Bio bricks and Mushroom burial suits

I had to profile two incredible products already for sale.
The mushroom burial suit, seen above, turns dead bodies into clean compost. All the things, both good and bad, that we ingest over our lifetime, leach out when we are buried or are released into the atmosphere if we are cremated.
The suit, filled with mushroom spores, makes it possible for our final burial to be as green as our lives.

Making bricks releases up to 8% of all greenhouse gases. We obviously need to do better. Enter bio bricks, bricks grown from bacteria, which could eliminate one of our enduring and truly destructive traditions. $2.8 million dollars in first round funding will go a long way towards making this venture a future force.

GILA word of the week: Compost Cuisine

One of these days I'll do another "best GILA websites". Allafrica.com, will definitely be on it. In the last week they've had great permaculture features. Check out this one detailing how students in ten schools split between Malawi (with some assistance from Norway) and Zimbabwe are getting a taste of entrepreneurism as they raise, harvest and sell fruits and vegetables.

-Yes, this story is too good to pass up. While looking into some green roof media I discovered a restaurant in Japan that serves dirt. Dirt in drinks, dirt in dessert, dirt as a dressing. A review of the restaurant points out that some of the dishes made use compost, not dirt. Duly noted. I've never heard of it before, but this can't be the only restaurant in the world...can it? Either way, I have to get there. One day...
While we're on the topic, it's probably a good time to talk about biosolids and ask your municipality if they are allowed in your compost.

-More research into the plants that are best for green roofs; in southern California a student's experiment suggests that the indigineous dudleyas may be a better fit than sedum species plants.

-Should the USA have an Office of Urban Agriculture? 200 of the nation's mayors think so.

Permaculture in Germany and New York's bold post Sandy green infrastructure plans

There's a ton to catch up on from the last two weeks. Good stories with no central theme. Well, two central themes, green infrastructure and living architecture!

-The LEED system appears to be under attack from a few folks with big money. I don't usually write much about LEED, but the "dark money" behind its attack begs the question what would happen for any other technical organization, especially an environmental one, which gains the trust of the market?

-Permaculture continues to spread across the world, here's a video of a permaculture community in Germany!

-True composting efforts and even businesses are growing in Washington DC and around the US! Great news for us all!

-New York is making bold moves to combat global warming by authorizing initiatives like having the state by back land ruined by Hurricane Sandy and leaving it as green space to buffer against more flooding. Besides the cost ($400 million), this requires a centuries old departure from how New Yorkers look at coastal land and will further cement New York's status as a leader in green infrastructure and urban forests, although there is always room to improve.
In Chicago they are rethinking the work of an architectural giant to make buildings and the city more vibrant and sustainable.

-Tool libraries have been the rage since 1979 and I've been a fan since 2009. Toronto is getting its first in a few short weeks. I will definitely donate a few things and sign up as well!

Is rooftop and vertical farming the key to a true local (food) movement?

-Two weeks ago the world was a buzz with the news of the first commercial vertical farming system in Singapore. Just two years ago analysts were saying the technology was at least five years away from implementation, even in the experimental stage.
The most illuminating part of the second article is the assertion that sky farms could play a roll in places where land is at a premium and few big rooftops remain. That kind of common sense is refreshing in an industry full of promise, but, pardon the expression, needing of grounding.
The next step, pairing these businesses with groups to process the food and make value added products, like in Washington DC and somewhere that can compost (like in Tennessee) the refuse to create a nutrient-rich topsoil. Then we're talking about a true local food movement.

-While it would take years to build an integrated system I have envisioned above, in disadvantaged communities there are already programs, practices and policies working to sustain urban agriculture efforts on a smaller scale.

-Apps, apps and more apps. A multi-billion dollar industry has hardly touched the the GILA industry until now. Thanks to the Harvard Graduate School of Design the app helps unite environmentalism and urbanism.

-The last article for today is a fascinating one. One woman's 20 year journey from planting vegetables on a balcony to eventually becoming a major force in possibly eliminating Mexico City's pollution problem.

Of compost cuisine and Qatar conservation

-While reading an article about compost cuisine the other day, I thought how much dining out has changed.
Ten years ago a vegan restaurant made some people utterly confused. Now, it's not the most "far out" out there; there are gluten free restaurants, raw restaurants, restaurants that serve only cereal (!), and now restaurants which use every last bit of what they buy. Truly sustainable restaurants. What's the next food frontier? Perhaps "feel good" restaurants... a restaurant which donates all of it's proceeds to a partner organization??? Wouldn't that be great?

