Environment
-
Participatory Urbanism (Holborn, London)
There’s a lot to like about this Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood web site, when it comes to Participatory Urbanism. If you are a Council and want to get public support, manage feedback, canvas residents for ideas, and keep people informed, this service from Commonplace is a great option. Firstly I do like the excellent overview, of…
-
THE GREENLINE PROJECT – Melbourne, Australia
Our Wonderful Green Future involves us retrofitting our current cities of concrete & cars with new, vibrant, green and livable spaces. This will require a mix of small, local, initiatives, along with grand plans and big projects like the THE GREENLINE. The Greenline Project aims to reposition Melbourne’s Yarra River (Birrarung) as the focal point…
-
First Nations and Renewable Energy Projects
Delivering better outcomes for Indigenous people and developing clean energy, in tandem, seems like the way to go for me. Of course far better “ownership” arrangements are needed and much more power and decision making needs to be devolved to those who live on the land, but this absolutely is a step in the right…
-
The World’s First Forest City
Here’s an interesting project, imagining a Forest City of the future in Gabon, Central Africa, a country rich for its forests, rivers and biodiversity. Like all developing countries, their challenge is to decide whether they want to follow the principles of industrial cities or they want invent an ecological model that attracts talented people and…
-
Future Visualisations for Preferable Futures – Pascal Wicht
I’m sure I am not the only one who’s getting a little jaded with AI-generated visions of the future. The AI style and content are starting to feel very generic. Even though there are many style and content options, they all draw on similar information in a similar way, so we are just seeing the…
-
Retro Suburbia: How to build Solar Punk Suburbs
If anyone is wondering, “How the hell do we convert our cities of consumerism, concrete and fossil fuels into solar punk communities?” then this book should be on your reading list. Its, almost 600, pages are divided into three main sections: the Built, the Biological and the Behavioural, along with an introductory section ‘Setting the…
-
Rewilding the World with Ben Goldsmith
Great Podcast for anyone interested in Rewilding. Rewilding is a transformative practice dedicated to restoring and safeguarding wild habitats and their diverse inhabitants. In “Rewilding the World with Ben Goldsmith,” Ben engages with influential figures driving groundbreaking rewilding initiatives across the globe. From Turkey and the Balkans to Chile, Argentina, Africa’s Sahel, India, England, Scotland,…
-
We can all plant trees, in 2024
When we hear of Tree Planting Projects on the news it’s mostly likely in relation to some massive project, somewhere far away. A “Great Green Wall,” a “Billion Tree Project,” “Reforest Scotland….” All big projects, with big goals and big financial inputs needed. But in truth anyone can instigate tree planting, it’s not just something…
-
Degrowth
I’m not only sharing this excellent video but also an excellent list of Degrowth Resources for anyone who might be interested in the subject. Our Wonderful Green Future will only happen in a post growth setting, where we have moved beyond material growth and embraced some form of circular economy. There are many different versions…
-
How 8,000 Food Forests Grew Africa’s Great Green Wall
WOW What an inspiring video! Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to Senegal to see a forest garden movement which is contributing to Africa’s Great Green Wall. Andrew accompanies the organization Planet Wild to visit the excellent work of Trees for the Future. This remarkable project holds the promise of combating desertification, providing livelihoods, and nurturing…
-
Miyawaki Forests. Everywhere…
Miyawaki forests are named after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. They represent an alternative approach to afforestation and biodiversity restoration. The method emphasizes the creation of dense, native forests, which can thrive in a variety of environments, including urban areas. Unlike traditional forestry methods, the Miyawaki technique focuses on planting a huge variety of native…
-
How to turn your Neighborhood into a Village
This same theme keeps coming up in my reading. The way we build our cities, to primarily benefit banks and developers, not people and communities, is failing us all. This video from Andrew Millison looks at the subject in more detail and offers an interesting approach to fixing the problem. “America has the fewest community…
Our Wonderful Green Future 