UK Ag Policy Preparing for Climate Change
Climate change in UK raises concern about the future of agriculture and food production. Experts at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) are looking for adaptation scenarios for farmers and growers to respond to change – article in the farminguk.com: Adapting to a changing climate Most scientists agree the UK enviroment of the future will be...
RIO+20: Engaging Small Farmers in Sustainable Ag
In Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the importance of smallholder farmers in terms of food security and sustainable agriculture was highlighted – article in the Guardian: Rio+20 a chance to engage smallholder farms in sustainable agriculture The draft outcome document of the Rio+20 summit mentions smallholder farmers – many of them women –...
Eat Out at the Allotment
This is what happened yesterday under our window! An exceptional dining experience was organised in an inner city allotment. The event was part of the Vacant Lot programme of the architectural office What If, located in London. The project maps vacant and neglected spaces that surround inner city housing estates. Strategies have been developed how...
Alex Steffen: The shareable future of cities
“Alex Steffen, a designing optimist, lays out the blueprint for a successful century.” -The New York Times “Alex Steffen explores our planet’s future, telling powerful, inspiring stories about the hard choices facing humanity … and our opportunity to create a much better tomorrow.”-TED.com Alex Steffen is one of the world’s leading voices on sustainability, social...
Favela Farming
Cidades sem Fome (Cities Without Hunger) is an organization working to bring communal gardens, and just as importantly, agricultural skills, to inhabitants of Sao Paolo’s Favelas. Read more about their important work here -> http://positivenews.org.uk
Producing year-round with Innovative Low-tech Structures
Rolling, unheated greenhouses keep this family farm in Maine producing vegetables (and eggs!) year round, in the NY Times today – The Land That Keeps Giving
A Mushroom Grows in Seattle
Used coffee grounds from neighborhood cafes get new life as growing medium for oyster mushrooms, thanks to CityLab7‘s installation at Olsen Kundig’s storefront space in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. Pilar Viladas, over at T Magazine, has a great story about it today – Pioneer Square’s Mushroom Farm
NY Hearts Rooftop Greenhouses
As part of a larger initiative to encourage green buildings, New York’s Department of City Planning is proposing revisions to the building code which would allow waivers of floor area and height limits for rooftop greenhouses. Sadly, buildings with residences or other sleeping accomodations are not included. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/greenbuildings/index.shtml
Agriculture + Climate Change
The Other Inconvenient Truth We typically think of climate change as the biggest environmental issue we face today. But maybe it’s not? In this presentation, Jonathan Foley shows how agriculture and land use are maybe a bigger culprit in the global environment, and could grow even larger as we look to feed over 9 billion...
Ted Prize for 2012 awarded to City 2.0
This year’s TED Prize, by giving the award to an idea instead of a person as is usually the case, recognizes the potential and urgency of developing new ways of thinking about our cities. Why is TED awarding the 2012 TED Prize to an idea and not a person? Because this is an idea capable...
Greenhouse gases rise by record amount
It seems that new figures from the US Dept of Energy indicate that we are outpacing even the ‘worst case’ scenarios for greenhouse gas emissions… see the story in the Guardian today: Greenhouse gases rise by record amount http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/… Levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just...
You Now Live In A World of 7 BIllion
The world’s population is expected to have hit a milestone today reaching 7 billion people. If there’s something a bit alarming to you about this number it may be that you remember us reaching 6 billion just 12 years ago back in 1999. National Geographic has been doing a year long series about a planet...
Stefano Boeri’s Vertical Forest Under Construction in Milan
I was so surprised and delighted to see one of these proposals actually getting built. This Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) by Stefano Boeri is currently being built in Milan. I really hope this project works and we see those trees thrive, but those planters make me nervous – they just seem too small don’t they? via [TreeHugger]
Strategizing China’s Urbanization
China becomes an urban nation at breakneck speed http://www.guardian.co.uk/world… With the government seeking to increase domestic demand, places like Guiyang are at the heart of its urbanisation strategy