-Seattle University's school farm produced and donated 7,000 pounds of food last year. With a $100,000 grant, they'll be able to grow a whole lot more.

-A few weeks ago I wrote a bit about Qatar buying farmland abroad and exploration into aquaponics. Connecting the dots a bit, I wonder could this need for viable farmland far from home make a country like Qatar more supportive of global conservation, because degradation could be seen as a national security threat? Could we see a country like Qatar be the first to link currency to natural capital?

"With so many native Clevelanders struggling, why help foreigners" with urban agriculture?

The APA recently listed their top 10 public spaces in the US . Let's see how many from this list make it on to the top 100 public spaces in the U.S. and Canada list.

-A cool feature from Cleveland as a local farmer talks about working on the Refugee Empowerment Agricultural Program. Look for his deft answer of the question "With so many native Clevelanders struggling, why help foreigners?"

-Miami's compost mobile recently got a grant to help support it's operations. Why didn't I think of that?

-In the past year we have seen a bunch of articles where residents have had to take on their local governments to grow what they want, be it food or indigenous plants. A company in Houston is bucking the trend by planting indigenous grasses and trees. Hopefully this can become a trend on new urban properties as well.

Green roofs and Devens, Mass.

As someone involved in living architecture and green roofs in particular for some time now, it is great that more and more cities are recognizing the value of having a green roof professional as part of the design team. Joining Calgary and DC Devens, Massachusetts now requires an accredited green roof professional (ahhm, you know how to contact me) on the job.

-Pee Wee the red wriggler is back. If your kids loved the previous books on composting, this is bound to be a treat as well.

-If you're in Roanoke, Virginia and have an opinion about the proposed
urban farm scheduled to be built where Countryside Golf Course used to be, you...umm...missed a chance to talk about it on Thursday, September 22. If you still want to share your thoughts, it looks like you can talk to the Planning Administrator.

-For all of the entrepreneurs out there, this list of the biggest food deserts means while citizens do not have equal access to fresh fruit and vegetables and there are folks waiting for your business!

-This article makes me so, so, nervous for a few reasons:
1) Folks are growing vegetables in tyres American translation: tires).
2) The numerous citations of Wikipedia as their main source of information.
But I wish them all the best and hope those tire planters are lined!!!

-To round out this my most eclectic blog post yet, we get a peak inside why Japan is embracing urban agriculture.

Webinar on Shade Tolerant Green Roofs + aquaponics in St. Louis

-On July 5 I'll be presenting a case study on a shade tolerant green roof. If you aren't already signed up for the GRHC webinars, you should, because they are great!
I'll talk more in depth about the cold climate, shade dominant green roof more later next week, but wanted to give folks a heads up before Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (July 4) arrive. By the way, if you live in Niagara Falls and like fireworks, this must be the time of year for you!

-Spied an article last week giving a darn good reason not to compost grass clippings: when the herbicide manufacturer warns you against it!
So, I am not really following Dupont's logic. With municipalities across the United States and Canadabanning herbicides and pesticides, wouldn't Dupont capitalize on the trend and develop a safe biological alternative to be ahead of the curve and corner that market?

-Reductions in state and federal funding are hitting everyone hard,
including agricultural colleges.

-Apartments, gardens and an aquaponic fish farm will revitalize an industrial site, with ex-convicts having an opportunity to be gainfully employed.
Smart move by this developer to bring a little piece of Madison to St. Louis. Also, love the train tracks outside. If things get REALLY busy, shipping across country should be a breeze!!!

The latest on legislation+ more

-Pittsburgh is looking to adpot legislation that would define a green roof and establish zoning height, meanwhile Detroit which is in every third urban agriculture article you read these days because of the "right sizing" looks to create a zoning code for urban farming. Hmm..after hearing Richard Heinberg talk on Monday, I think Detroit's fate, which was a source of embarrassment to many, I think, may be a true blessing in disguise.
Speaking of which, if you're in Philadelphia and you want to start farming there, an RFP just hit the interwebs.
Meanwhile San Francisco is full-steam ahead with their urban food gardens on and around public facilities. Even more inspiring is San Fran's highway turned garden.



-In honor of World Water Week, here's a great new invention
that offers a basic sanitation service, thereby protecting drinking water and providing fertilizer in nutrient-poor soil. It's called the Peepoo. Better than the name is the cost, 2-3 cents per bag! More info about composting toilets can be found further down the page.

-A roundup of the latest New York City rooftop farms, present and future. I'd like to know more about the large commercial farm that successfully raised and sold vegetables on a Bronx rooftop in the 1980s referenced in the article.