San Diego's climate change mandate

San Diego has just mandated, by law, the most ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions. It includes drought tolerant landscaping and urban tree planting. Interestingly their urban agriculture incentive zone proposal was not included.

-The University of Hawaii Maui College is now has one of the first aquaponics business courses. The two evening courses entitled Aquaponics Entrepreneurship and Marketing Aquaponics and only $220 each, meet for 16 weeks. You can register here and here.

-Germany's Association for Vertical Farming asked students to come up with a "certification system to assess the sustainability of vertical farms." They settled on nine key principles for the very diverse industry, which includes start-ups and huge ventures like AeroFarms, which just raised $20 million in venture funding. What do you think?

• Health and safety
• Food safety and quality assurance
• Pest management and pesticide use
• Nutrient management and fertilizer use
• Water conservation and management
• Community relations
• Waste management
• Energy and climate
• Site and facility characteristics

All about Agritopia!

Over the past two years I've seen a few studies about the effects of horticultural therapy, however there's been a definite uptick in articles over the last six months. In the Journal of Nursing Care, a rigorous study was just published expounding on the effects of ht "on the well-being and hope of women" in Korea.

-It's clear aquaponics and urban agriculture are gaining in popularity throughout the Caribbean and a few Pacific islands. Why not Hawaii as well? I had no idea over 80% of it's food is imported!

-In D.C. the Children's National Medical Center is raising money to make a rooftop healing garden. They are about 1/3 the way there, only $3.8 million dollars to go!

-Vancouver is leading the way with recently adopted community guidelines which includes soil testing for contaminants, forbidding GMO seeds and requirements for accessibility.

-A politician from Philadelphia has proposed to double their green roof tax credit, with a cap of $100,000 per applicant!

-Fascinating article from Nextcity which details how trees can make people happy and vice-versa.

-Agritopia. This is planning!!!! A new development in Phoenix featuring 450 residential lots and space for agricultural development, in addition to 74 independent and assisted living apartments and 48 memory care apartment homes. One teeny, tiny question. How sustainable is agriculture in the desert? I know, I know...I have to be "that guy!"

In a study published this quarter in Journal of Nursing Care, Min and colleagues describe a beneficial impact of HT on hope and well-being in women participating in a 12-week HT program compared with a control group of women who did not participate in HT. This study is notable for its inclusion of a control group, standardized methods of measuring emotional health, and sound statistical methods. - See more at: http://ahta.org/news/beneficial-impact-ht-emotional-health-demonstrated#sthash.mypSTjfu.dpuf

Green walls fighting poverty...and terrorism

I've profiled Africa's green wall spanning the edges of the Sahara to prevent rapid desertification.
It is wonderful that governments have banded together to tackle this, creating the Panafrican Agency of the Great Green Wall. Of course it's benefit, ecologically, is undisputed, I hadn't considered how important it is to other parts of life. Naturally planting trees means having natural resources and mitigating poverty. Forbes further connects the dots by pointing out more natural resources decreases the need to literally fight over dwindling supplies by joining one surging industry, extremism.

-Here's the wonderfully curious case of Cleveland State University. They were all set, it seemed, to get rid of their $250,000 green roof over leaking concerns. And now? Another $100,000 to improve the roof! Talk about student power!

-On a sad note a high school in Hawaii had over 1000 fish stolen from their aquaponics tank! Hopefully they get back up and running soon!

More island aquaponics

Aquaponics ventures have sprouted on the island paradises of American Samoa, Barbados, Trinidad and Puerto Rico. So it seems natural that Jamaica wants in. Hawaii too!

-Here's a useful little tool to get data a tree in your neighborhood. What species is it? When was it planted? How big is it? All of this is at your fingertips.

-On the Guardian.com pioneer William McDonough makes the case that the Netherlands should be our reference point for green infrastructure done right. With over $1,000,000 dollars spent
on green roofs, Mexico City might deserve 2014's municipal green roof city of the year....and it's only April.

More horizontal greenhouses, not vertical farms says professor

Many people aren't sold on vertical farms yet. Which is understandable, there haven't been many...or any, that I can think of...throughly documented studies on their pros and cons. Heck, there are very few which have even been built. But it seems like something we can technologically make happen down the road, something that we need to make happen. So it's big news when a respected Cornell University-based biological and environmental engineer comes out and says "It just won't work" and gives several cogent reasons why. He uses lettuce as the prime example of why vertical farms are unsustainable. But I'm wondering if a less energy and water thirsty veggy might fit the bill.

