Urban agriculture + green infrastructure = a new term...Edible Infrastructure!

The urban agriculture movement has taken a strong hold in Hong Kong, so much so we have globe trotting videographers stopping in to check out what's going on.


A Tale of Two Rooftops from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.


California's first public orchard opened last week in Los Angeles. Fallen Fruit was heavily involved in bringing the project together. The article lists New York, Boston and Madrid as other cities experimenting with edible landscaping. Don't forget Seattle (where they call it a "public food forest"), Toronto and London!!!

Hmm...I think I am ready to coin a new term. How about Edible Infrastructure or Edible Architecture to describe using edible plants specifically to meet all of your green infrastructure needs?

Despite what the creative grant writers of the Los Angeles public orchard say, I am not sure how the orchard is edible art...but it is definitely a place ripe for an ecopsychological experiment. Do public orchards or fruit trees in general make people feel differently about their municipality and life?

Late 2012 GILA roundup!

Normally during late December, early January there is precious little to relay. Not this year!!! Dig in...

-The best news is a creation of a biological concrete by researchers in Spain. It's being tested in Belgium right now and may be on the market sometime soon!

-An intrepid entrepreneur has taken the plunge to live their dreams by opening a new urban agriculture farm supply store in Providence, Rhode Island. There may only be five of these, at most, on the entire continent!

-If you're looking to break into the green infrastructure/living architecture (GILA) fields Front Range Community College in Colorado just launched an urban agriculture management class to provide students with the knowledge and skills to start their own urban farms. And there are internship opportunities in Washington D.C. as part of the Anacostia Watershed Society's green roof management team.

-And for those with an insatiable green roof appetite, a study detailing how various plants perform on unirrigated green roofs in subtropical (American) climates hit the web in early December. Researchers say four species survived at least two growing seasons without any losses: Graptopetalum paraguayense, Malephora lutea, Manfreda maculosa, and Phemeranthus calycinus. Six species experienced varying levels of mortality: Bulbine frutescens, Delosperma cooperi, Lampranthus spectabilis, Sedum kamtschaticum, Sedum mexicanum and Nassella tenuissima. Five species had no survivors: Dichondra argentea, Stemodia lanata, Myoporum parvifolium, Sedum moranense, and Sedum tetractinum.

-In permaculture news around the world there were two fascinating articles released concerning Islam and permaculture and the development of the permaculture movement in Poland.

-Lastly Seattle announced an additional 185 community gardening plots will be made available to residents.

Virtual Living Architecture Summit - 2013 + permaculture conferences

Starting tomorrow, January 9 and continuing through February 8 greenroofs.com is hosting the 2013 virtual summit. Check it out if you have time!

Also starting tomorrow is a permaculture conference at Oregon State University. This one lasts even longer...until March 22, 2013.

Often folks interested in permaculture feel more comfortable with college/university based permaculture offerings, which is totally understandable. Here are a few more if the Oregon State dates don't work for you:

California State University - Stanislaus
Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Must have aquaculture books for your aquaponics system

For the past few year I have talked a lot about aquaponics, the sector's growth and promise. Many newcomers struggle with the aquaculture component. Naturally it can be tough. Below I have listed five books, all a bit older, which are great for everyone from the novice to expert. A bit pricey and maybe hard to find, but worth your money and the effort!

Aquaculture: The Farming and Husbandry of Freshwater and Marine Organisms - John E. Bardach
Aquaculture Training Manual - Donald Swift 
 Freshwater Aquaculture: A Handbook for Small Scale Fish Culture in North America - William McLarney
Principals of Aquaculture - Robert R. Stickney
Simple Methods for Aquaculture: Pond Construction for Freshwater Fish Culture - A.G. Coche

GILA (green infrastructure, living architecture) trends 2013 - it grows up and aquaponics

So many great things happened in 2012, from the explosion of aquaponic ventures across the world, to more green roof legislation and courses. To guess what will be hot in the new year, I think we have to look back a bit.

-Aquaponics - will stay hot, red hot.

-Other cities will continue to chase their version of the massively successful Highline, including Sydney, Australia, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, London and Chicago.

-Vertical farming and rooftop farms will continue to proliferate.

-The last big trends to look for will be the development of policies revolving around continuous productive landscapes, retrofitting neighborhoods to deal with fluctuations in rainfall due to climate change and the idea of like-minded groups joining forces to create holistic whole system urban agriculture solutions, instead of stand alone endeavors.

Let's see what happens!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!