 Dubai hotel exterior to be covered in 27,000 plants
ArabianBusiness.com, by Shane McGinley
Dubai, UAE. "The Novotel hotel in Dubai’s Al Barsha is currently being covered in around 27,000 plants as part of a six storey ‘green wall’ being installed in the lower part of the building’s exterior. The green wall cover an area of 1,200 sq m and will contain around 27,000 plants, a spokesperson confirmed. The wall is designed to be a low maintenance garden and the hotel’s operator has installed an automatic irrigation system with fertiliser injection pumps to give all the required chemicals and fertilisers to the plants..." [5.20.13]
 Grow your own roof: As this year's Chelsea Flower Show opens, learn how to get one of its key looks
Daily Mail UK, by Staff
London, UK. "Green roofs have been popping up everywhere at the Chelsea Flower Show in recent years. The idea is simple: instead of using hard materials such as concrete, why not grow plants on that surface? Green roofs also help keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter, and they have great aesthetic appeal. The RBC New Wild Garden, winner of a Silver-Gilt medal at 2011’s Chelsea Flower Show, attracted a lot of attention for its roof planted with a mixture of wildflowers, sedums, herbs and flowering perennials, all selected to enhance biodiversity..." [5.17.13]
 Why Manhattan's Green Roofs Don't Work--and How to Fix Them
Scientific America, by Amy Kraft
Manhattan, NY. "City rooftops covered with vegetation are seen as a way to reduce the urban heat-island effect and cut energy usage--but so far, the results have been unimpressive...Krista McGuire has taken sedum’s inadequacy as a challenge. The assistant professor of biological sciences at Barnard College wanted to see if a variety of native plants could survive on green roofs and how well they would deliver the desired benefits..." [5.17.13]
 Which Hotels Have Solar or a Green Roof? Check Out TripAdvisor
SustainableBusiness.com, by James Anderman
US. "If you're looking for a hotel or B&B to stay in, you might want to check out TripAdvisor's Green Leaders website, where hotels across the US are ranked on sustainable practices. You can find out if they have solar, electric car charging, a green roof and composting among many other features. Developed in partnership with the EPA's Energy Star, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the United Nations Environment Program, hotels apply to be accepted into the program. Once evaluated, they are given LEED-like ratings - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum..." [5.16.13]
 NPR Has Bees on Its Roof, but Isn’t in It for the Honey
CityDesk Blog, by Jenny Rogers
DC. "...Urban beekeeping is just the latest piece of the sustainability movement that has for years been working its way through the District’s buildings. A green roof has already become de rigeur for many buildings in D.C., which boasts two million square feet of green roofing on more than 200 public and private properties. Michael Lucy at the Anacostia Watershed Society, which helps fund green roofs, says he’s seen a “significant uptick” in the number of private homes with green roofs—including a tiny 100-square-foot one on top of a porch, the smallest he’s aware of in D.C..." [5.15.13]
|
what's new:
