Check out this city hall in Belgium! Very, very nice...

World Cup green roofs - Group H

The last group, Group H, is no slouch. Belgium looks complicated and simple at the same time, Algeria...might as well be invisible? Korea very glitzy and Russia is not showing much!

Belgium

Algeria






Russia

Korea Republic

EU goes all in for aquaponics

Wasted food + great design + vermiculture = some innovative furniture design from two graduate students at Ohio State.



© Amy Youngs

-Yes, I would say today is the day aquaponics went from being perhaps the next big thing to a global phenomenon. The EU is funding a 4 year, 18 partner (across 8 countries), 6 million Euro (9 million USD) large-scale demonstration project – each at about 500m² – in Spain, Belgium, Germany, and China.

This dwarfs another aquaponic/hydroponic projects I was going to profile in England and Costa Rica. You should still read about it, both are pushing the envelope, especially in England where some savvy folks are using abandoned air raid shelters.

Foraging season begins

If you're a permaculture enthusiast in or near Belgium, (here's looking at all of you urban agriculture folks in the Netherlands) later this month is your chance to be part of the very first permaculture "teach the teacher" course.

-Urban agriculture proponents have plenty of reasons to champion their cause. One of the most profound is how reconnecting to the earth can literally change lives.

-With most of North America enveloped in warm weather for the last month, urban foraging season is upon us. Take a look at some recent foraging excursions in Washington DC and  Toronto.

-In "The Big Smoke" earlier this week the Toronto Food Policy Council released a new report which details how over 60 goverments use food systems for a slew of purposes, from generating economic development to engaging communities.