Singapore's supertrees

Last week Philadelphia's city council introduced resolutions calling for the expansion of urban and vertical farming. What that means is still unclear, does anyone know what happens next in this process?

The grand opening of Europe's largest urban farm, capable of churning out 45 tons of vegetables and 19 tons of fish, May 20. The founding company is expanding to the US, they hope to open 10 sites in the New York Tri-State area. 2016 will be an interesting year rooftop farming!

-The USDA announced a urban agriculture toolkit for aspiring urban farmers. Wow!

-A $6.5 million dollar private-public partnership in New Mexico will create 14 permanent jobs and another 35 construction jobs to build an urban aquaponic system capable of feeding 16,000 people. And the micro-algae which grows as well will be supplied to another company to produce omega-3 nutritional supplements!

-Hamilton, Ontario's first legal marijuana production facility is capable of producing 2,700 kilograms per year.  And because it's marijuana, they have bank level security.

-This is really fantastic. Vacant lots in Germany are being turned into public gardens and I mean truly public. Anyone can, even tourists, can pick a tomato or two.

-Did you know in the UK sustainable drainage systems (like water retention ponds, green roofs, permeable paving) for all new developments is now the rule? Perhaps we should look to places like Singapore for the next wave in water usage. Faced with tremendous constraints, they have innovated unlike any other place. Two desaslination plants produce a quarter of the city's needs. And wastewater is being reused in all sorts of fantastic ways. Check out these super trees:

GILA word of the week: Food Swamp

I have a bunch of things to mention which have slipped under the radar recently, for instance your GILA word of the week: Food Swamp. We've all heard the term food desert, well a food swamp has lots of food available and most of it is unhealthy.

-It's important that everyone is aware of the benefits of green infrastructure, especially green roofs. In Victoria, Australia, a local university, the city council and state government are trying to put a dollar figure on greening utilizing their own research and the country's Economic Framework for Green Infrastructure. Similarly, Mauritius is attempting to quantify how much green roofs would mean to them.

-The Dutch have taken urban agricultural to new heights, by creating a floating dairy platform making it one of the first urban aquatic agricultural operations.

-Follow a Kenyan family on the front line of climate change in the first episode of Al Jazeera's "The Climate Diaries".

-Speaking of pioneers, urban agricultural guru Will Allen may be in a jam of a different kind as an investor has sued him (and his partner) over the disputed mismanagement of their investment.

-Last week it was announced India is slated to get it's first horticultural therapy garden in 2016. While a new program is opening in India, sadly a popular one is being shut down in the UK.

-Let's end on a positive note, shall we? How about focusing on Detroit's intention to plant tens of thousands of trees on 1/2 square miles of vacant city space. Note, this is only a demonstration. There are over 20 miles of vacant land in the city...right now! Other lots will be filled eventually, whether it's with wildflowers or urban farms.

One less green roof bylaw + the world's largest vertical farm breaks ground

 It looks like construction started long ago, but last week was the official ground breaking for the largest vertical farm in the world. Politicians galore stopped by for the photo-op, here's hoping they can deliver on 80 jobs for the citizens of Newark, New Jersey!

Are you involved in urban farming? Then a Dutch grad student wants your help in filling out a survey to find out what role innovation has on urban agriculture.

China has big, big plans. Earlier this week was a story about their mega city, Jing Jin Ji, which would join several big cities to make a GIGANTIC one, as big as all of New England and with over 130 MILLION PEOPLE! Several of these cities have begun installing porous bricks and bio-swales, I hope the entire region gets the green infrastructure!

-Barbados becomes the latest island nation to embrace aquaponics.

-Jakarta has added 66 urban farming spots in the last year. It has been reported they are "modest" plots. Regardless of the size, that's a big commitment.

-If you have an environmental business based in Canada, ECO Canada just announced their internship program. With almost a $1 million dollars in wage subsidies for over 100 jobs, it's a great way to introduce a young person into your green field.

-One of the first cities to adopt a green roof bylaw, Port Coquitlam, has now rescinded it. This is big news for the green roof industry. There are only about 20 bylaws in North America. It seems their City Council how to decide which program to greenhouse gas program to support, so they went with something more general which targets an increase in building insulation and overall energy efficiency.
We'll keep watching to see if this is a one-off for the industry or a trend.

GILA word of the week: Bee highway

The FAO has definitely been busy. This week it announced that Cape Verde has it's first FAO urban agriculture program. Earlier in the month the FAO released a collection of findings from scientists and economists who have taken stock of climate change impacts on food and agriculture at global and regional levels. The document investigates, among other things, how climate change will impact crop production in Africa and grain production in Russia and neighboring Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

-I hope these entrepreneurs can do it, however it will be an uphill climb. By 2017 a Brooklyn duo hopes to produce the first rooftop wine from rooftop vineyard.

