola rosea
Did quite well on a rooftop and I am definitely incorporating this into future green roofs!
Rosularia sedoides
This was a backyard experiment, I wondered how it would with just moderate sun (3-4 hours).
It didn't make it to the spring.
Sempervivium arachnoideum "rubrum"
In full sun this could be quite lovely as an accent plant, I thought it had no chance of coming back this year but it did...in full-sun.
Erysimum pulchellum
Veronica liwanensis
The two above had a rough time from the very beginning with little water, despite ample (at least 5 hours) of sun. I'll keep both of these for sunny, ground level gardens.
Rhodiola rosea
Did quite well on a rooftop and I am definitely incorporating this into future green roofs!
Rosularia sedoides
This was a backyard experiment, I wondered how it would with just moderate sun (3-4 hours).
It didn't make it to the spring.
Sempervivium arachnoideum "rubrum"
In full sun this could be quite lovely as an accent plant, I thought it had no chance of coming back this year but it did...in full-sun.
Erysimum pulchellum
Veronica liwanensis
The two above had a rough time from the very beginning with little water, despite ample (at least 5 hours) of sun. I'll keep both of these for sunny, ground level gardens.
Friday, October 3, 2014
2 Green roof (and wall!) events, one near and one far
For the one in Toronto. The Conservation Council of Ontario is hosting a Green Energy Doors Open event tomorrow from 1-3 pm. If you've never had a tour of the amazing Robertson Building here's your chance to see their green wall and green roof.
And just a little reminder that the World Green Infrastructure Congress kicks off next Tuesday, October 7!
And just a little reminder that the World Green Infrastructure Congress kicks off next Tuesday, October 7!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Rooftop spirulina entrepreneurs have expanded production!
The last time we checked in with this company, they were just getting started. Now, they have begun exporting to Europe and will have multiple sites in Thailand very soon. Are we witnessing a new success story in the making???
Earlier in the year we saw one aquaponics producer theorize that growing medical marijuana may be where their business is heading. Another aquaponics advocate, who has gone out of business and now operates the New York outfit as an educational center, is thinking the same thing. Synergistic thoughts or the latest trend?
Earlier in the year we saw one aquaponics producer theorize that growing medical marijuana may be where their business is heading. Another aquaponics advocate, who has gone out of business and now operates the New York outfit as an educational center, is thinking the same thing. Synergistic thoughts or the latest trend?
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