Your GILA (green infrastructure, urban agriculture) word of the week :Urban Agripuncture

Thanks Huff Post for adding this one to our dictionary!

-I didn’t see many inspiring permaculture stories in the back half of May, but there were a couple great ones last week.  El Paso is going to have their very own urban food forest. At 10,000 square feet in a town where it rarely drops below freezing, this provides the opportunity for a few families to feast all year long. 

-In Portland, Oregon neighbors are banding together to save an 11,000 square foot permaculture food forest. The only difference from the El Paso startup? This one is 35 years old!!! 

-Okay, can we officially call aquaponics red hot? A German company, in 2013, will be constructing a 7,000 square meter (75,350 square feet) aquaponics facility! I haven't seen one yet, but I feel somewhere there's a columnist drafting an urban agriculture column pitting aquaponics versus hydroponics. 

Growth is a ponzi scheme?

Wow, I've got a ton to comment on starting with an article from the New Urban Network. I've never heard
growth referred to as a ponzi scheme, but the more numbers he crunches...the more ponzi like it seems. If our government officials are aware of this and haven't sought to remedy the problem (more taxes or doing things VERY differently), I don't know what to say. If they are not aware of the facts, that is probably just as bad.

-On the positive side, there are a couple of great stories about urban agriculture in
Hong Kong and, closer to home Philadelphia, where refugees are planting crops from back home.

-A little further south, if you're in DC "Wildman" Steve Brillis in town to drop some foraging knowledge.

-More urban agriculture news. There are rooftop garden classes in
New York City and Toronto this week. Speaking of Toronto, it looks like a buy local food bill is in trouble as council is under pressure to cut costs and go with the cheapest produce.

-On the climate change front, the Guardian has a great article about how El Paso, Texas, is beating the worst drought in a generation. Hopefully others in Texas and abroad are paying attention to their conservation efforts and start listening to Paul Epstein as well. Who's Paul Epstein? Glad you asked.