The world's first aquaponics based horticultural therapy garden

Two worlds have finally been joined. Horticultural therapy, which is definitely on the rise and aquaponics, which has gone stratospheric, have been integrated to make a fantastic garden for advanced-dementia residents at a care facility in Australia.

-A couple of surveys for you to fill out, if you have the time and inclination. And especially if you live in Minnesota or Illinois.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is developing a plan to address urban agriculture within the park system and is looking for your thoughts. Similarly the Ohio State University Extension Office wants your opinion on what sorts of programs would be best in 2013.

-Chicago wants to leave other urban agriculture friendly municipaliies in the dust by creating an urban farming center 13 miles long! That is amazing news, sensational actually. And makes it easier to relay this article from Macedonia as a group of permaculture enthusiasts look to get their project up and running.

Knoxville vs Milwaukee: The Urban Agriculture battle for $5 million dollars

A few quick hits before the videos, which I am sure you have spied, down below, waiting to be watched!

Last week Israel launched its first green roof research center, making it also the first in the Middle East.

-In urban agriculture policy news, while Minneapolis is just getting started on its urban agriculture policy, Sioux Falls is at the end of the process and is ready for public comment.

-Bloomberg’s Mayor Challenge has whittled its list of finalists to 20 cities. Both Milwaukee and  Knoxville have urban agriculture themed ideas, let's take a look at the entrants.

A quick aquaponics round up

With the amount of aquaponics information coming out these days, I could probably have a blog just devoted to aquaponics.

-For those looking to start their own large scale aquaponics system, a Cape Cod operation has some tips. Much I have read about aquaponics stresses starting small and scaling up, these owners have different advice.
-A 2 hour drive north a Lynn (Greater Boston) elementary school is getting their own system. I think this may be the first school system in Massachusetts, need to double check that.
-From Minnesota we learn of two new aquaponics ventures, the 55,000 square foot one featured and another 38,000 square foot, a few years old.

Bright Farms scales up urban farming production + your template for urban ag business survival

-If you're active in the urban agriculture field you know how difficult it can be to earn a living as an urban farmer. Global Green USA has released a report, which could serve as a template, for what your organization needs to become a sustainable urban agriculture endeavor.

-Bright Farms is scaling up in a major way, announcing a new partnership in Minnesota with other greenhouses on their way soon.  How are they doing it? This article pulls the curtain back a bit on their financing scheme.

-Check out Boston's pilot urban agriculture rezoning initiative. Instead of removing regulations, like other cities have, they have chosen to add more to make it easier to grow food.

State of the green roof movement in North America

In light of recent discussions in Toronto and Montreal, I thought that we could take a look at the state of the green roof movement around the world, starting with North America. In about a year we'll take a look at the list again to see what has changed. 

My rating system:

*** = green roof guru

** = green roof supporter

* = green roof newbie

Feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Austin - 

In the Southern United States Austin has been a true green roof pioneer. Starting with a white paper jointly produced by their water protection, conservation and planning departments in 2007, they have experienced slow, but constant growth. Incentives are offered in Austin for the installation of green roofs, however not in the form of direct grants. They still have three more years left in their implementation plan, so I would say the future looks bright in Austin. Although their current mayor is up for re-election. And we all know how important political support for your cause is. 

**

Chattanooga -

Talk about late breaking news, on Monday came the first signs they will begin offering credits to developers.

*
Chicago - 

What can you say about Chicago? It's green roof cred is rock solid. In 2001 Mayor Daley jumps in, sedums a' blazin', and they haven't looked back.

Don’t get me wrong, it would be great if they still gave cash incentives, let’’s hope they do with Rahm Emmanuel at the helm. Ahhm...Rahm?

**1/2

DC -

Get your cash!!! One of the latest big cities to join the party, they offer a very generous $5/square foot, up from $3. Let’s hope in 3 years time it jumps to $8. We can hope, can’t we?

**1/2

Louisville - 

We've got some good signs coming from Louisville. Last fall incentives for developers were agreed to, which is a great start.