-Horticultural therapy week is just around the corner. The Michigan Horticulture Therapy Association (MHTA) is holding its 35th annual conference starting March 7-8.

-Here's a fantastic article about an intergenerational rooftop aquaponics farm in Singapore and it looks like Larry Ellison, yes, billionaire Larry Ellison, is looking to get into the aquaponics business! Wow!

Plants help make us more creative?

A few things to write about, so here we go...

First up are always the videos. This one profiles two entrepreneurs who have taken their demonstration aquaponics set-up to a local Bushwick, Bronx market.

of the embryos and endosperm in seeds sharing the same mother and father with the growth and behavior of embryos and endosperm that had genetically different parents.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-02-altruistic.html#jCp

of the embryos and endosperm in seeds sharing the same mother and father with the growth and behavior of embryos and endosperm that had genetically different parents.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-02-altruistic.html#jCp

The researchers looked at corn, in which each fertilized seed contained two "siblings"—an embryo and a corresponding bit of tissue known as endosperm that feeds the embryo as the seed grows, said CU-Boulder Professor Pamela Diggle. They compared the growth and behavior of the embryos and endosperm in seeds sharing the same mother and father with the growth and behavior of embryos and endosperm that had genetically different parents. "The results indicated embryos with the same mother and father as the endosperm in their seed weighed significantly more than embryos with the same mother but a different father," said Diggle, a faculty member in CU-Boulder's ecology and evolutionary biology department. "We found that endosperm that does not share the same father as the embryo does not hand over as much food—it appears to be acting less cooperatively." A paper on the subject was published during the week of Jan. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-authors on the study included Chi-Chih Wu, a CU-Boulder doctoral student in the ecology and evolutionary biology department and Professor William "Ned" Friedman, a professor at Harvard University who helped conduct research on the project while a faculty member at CU-Boulder.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-02-altruistic.html#jCp

-And here's a rare treat, an aquaponics setup in Hawai'i which is solar powered!

 

-The first urban agriculture technical program in Oregon, at Clackamas Community College, has kicked off its first semester.

-I was excited to see a few news outlets report that plants can hep enhance creative performance. I went to the source for further insight. Turns out what researchers in Germany did do is assert that the color "green" can help us become more creative, not necessarily plants. So a green crayon on top of your computer which you stared at for hours on end would do the trick. And since most plants are green, I guess they would too. But this is more of a story about green, than plants.

A marijuana bust creates an aquaponics opportunity

In one of the stranger (yet strangely, logical) GILA stories I've read recently, a marijuana bust leads to the creation of an aquaponics operation. This novel resource allocation is just one of the many ways in which Philadelphia is trying to eliminate food deserts.
More from Philly. Two features were done last week on green infrastructure, one extolling the impressive and innovative stormwater management mitigation program in the City of Brotherly Love, the other exploring how California can use green infrastructure to solve some of its stormwater management woes.

-Let me set the scene and you tell me if you would want to live here. An affordable, eco friendly condo in dewy sweet Hawaii. Throw in a green wall AND the nation's first certified organic rooftop garden on an affordable home. Jealous yet? It's okay, Hawaii has other delights for you to sample from the comfort of your own home. Especially for those in Pacific island communities, the University of Hawaii now offers reasonably priced, online aquaponics classes! 160 students from 20 countries have singed up so far.

Last post of 2010

Whenever possible I like to post about exotic locations and imagine I was working (or, not working) there. Here's a profile of a permaculture project in Maui. Speaking of exotic, for those deep, and I mean DEEP into green roof research, this one's for you.

-For those in Minnesota (and those who love Minnesota), you've got about 10 days to comment on their draft Urban Agriculture Policy.

-More good news, in the form of an urban agriculture charter school and Kingsborough (New York) Community College running NYC's first campus farm worked by students.

-It's nice when folks attend cool gatherings and blog about it, here are two perspectives from the recent Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners conference.

-Lastly, couldn't find a link to this online, so I'm dropping the whole press release. The Economics of Happiness is coming to a town near you in 2011.

Happy New Year everyone, read on and I'll see you in '11...

