Brown (aka dead green) walls make us all grumpy

No one likes a dead living wall...and this one village councillor's expression is representative of the entire village's feelings!

-How much mulch is good for a green roof and how much do they effect water quality? And is organic farming really better than conventional? Three long running studies (one 30 years long) have your answers.

-One community run, city agency has gone from administering a few hundred to nearly 90,000 empty lots in Detroit in a few years. Is that a good thing or bad?

-Lastly Utne reader has a couple of previews to whet your appetite with two excerpts from upcoming books on the history of herbal medicine and educational benefits of school gardens.

 

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.

Urban Agriculture Word of the day: Guerilla grafting

-Big news for aquaponics keeps rolling in. A couple of weeks ago Continental Organics announced that they would open a new aquaponics facility, the biggest in the Northeastern USA. They promise offering up to 140 new jobs when the operation is in full-swing.

-If you want to learn more about aquaponics and don't live near a pioneering company or organization where you can gain experience, there's a new webinar to help with your self-education.

-Organic agriculture has been seen as the solution to all sorts of environmental, social and economic problems. The Indian government
is hoping an embrace of organic ways can lead to a decrease in farmer suicides.

-By spring time urban farmers in Lantzville, British Columbia may be able to sell their wares after city council met on Monday to discuss bylaw amendments. As urban agriculture becomes more popular look for similar developments across the continent as communities grapple with noise, smells and the realities of farming placed right in the middle of existing communities.

-Last but not least, your word of the day:Guerilla grafting.

March! + po-tay-toe/po-tah-toe

Looks like we made it. I just kept telling myself "Make it to March and you're almost through winter." Not that this was a particularly tough winter in Toronto, not that cold at all. Just very grey and not much snow. I mean, half the fun of winter (for me, at least) is the snow! And the slush. And the puddle ice. But with no precipitation, can't have much of that.
With two days of sun, I'm feeling giddy...

-To start things out, the Sustainable Solutions Series in Los Angeles:The Permaculture Design Course Experience kicks off in just a few weeks. This weekend permaculture design course is run by some of the best in the business (Larry Santoyo, Toby Hemenway, Scott Pittman, John Valenzuela and more!). Check out the video to get a taste for what Earthflow folks are all about.

-Speaking of LA, when is a green roof, not a green roof? When terms like cap parks slowly pick up speed. Cap parks basically cover a portion of a freeway (read highway, parkway, thruway, expressway, turnpike) with a planted concrete lid. And in LA, designs by AECOM for
four projects spread across Hollywood, downtown LA, and Santa Monica, comprising 44 acres, would carry a price tag of $1,000,000,000,000. That's 1 trillion. Wow. Don't worry, you've got a few years to express you feelings about the project before it gets started.

-Cool little organic garden venture in San Diego.

-Today's video! Here's an excellent backyard greenhouse/aquaponic system flic. Automated computerized control and wifi system...the whole nine yards.

"Cash for grass" or "rip your strip" + the latest from Africa

For many of those on this side of the continent, Las Vegas' cash for grass program is a brand new idea. Hmmm...there are a few cities which have had issues with droughts over the last decade (I'm looking at you, Atlanta), I wonder how a similar program would work elsewhere? This article does a really nice job rounding up the water conservation problems and programs around the US.



Speaking of roundup, lots of info from the plateau continent in the last few weeks, including some rainwater recovery programs in Tunisia, sponsored by
International Development Research Center (IDRC-CANADA) and urban agriculture developments in Morocco.
Further down south there are a couple from Kenya. Run by an Italian NGO and Nairobi based grassroots initiative, the first story features the farm in a sack. Next up is a broader article about the urban farming movement across Africa, but starting off in Nairobi.

Okay, back to the...is there a nickname for North America? Edible geographygoes for the gusto with links galore and a preview of the USDA's Food Atlas. Bring a life vest before you decide to dive into this data.

Kongjian Yu in Harvard Design Magazine details how future cities "will be new garden cities.. emitting low or no net carbon, productive and conservation-minded. Rainwater will no longer be discharged from municipal pipes but will be retained in local ponds and supplement groundwater. Green spaces will be full of crops and fruit trees, instead of ornamental flowers and fruitless trees. Rice and broomcorn will ripen in the fields of communities and schools. In the harvest season, animals and humans will take pleasure together. Architectural surfaces will support photosynthesis. The roofs will be fish-raising ponds, with the functions of heat preservation, energy saving, and food production. Cellars will be great mushroom factories.” Sign me up.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the magazine'ssynopsis.

Organic Farm Field Manager - Brampton, ON

For those in the Greater Toronto Area interested in farming, take a look at the following:

Organic Farm Field Manager

Application deadline: Friday, February 26th, 2010.

Contract Length: May 1 - Oct 31, 2010
Location: Brampton (the farm), Toronto & GTA (markets)

Organizational Mission: "Cultivating Personal, Social, Environmental, and Economic Health through Organic Agriculture."

Field Manager Job Description

Primary Goal: Cultivation of 3 acres of land to produce mixed produce for Community Supported Agriculture Programs and Farmers Markets

Primary Activities:

1. Coordinate Interns and Volunteers to carry out necessary farm tasks
2. Supervise Interns in their learning process, including regular one-on-one check-ins
3. Volunteer Recruitment and weekly scheduling
4. Facilitate CSA distribution once weekly
5. Other General Tasks: Ongoing Communication with Program Director, Washing Harvest bins, Vehicle Support, Supply pick-ups and other errands, etc

Weekly Schedule in Summary (40 hrs total):
24 hours on Farm: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings
6 hours at CSA distribution site (one afternoon per week)
10 hours admin (eg.farm scheduling, volunteer recruitment) and errands

Compensation:
$1600-2000/month from May – October, depending on experience
Two weeks paid vacation
Abundance of Produce

Qualifications:
Phenomenal social-skills and experience managing & coordinating people
Experience farming mixed produce
Commitment to balance and wellness in one’s own life
Drivers Licence and access to vehicle

To apply:
Please submit resume with cover letter by Feb. 26th to Daniel Hoffmann at daniel@thecuttingveg.com

For more information about The Cutting Veg, visit http://www.thecuttingveg.com
Daniel Hoffmann
The Cutting Veg
(647)388-7444
http://www.thecuttingveg.com
"Cultivating Personal, Social, Environmental, and Economic Health through Organic Agriculture."

Ontario Volunteers needed: Guelph Organic Conference, January 28-31, 2010

Some volunteer opportunities are available for interested folks in Ontario.
Click on "Volunteers Needed Now" and all the info's at your fingertips. Also you can contact Kerry Brookes, volunteer co-ordinator, at kbok at sympatico dot ca for more. If you're in Toronto, word has it there are buses during the conference to get you out to the proceedings.