The European Union’s draft Nature Restoration Law contains binding targets for the greening of the EU’s ecosystems and its cities for 2040 and 2050. Its very ambitious and progressive but it is facing an uphill battle to become law and upcoming elections are complicating matters. 

Discover five somewhat surprising reasons we are not ‘separate’ from nature, but deeply interconnected, and how this knowledge can help us improve the design of our buildings and communities.

The Rooftop farm above the expansion of the Javits Convention Center incorporates numerous sustainable innovations including an orchard, water reuse and more.

Toronto Metropolitan University is using its two rooftop farms to advance the practice of rooftop farming through multiple research projects, while also supporting food justice. See also the podcast with Arlene Throness, Urban Farm Manager, and Nicole Austin, Black-led Programs Coordinator.

With contributions from Emily Ahlstedt and Nicole Semeraro, Andrew Mihalchick provides a concise overview of the reasons for proactive maintenance and an outline of the major tasks involved and why they are worth doing. 

Learn about GRHC's new Installation and Maintenance training and certification, developed over 3 years by an expert committee.

The Landscape Architecture Foundation has released IGNITE, a scholarship-internship-mentorship program for Black, Indigenous and people of color to increase their participation as Landscape Architecture professionals.  

The performance requirements of the soil/growing medium on rooftop farms are complex. Learn more about the different requirements from the experts at rooflite.  

K-12 schools, universities and local businesses are great places to have edible and healing rooftop plants which provide a wide variety of educational and edible benefits. Take a tour of these diverse projects and learn what they have to offer.

This episode, Sustainable Futures is joined by Nicole Austin, Black Student Engagement Coordinator, and Arlene Throness, Urban Farm Manager, to discuss their work with the urban rooftop farms at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Here is the most comprehensive list of rooftop and urban farms in North America ever assembled.

New developments in the European Parliament are supportive of green infrastructure and now must pass National government approval.

This article describes the detailed methods used to conduct a Green Infrastructure Charrette at CitiesAlive in Philadelphia in order to create a vision of a healthier, more sustainable community using Green Infrastructure and conduct a cost/benefit analysis of the proposals.

Come up to speed on the literature surrounding mycorrhizae and green roof plants and learn about their performance enhancing mutualistic relationships and what you can do to encourage them.

This episode, Sustainable Futures is joined by Dr. Mike Dixon, PhD to discuss his futuristic work in developing a biological life support system based on plants for the International Space program through the Space and Advanced Life Support Agriculture (SALSA) program at the University of Guelph.

This report describes the continued observation of the plant development on a green roof on a retrofit building in Berlin from 1986 to 2019. This project symbolizes a shift in the urban planning paradigm in post-war Berlin away from demolishing blocks of the housing that survived World War II to gradual renovation of the remaining historic rented courtyard buildings.

An update on new industry developments including new trainings, conferences, and more.

Ten diverse innovations in living architecture - ranging from technologies and research to project certification and policy - plus trends and recommendations for future endeavors. 

New scientific evidence suggests the need to add to the 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. This article by William Browning and Catherine Ryan of Terrapin Bright Green explains what it means to experience Awe in the built environment through biophilic design and provides multiple of examples from architecture and nature.

Learn about the many benefits of creatively using gabion baskets in your landscape designs from improved waste material management to creating new opportunities to support biodiversity.