One week until the big green roof showdown.
Naturally if you're reading this blog you are a fan of green infrastructure. If you want to dazzle your friends with your vast knowledge on all things green, late last month Green Infrastructure Ontario, a consortium of diverse stakeholders across Ontario, the "We Don't Have a Nickname province, jointly released this report.
For the green infrastructure mega fans, there's one week left to reach out to your favorite city councillor on the planning & growth management committee to make your voices heard. I'm sure one or all of the committee members would love to hear from you, you true citizen you.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Suggestions are helpful right now
On some days, like yesterday, there seem to be a deluge of incredible things happening near and far. Encouraging projects launched and sustained by amazing people. Sunday was not one of those days. Graham Turner says the 1972 MIT study, "The Limits to Growth, was right on the mark and things will get really hairy starting in 2030. We're talking a global economic collapse, unless some drastic measures are taken.
If you're not in a good mood, don't read further because Scientific American brings even more pain .
Time for us to do things very differently, very quickly.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Each city should have their own FBI
-The year of aquaponics continues. In Indianapolis an entrepreneur is drumming up support for a $20 million facility. It is still far from a done deal, but the mayor is involved, team leader is a serial entrepreneur and board member of the local aquaculture association. Let's track this one to see where it goes. I'm predicting big things.
Let's move on from Indianapolis to Agropolis. (Wow, what a segue!) Back in October I introduced you to a truly innovative project in the Philippines. The Agropolis project provides a slew of urban agriculture programs training out-of-school youth to be savvy entrepreneurs.
I was blown away by what they were doing and got in contact with Jose Rene Gayo, who is heavily involved with both the Farm Business Schools and the MFI Farm Business Institute. He was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about the projects.
Of note, the partnership between the stakeholders has entered its third year and the eco-farm tourism entrepreneurship diploma program is two years long (!).
For more information, like how your town can have their own farm business institute (FBI), you can email Jose Rene Gayo at renegayo (at) gmail (dot) com.
Another must have for every big city is an organization designed to navigate bureaucracy, governance structures, and neighborhood dynamics. 596 Acres does just that in Brooklyn. Of course not every one of those 596 acres will be used for urban agriculture, if they were, that's enough land to feed almost 3,000 people!
-Finally last week brought word of not one, but two one-stop shops for urban homesteaders. Detroit's is up and running, Vancouver's will open soon.
Let's move on from Indianapolis to Agropolis. (Wow, what a segue!) Back in October I introduced you to a truly innovative project in the Philippines. The Agropolis project provides a slew of urban agriculture programs training out-of-school youth to be savvy entrepreneurs.
I was blown away by what they were doing and got in contact with Jose Rene Gayo, who is heavily involved with both the Farm Business Schools and the MFI Farm Business Institute. He was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about the projects.
Of note, the partnership between the stakeholders has entered its third year and the eco-farm tourism entrepreneurship diploma program is two years long (!).
For more information, like how your town can have their own farm business institute (FBI), you can email Jose Rene Gayo at renegayo (at) gmail (dot) com.
Another must have for every big city is an organization designed to navigate bureaucracy, governance structures, and neighborhood dynamics. 596 Acres does just that in Brooklyn. Of course not every one of those 596 acres will be used for urban agriculture, if they were, that's enough land to feed almost 3,000 people!
-Finally last week brought word of not one, but two one-stop shops for urban homesteaders. Detroit's is up and running, Vancouver's will open soon.
Friday, April 6, 2012
The federal farm bill is up for renewal!
The federal farm bill is up for renewal this year, how will this all shake out?
Utne reader’s blog does a commendable job of collecting resources to get Americans up to speed. With this election being even more contentious than previous ones, I wonder if this will be hardly a blip on the radar, a middling issue or lead to a massive battle. My guess, the nation will be caught up in presidential election fever. There will be the normal level of house and senatorial acrimony (not “let’s shut down the government level”), a slightly leaner budget will get passed, but neither Obama nor Romney (the odds on favorite) have ties to this battle so it will not draw big presidential focus or headlines.
-Public hearings into urban agriculture and its place in Montreal are scheduled from June 11-14. The Office de consultation publique de Montréal's has 24 videos up displaying various urban agriculture techniques. Don't forget to look for an urban agriculture expo on May 12 and a conference on May 17.
-BrightFarms is ready to go with a 100,000ft2 facility in Brooklyn. It may be the world’s biggest rooftop farm, for now (that title seems to change hands every 6 months), regardless, it's still epic.
-School gardening coordinator, love the concept and hope that the title and practice spreads beyond Portland. Anyone know how much a school gardening coordinator makes per year or are (substitute) teachers taking on the roles in addition to their normal duties?
-Wind power is not really related to green infrastructure, but I had to share this really cool wind power capacity map.
Utne reader’s blog does a commendable job of collecting resources to get Americans up to speed. With this election being even more contentious than previous ones, I wonder if this will be hardly a blip on the radar, a middling issue or lead to a massive battle. My guess, the nation will be caught up in presidential election fever. There will be the normal level of house and senatorial acrimony (not “let’s shut down the government level”), a slightly leaner budget will get passed, but neither Obama nor Romney (the odds on favorite) have ties to this battle so it will not draw big presidential focus or headlines.
-Public hearings into urban agriculture and its place in Montreal are scheduled from June 11-14. The Office de consultation publique de Montréal's has 24 videos up displaying various urban agriculture techniques. Don't forget to look for an urban agriculture expo on May 12 and a conference on May 17.
-BrightFarms is ready to go with a 100,000ft2 facility in Brooklyn. It may be the world’s biggest rooftop farm, for now (that title seems to change hands every 6 months), regardless, it's still epic.
-School gardening coordinator, love the concept and hope that the title and practice spreads beyond Portland. Anyone know how much a school gardening coordinator makes per year or are (substitute) teachers taking on the roles in addition to their normal duties?
-Wind power is not really related to green infrastructure, but I had to share this really cool wind power capacity map.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Urban agriculture inspires more municipal code changes
Boise, Idaho is the latest North American municipality to update its municipal codes to allow urban agriculture within the city limits. In the past two months both San Diego and Minneapolis, to name two, have undergone similar reviews.
-Speaking of Toronto, I don't have the inside scoop but sooner or later it looks like a new art collective/urban agriculture garden/community hub rooftop space will be up and running in Toronto. The About Face Collective's ambitious Everything roof looks like a huge undertaking, but it appears the founders know the system well and have everything in place to go from dream to reality.
-There has been much speculation about what has caused bee colonies to collapse in North America and beyond. Two new studies point to pesticides as a partial cause of the die-off.
-One of my favo(u)rite tangential posts from 2011 explored bending bamboo to make bikes. I had no clue that you can get a degree in bamboo engineering, indeed a very useful tool in your tropical permaculture toolbox.
-Speaking of Toronto, I don't have the inside scoop but sooner or later it looks like a new art collective/urban agriculture garden/community hub rooftop space will be up and running in Toronto. The About Face Collective's ambitious Everything roof looks like a huge undertaking, but it appears the founders know the system well and have everything in place to go from dream to reality.
-There has been much speculation about what has caused bee colonies to collapse in North America and beyond. Two new studies point to pesticides as a partial cause of the die-off.
-One of my favo(u)rite tangential posts from 2011 explored bending bamboo to make bikes. I had no clue that you can get a degree in bamboo engineering, indeed a very useful tool in your tropical permaculture toolbox.
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