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urban agriculture / green roof certification

Liav

I'm a recent grad from the university of Toronto's MArch program, with two years industry experience. I got laid off a few months ago. Since then I've become very interested in urban agriculture. I've been talking to knowledgable people and asking them what they felt were the areas that really need to be addressed, from the urban-agriculture perspective. Green roofs/walls keeps coming up.

So, I'm now seriously considering the getting the Green Roof Professional Accreditation ( http://www.greenroofs.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=874&Itemid= ).

It's (from my perspective) fiendishly expensive. Even if I just buy the study material and don't take the courses it's still very expensive.

Does anyone have experience with this program? Any other thoughts on ways to move into urban agriculture?

Cheers,
Liav.

 
Mar 12, 09 12:03 am
24-7tecture

Just do it! I think all these "labels/accreditation" are getting out of control. If you want to design green roof's than do it.

Mar 12, 09 12:12 am  · 
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Liav

I'd love to. But I don't know how, yet. : ) I'm trying to find places where I can get some experience. And texts that cover the theory. Any suggestions on that front would be excellent, too.

L

Mar 12, 09 12:19 am  · 
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24-7tecture

What "theory" are you talking about?


If your talking about green roofs - look up books on the subject, look at roofing mfr's for details, find examples of green roofs in your area (or close by) and contact the architect and/or contractor who did it.

Mar 12, 09 12:24 am  · 
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Urbanist

I'm a bit confused. To my awareness greenroofs and urban ag are seldom related. The drainage and structural requirements of an intensive green roof sufficient to support edible crop production would be rather challenging to achieve, certainly for a retrofit, I'd think. Now, you could have a greenhouse structure on the roof doing hydroponics.. but that wouldn't be a greenroof...

Mar 13, 09 10:33 pm  · 
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Liav

The interest in urban agriculture is more focused on stuff happening on the ground and apartment gardening.

But it is useful to clarify that they're separate functions...


L

Mar 14, 09 12:07 am  · 
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treekiller

leave plants it to the 'scapers. architects have brown thumbs - just look at fritz haeg ;-)

the GRHC courses are excellent if you can afford them. The annual conference is coming up in June in Atlanta and would be a great introduction to all the issues faced by living architecture. there might be some urban ag sessions too. I'll be presenting about some first generation green roofs and how far we've come.

Mar 14, 09 10:50 am  · 
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Cool news Tree.

Mar 16, 09 11:41 pm  · 
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