"Please join us for a special screening of ISEC Director Helena Norberg-Hodge’s new documentary film, “The Economics of Happiness”, which illuminates the worldwide movement for economic localization including the small scale and urban farming movement. We are launching the film in North America with events in Seattle, Berkeley, Portland, Toronto, Garrison (NY), and New York City. If you can’t attend one of the launch events, there are other ways to be involved (see below).

“The Economics of Happiness” is a call, from every continent, for systemic economic change. Among the voices in the film are Vandana Shiva, David Korten, Michael Shuman, Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins, Juliet Schor, Zac Goldsmith, Bill McKibben, and Samdhong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile. Each screening will be followed by a presentation or panel discussion with Helena Norberg-Hodge and other special guests.
Even if you are unable to attend any of the launch events, you can still help ISEC in one or more of the following ways:
Forward this email to colleagues, friends, family, and local media who might want to attend
Tell your friends, family, colleagues and neighbors about our film
Set up a screening event in your area by signing up at: http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/email-newsletter

Make a donation to help us spread the message of “The Economics of Happiness” to the world at: http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/donate-now

Follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Wiserearth or Twitter at the links below.
To learn more about the film and how you can help, please visit our website: http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org
Where You Can See “The Economics of Happiness”
Seattle, WA Tuesday, January 11, 2011, 6:30-10:00pm
Town Hall (downstairs), 1119 8th Ave., Seattle, WA 98101-2738, http://www.townhallseattle.org/
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with producer Helena Norberg-Hodge, authors David Korten and John de Graaf, and Yes! Magazine Executive Director Fran Korten.

Berkeley, CA, Thursday, January 13, 2011, 6:30-10:00pm
David Brower Center (Goldman Theater), 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, www.browercenter.org
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with producer Helena Norberg-Hodge, author Richard Heinberg, Jenny Kassan of the Sustainable Economies Law Center, Rosa González of Bay Localize, and Eric Holt-Gimenez of Food First.

Portland, OR, Friday, January 21, 2011, 7:00-10:00 pm
Main Street Sanctuary, First Unitarian Church, 1011 SW 12th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205, www.firstunitarianportland.org
The film will be followed by a discussion with producer Helena Norberg-Hodge.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Monday, January 24, 2011, 5:30-9:00 pm

William Doo Auditorium, University of Toronto, 45 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, http://www.harthouse.ca/location/william-doo-auditorium-new-college
The film will be preceded by a reception and exhibit of artwork by Sheridan College students entitled “Animating Good Food Ideas”. It will be followed by a panel discussion with producer Helena Norberg-Hodge, activist chef Joshna Maharaj and urban farmer Eric Rosenkrantz, moderated by author Wayne Roberts.

Garrison, New York, Wednesday, January 26, 7:00-9:00 pm
The Garrison Institute, c/o Glenclyff, 14 Mary's Way, Route 9D, Garrison, NY, http://www.garrisoninstitute.org/
The film will be followed by a talk with producer Helena Norberg-Hodge.
No reservations required, but the Garrison Institute asks that you RSVP so they can anticipate attendance. For more information or to RSVP, please call 845.424.4800 or email garrison@garrisoninstitute.org

New York City, NY, Thursday, January 27, 2011, 6:30 pm-10:00 pm
The Great Hall, The Cooper Union, 30 Cooper Square (7 East 7th Street), New York, NY 10003, http://cooper.edu/
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with producer Helena Norberg-Hodge, Judy Wicks, co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), Gloria Steinem, acclaimed writer and co-founder of New York and Ms. magazines, and Stacy Mitchell, author and senior researcher with the New Rules Project.
A $15 donation is greatly appreciated at each event; no one turned away.
I look forward to hearing from you if you need more information about the film or wish to get involved.


Sincerely,


Robert Ovetz, Ph.D.
Outreach & Events Coordinator
International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC)
PO Box 9475
Berkeley, CA 94709
USA

+1 510.548.4915 (office)
economicsofhappiness@isec.org.uk

www.isec.org.uk
www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org

Watch our trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ISECeconofhappiness

Join us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/The-Economics-of-Happiness/129994847035746?ref=ts

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EconofHappiness

Join us at Wiserearth at: http://www.wiserearth.org/group/Economicsofhappiness