Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (the North American trade association for the green roof industry) is bringing its Green Roof Design 101 Introductory Course to San Francisco, on March 31, 2006. Day long course, education credits available, $345. ‘Space is limited.’ Register online.
Meanwhile, read about rain gardens
Sustainable cities, we’re increasingly realizing, are cities alive
with greenery. Designers are increasingly using artificial habitats
with living plants to cool our roofs, reduce our energy consumption, make us more mindful of our water use, control erosion and help wildlife move through built-up areas. Now, it turns out, they can also cleanse the water running off our streets and parking lots.A new study shows that rain gardens — shallow swales and holes
which catch run off and let it trickle slowly through soil and roots —
can filter most of the pollutants from stormwater.
and Danish Design for Urban Bioremediation:
Green spaces can go a long way towards renewing cities. So, too, can housing developments and neighborhoods that facilitate community interaction. Bring these things together, and you have the makings of a vibrant urban community. Add bioremediation to the mix, and you have something that looks like Boase Concept: ‘a supplement to the existing ways of urban living.’