Dear Algerian Oak...

A tip of the hat to a new reader for this summary of studies investigating the physiological health outcomes of direct outdoor nature experiences. It is wonderfully exhaustive and worth your time.
The authors noted "Most of the studies were conducted in Japan, based on quite small samples, predominantly with male students as participants..." so additional studies are absolutely needed. Perhaps the authors should contact Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu Hotel, they've organized moss viewing expeditions, mostly attended by women. And it's gaining in popularity, they've gone from 5 to 8 trips in three years!

Or maybe give government officials in Melbourne, Australia a call. Email addresses (!) have been set-up for trees and correspondence, love letters, actually, are pouring in for the cherished, leafy behemoths. Perhaps the writers can fill out a survey or participate in a study detailing how they feel about nature?

A sample:

To: Algerian Oak, Tree ID 1032705
2 February 2015
Dear Algerian oak,
Thank you for giving us oxygen.
Thank you for being so pretty.
I don't know where I'd be without you to extract my carbon dioxide. (I would probably be in heaven) Stay strong, stand tall amongst the crowd.
You are the gift that keeps on giving.

One less green roof bylaw + the world's largest vertical farm breaks ground

 It looks like construction started long ago, but last week was the official ground breaking for the largest vertical farm in the world. Politicians galore stopped by for the photo-op, here's hoping they can deliver on 80 jobs for the citizens of Newark, New Jersey!

Are you involved in urban farming? Then a Dutch grad student wants your help in filling out a survey to find out what role innovation has on urban agriculture.

China has big, big plans. Earlier this week was a story about their mega city, Jing Jin Ji, which would join several big cities to make a GIGANTIC one, as big as all of New England and with over 130 MILLION PEOPLE! Several of these cities have begun installing porous bricks and bio-swales, I hope the entire region gets the green infrastructure!

-Barbados becomes the latest island nation to embrace aquaponics.

-Jakarta has added 66 urban farming spots in the last year. It has been reported they are "modest" plots. Regardless of the size, that's a big commitment.

-If you have an environmental business based in Canada, ECO Canada just announced their internship program. With almost a $1 million dollars in wage subsidies for over 100 jobs, it's a great way to introduce a young person into your green field.

-One of the first cities to adopt a green roof bylaw, Port Coquitlam, has now rescinded it. This is big news for the green roof industry. There are only about 20 bylaws in North America. It seems their City Council how to decide which program to greenhouse gas program to support, so they went with something more general which targets an increase in building insulation and overall energy efficiency.
We'll keep watching to see if this is a one-off for the industry or a trend.

Introductory tutorial to rooftop gardening in India

About an hour long, if you're curious about rooftop (or terrace) gardening in India or want to give it a try, have a look.

Introduction to Permaculture in India - ground level

We'll double up today with a second helping of permaculture videos from India.

Big cash for your environmental community project!

Big money for your community project. The Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has announced their nearly $1.4 million dollar grant program, applications for projects which create a share sense of responsibility for stewardship of the environment, are due in late August!

GILA Word of the Week (part 2) - Green infrastructure bank

Ontario is set to become the first jurisdiction to put a limit on the use of neonics, a class of agricultural insecticides blamed for the reduction in bee numbers. This article, in particular, is a head scratcher. It's not simply "farmers" vs "the government", other groups like nurses and doctors have called for a ban for a while.

-Chicago is trying to address food deserts by outfitting buses and bring produce to the articles most in need.

-The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization estimates it would only cost $160 per person to eliminate hunger.

-Rhode Island may get an Infrastructure Bank soon. It's Clean Water Finance Agency may expand what it's already doing (making loans to cities and towns for sewer projects and other clean water infrastructure) and is already thinking beyond that. It just added roads and bridges to its portfolio and may finance all kinds of green infrastructure improvements, meaning everything from stormwater infrastructure to energy retrofits for buildings. The article states "the new green infrastructure bank would make giant loans – in some cases 'a half a million dollars or higher' for massive energy overhauls of public buildings."
How about green roofs as well?

-Oregon has been very supportive of urban agriculture. Now they will even allow you to grow marijuana (four plants) in your backyard, since it is now legal.

-For folks interested in (or in the middle of) an urban agriculture business a grad student has several models for success.

-Could the future of farming be underwater? If nothing else, we now know seaweed is a useful additive to green roof substrate. Perhaps it is to regular soil as well?

GILA words of the week: Pizza farm + mobile green wall filter

Before getting to the word of the week, here's the new title holder for the largest green wall.

A Taiwan based company built this nearly 2,600 square meter green wall, it beats the previous biggest in Singapore by more than 300 square meters.
An even bigger development may be the invention of a mobile green wall filter. Keep an eye on this company!

-On to the pizza farm! In Minnesota and Wisconsin agritourism is taking off and some farmers have cut out the middle man. Why not grow (or source locally) all of ingredients for a pizza, bake it and serve it up on a farm? You can't get much fresher!

Water Saving Tropical Permaculture Garden Tour

With climate change comes new challenges, particularly drought. Here are some tips for saving water in tropical regions...

Horticultural therapy - helping veterans transition back to health and civilian life

Horticultural therapy program and projects have benefited many people and groups over the years. It seems programs focused on veterans are sprouting up everywhere. In the last six months I've seen stories from Chicago, London, Grand Rapids, and Fort Wayne. Heck, three of those are from the last WEEK! There's even a book which came out in the spring and an ongoing study in Virginia.
Let's keep our eyes peeled to see if this is a (mid-western) trend...or phenomenon!

GILA word of the week: Bee highway

The FAO has definitely been busy. This week it announced that Cape Verde has it's first FAO urban agriculture program. Earlier in the month the FAO released a collection of findings from scientists and economists who have taken stock of climate change impacts on food and agriculture at global and regional levels. The document investigates, among other things, how climate change will impact crop production in Africa and grain production in Russia and neighboring Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

-I hope these entrepreneurs can do it, however it will be an uphill climb. By 2017 a Brooklyn duo hopes to produce the first rooftop wine from rooftop vineyard.

-Norway is creating a bee highway. What is that you ask? Private individual, state bodies, companies, and associations post their little slice of green on the website polli.no to map out a bees’ safe route across the Oslo.

-A graduate student has published the first summary, I believe, stating the limits of community gardens in creating communities. One of her preliminary findings (in the Netherlands) is that those who garden together don't often become friends outside the garden, however they are more likely to ask for help from others. As this story hit the web, so did one which focuses on urban agriculture and measuring what it actually yields, in terms of food production and money.

-Chicago laps the fields in rooftop farms, 13 have been documented, compared to 3 in Chicago and only 2 in Toronto. I wonder how many exist outside North America?