Demolition turned Delight

The environmentally-minded designers at Barcelona firm Capella Garcia Arquitectura take the idea of “green living” to heart. Their latest project is a makeover of an unsightly building demolition.

The progress at Green Side Wall

Completed in March, the “Green Side-Wall,” promoted by the Barcelona City Council, is a foray into what the firm has christened “vegitecture,” or a vertical garden with emphasis on the structure's original architecture.

The main material responsible for bringing a breath of fresh air to the residential area: 
Plants—oxygen-producing, living green that cascades down the once plain wall.

What if all buildings of the future look like this?

Read more via Good Magazine here or on Capella's site here.
-Katie @KatieGMG

Greening our Cities one plant at a time

Earth Day is just around the corner. It's a chance for all of us to make a positive impact on the environment by changing a few habits: (like remembering to turn off unnecessary lights, use energy efficient light bulbs, wash your laundry later in the evening, and more.)

But more than cultivating a few "eco-habits", we can influence and help our communities, towns and cities get onboard the green train to help protect and restore our infrastructures and natural resources.

Our GMG office is located southwest of Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and historical treasures. Philly also boasts the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), known for the world-class Philadelphia International Flower Show.

A little known fact is that PHS has been around since 1827 and is the oldest continuously running horticultural society in the U.S.

But PHS also has a wonderful program, Philadelphia Green, that's been in existence for over 30 years and uses horticulture "to build communities and improve the quality of life."

Besides revitalizing parks and green space and reclaiming abandoned land, PHS has recently partnered with three states for the campaign "Plant One Million." Plant what? Trees... in the Greater Philadelphia region, and in southern New Jersey and Delaware.

The U.S. Forest Service Chief, Tom Tidwell, attended the recent launch and revealed plans for the creation of the first Urban Field Station to help improve the environment in the Philadelphia area.

Tidwell said that the intent is to "increase tree canopy cover in the Greater Philadelphia region and improve the environment, create jobs, strengthen communities and improve air and water quality."

A tall order. But with the support of Mayor Michael Nutter's shared vision of "Philadelphia becoming America's greenest city," through this PHS initiative, as well as urban renewal projects with community gardens and vacant land restoration, the dream may very well become a reality, one plant at a time.

Green on, Philly.
photos courtesy of PHS: Love Park & Phila City Hall; South Philadelphia & community initiative; Aspen Park before/after; and school initiatives

Lynne, GMG

A New Twist on Saving the Earth

I heard an interview yesterday on NPR with Stewart Brand, the creator of the Whole Earth Catalog and an icon of the environmental movement. He's now taking a stand on returning back to big cities, supporting nuclear power and encouraging genetic engineering as a way of reclaiming our planet and solving the global warming issue -- and he made a lot of sense.

From the Huffington Post: "In these pages, Stewart Brand lays out a mind-blowing vision for the planet's salvation: migration to the cities, power generated by mini-nuclear reactors, healthier crops through genetic engineering. This may well be the most important book I'll read this year. Certainly, it's the most aggressively optimistic book that's also closely reported. To read the full story click here.

An expert from the Amazon review says "Whole Earth Discipline shatters a number of myths and presents counterintuitive observations on why cities are actually greener than countryside, how nuclear power is the future of energy, and why genetic engineering is the key to crop and land management.