Green Roof Advocate Dusty Gedge on Boosting Urban Biodiversity
Sourced from University of Auckland
Dusty Gedge, from South East London in the UK, is an internationally recognised expert on green roofs.
Gedge was one of the keynote speakers at the World Green Infrastructure Congress held at Waipapa Taumata Rau from 3-5 September. The event, MCed by Mike McRoberts (Ngāti Kahungunu) and organised by the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries, featured hundreds of local and international sustainability and green infrastructure experts converging on campus to share their ideas with companies, institutions, public authorities and scientists. The goal was to examine and catalyse nature-based solutions to create sustainable urban environments.
Gedge, the president of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations and founder of Livingroofs.org, delivered an engaging and insightful talk that explored the importance of green roofs and the types of plants best suited for them.
With more than two decades of experience, Gedge has a deep understanding of how urban ecology and green roofs can contribute to a sustainable future, particularly in cities like London. He has challenged conventional wisdom about green spaces, advocating for a future where cities are not just concrete jungles but vibrant, living ecosystems integrated into every level of the urban fabric of a city.
Green roofs, according to Gedge, are not just about aesthetics or superficial greening. Instead, they are an ecological response to urban environments. He stressed the need to think ahead, designing landscapes that are resilient to future environmental conditions, especially given the growing challenges posed by climate change.
Improvements to biodiversity in central London are being driven in part by the financial institutions, real estate agents and legal offices whose buildings dominate the area. Many are taking on board the advice of the global Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The TNFD developed a set of recommendations and guidance to encourage business and finance to assess, report and act on their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities. One such opportunity has been green roofs and biosolar green roofs.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