-Norway is creating a bee highway. What is that you ask? Private individual, state bodies, companies, and associations post their little slice of green on the website polli.no to map out a bees’ safe route across the Oslo.

-A graduate student has published the first summary, I believe, stating the limits of community gardens in creating communities. One of her preliminary findings (in the Netherlands) is that those who garden together don't often become friends outside the garden, however they are more likely to ask for help from others. As this story hit the web, so did one which focuses on urban agriculture and measuring what it actually yields, in terms of food production and money.

-Chicago laps the fields in rooftop farms, 13 have been documented, compared to 3 in Chicago and only 2 in Toronto. I wonder how many exist outside North America?

World Cup green roofs - Group B

Group B

Group B features the symmetrical opulence of Spain, a functional, yet expansive entry from the Dutch, sturdy and bold Chilean elegance and whimsical Australian abode.


Spain

Netherlands

Chile

Australia

The Netherlands loves urban agriculture

I have proof. The first vertical farming skyscraper is under construction there.  People are making donations to fertilize green roofs and what's more in a few days the International Purefood Conference kicks off in Utrecht.
At the conference you have both stimulating dialogue and trips to local peri-urban and urban farms.
The following day you have the Day of Urban Farming, which revolves around the central topic of how urban and peri-urban farming and regional food systems can fulfill the needs of Dutch cities.

Do you want more proof of how the Dutch have gone bananas for urban agriculture? How about the Journal of Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems, recently launched in...the Netherlands!

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.

A profitable aquaponics business?

Lots of big stories from the past week...

-A cool and potentially huge story is developing in Tampa. One man's vision to create an Urban Food Park now has the backing of an entire community. The hope is for a national model showcasing exhibits ranging from a commercial urban vegetable farm and food museum to an aquaponic farm and food cooperative. Definitely one to keep track of!

-Systematic urban agriculture changes might be on tap for Rotterdam as well, by utilizing a former “tropical swim paradise” as the project hub.

-The latest successful warm weather aquaponics project to receive buzz belongs to American Samoa, however this aquaponics business in Chicago seems to take the cake. They've stayed afloat for three years and now have raised $300,000 for expansion.

-You can't blame these folks for trying. A couple in New Jersey set up a crowdfunding campaign to add a green roof to their primary residence.

Rent-a-chicken

Over the last couple of years there has been a huge increase in urban agriculture interest. Recent reports of chicken abandonment, once the chickens stop laying eggs or when the going gets tough (winter!), are horrible, so it's wonderful that someone thought of a fantastic solution, rent-a-chicken!

-From the "this is so big, how did I never know that?" file comes the popular Kenyan comic strip magazine and radio broadcast Shujaaz. I may have to learn a little sheng to understand what three million listeners love!

-The University of Vermont’s Spatial Analysis Lab and the USDA Forest Service’s Northern Research Station have come up with a fantastic way to help municipalities to prioritize tree restoration projects. Could this tool be used to figure out where best to place other green infrastructure, like green roofs or green walls?

-Copenhagen has repeatedly shown to be one of the most progressive cities, in regards to green infrastructure. Here's an update on how Copenhagen is tackling climate change through progressive environmental design.

-Social cost benefits for urban agriculture as generally hard to come by, especially ones crunched by esteemed sources, so relish this report from the Netherlands.

Ambitious urban agriculture projects from around the world

It's just one of those incredible weeks where all the cool stuff seems to be profiled at once!

-In Thailand gardeners have taken to rooftops to cultivate edible algae, spirulina, which can be a viable sources of protein. This is the first I’ve heard of the practice, I hope it takes off.

-Want a more high tech way of farming? How about using robotics in urban agriculture? Students in India are experimenting with ways for robots to do the work...and cheaply!

-For the past few years I have covered how folks in North America are utilizing urban agriculture to help newcomers integrate into their new homes. It's nice to see other countries, in this case Israel, is doing the same thing. Master’s thesis, anyone?

-This building in Tokyo, which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, is trying several exciting urban agriculture technologies...all at one time. These pictures really make the concepts come alive and make you wonder how long before someone in North America gives this a try.

-Australia definitely wins this week’s “We try hardest award” with their $46.5 million dollar school kitchen garden plan which will fund 800 schools! Congrats!!!

-And lastly the urban agriculture movement in the Netherlands looks like it might get a huge boost. Nearly two dozen developers expressed interest in turning a downtown office building, with two floors available, into an urban agriculture hub.

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.

Power from green roofs - the next frontier?

If these two Dutch scientists can refine their technology...and scale it up, watch out!.