*

Milwaukee -

Since 2003 Milwaukee has steadily increased support for green roof (and of course, urban agriculture). Tom Barrett is your man with a plan, but with his entry into the gubernatorial race, if he wins, what happens in Milwaukee?

**

Minneapolis -

Add a green roof and you can receive up to a 50 percent credit (aka reduction) in your stormwater utility fee. Sweet!

**

New York City -

After a comparatively slow start, New York City has gotten serious about green roofs and green infrastructure quickly. A comprehensive green infrastructure plan and $187 million dollars over the next three years with perhaps $2 billion more over 20 years speaks volumes.

The green roof tax abatement is up for renewal this year, but I feel good about its extension considering the city is building “green” playgrounds now and the mayor put a green roof on his foundation. 

***

Philadelphia - 

In 2010 Philadelphia began offering a tax credit for businesses willing to install a green roof, great move!

**

Portland - 

The city is synonymous with green and for good measure. Their program started in 2008 and has been going strong since, installing over 100,000 square feet in 2011 alone! 

**1/2

Seattle -

It appears Seattle had an incentive program back in 2007. Then in 2009 changes were made to Seattle's building code opening the door for developers to get credit for installing green roofs. Then the green roof momentum slowed. Not sure what is happening now. 

*1/2

And last but not least, one small but committed municipality...a 30-45 minute drive from the centre of Vancouver, Port Coquitlam has it’s very own green roof bylaw. 

**

A long overdue peak oil post

It’s been a while since I posted anything about peak oil and climate change, so here are a couple of recent related stories.

Because of the wacky weather across North America the last few weeks, it seems more and more people are thinking about climate change. Top of the list is an excerpt from an upcoming book you can check out on Scientific American. Concerning both peak oil and climate change it takes a look at a quintessitially American town and what the author believes will happen to it in over the next few decades.

-Also worth checking out is the National Wildlife Foundation's article about what we might expect, in terms of mental health, in a world shaped by global warming and climate change.

-We already know that man-made noise affects human beings and other mammals, now we know that it affects plants and their pollinators as well. Note to self or anyone else looking for a research project: Green roof and green wall studies need to be done to compare the performances of common green roof plants on noisy versus noise free environments.

One last somber read for this week. In the Southeastern USA there is a water battle pitting Georgia (spurred into action by Atlanta’s sprawling growth) against neighbors Florida and Alabama. Things don’t look good for the ATL.

-While there are massive concerns around the globe, I am folks are continuing to make changes for the betterment of their local communities. Minneapolis has good news for urban agriculture enthusiasts.

-And in the Bronx students planted dozens of fruit trees. Hopefully this is the start of an East Coast food forest.

Africa's local food production...indispensable?

-Considering booming urban populations, stretched environmental resources and growing income disparities a PhD student believes local food production might soon be indispensable throughout Africa.

-This week perhaps marks the first step in the fragmentation of LEEDs global green building certification empire (ok, being a little dramatic!) as Singapore's Building and Construction Authority unveiled what the world's first green building certification for eateries. Could we one day see this certification land on North American shores? Also, did you catch that McDonald's with a green roof???

-Turning military bases into farms? What a great idea! Why haven't more communities done this? Two words...Superfund sites. Oh dear.

-Minneapolis has joined the food policy club! This R.T. Rybak seems like a true supporter of green initiatives! WWHAT ELSE HAS HE DONE????

-Didn't we just talk about this earlier in the week? The Wall Street Journal weighs in on suburbian small-scale agriculture.

New contender for biggest green wall + 365 Days of Green in...

...Jersey City?. Believe it. Energy audits for 25 municipal buildings and creating two hydroponic greenhouses which will provide job-training and educational opportunities and more.

-There's a new contender for biggest green wall, some say the biggest in Asia, some reports say the biggest in the world. I've looked far and wide for pictures, none have surfaced yet. When I track some down, I'll be sure to post them!

In the midwest, urban farmers in in Michigan have won the USDA's small farmers of the year and Minneapolis has expanded its urban farming regulations.