news of SOUTH LONDON PERMACULTURE

GREEN SPACES: Garden space accounts for at least one fifth of all green areas in London. That is not counting parks, allotments, managed wilderness, green roofs and greens. London is incredibly green compared to many European cities. But let us consider these points in isolation.

Green roofs
There is estimated one sixth of urban space devoted to roofs. Impossible to convert all those roofs to vegetation, and just plainly impractical, but for new developments it should be imperative. See my Gardening section in general, but in particular the abstract entitled Green Roofs. The source book I used for that is entitled Building Green: A guide to using plants on roofs, walls and pavements by J. Johnston & J. Newton ISBN 1 871045 18 5 and available at Permanent Publications and Eco-logic Books.

Allotments
These are funky places that have their lineage going back decades. Because of our disconnectedness with food growing in general these places are becoming rare hobbies. I have always said, that if everybody could grow their own food then most of the problems in the world would not exist. With the building industry going headlong into a fossil-fuel-less future, food-growing areas need to be located in the heart of London, where stress related problems are all-too apparent. Check out our own OTHAS allotments and this link to Brockwell Park's own greenhouses and gardens. Download also the following essay published by my friend Andy Holdaway, who I hope to have for a talk and discussion at the UGF, entitled Food security and the decline of the oil-based food system: Support for community-based food production in Hereford 597.32kb

Parks and open spaces
The larger issues here ae pollution control and biodiversity. I have recently been to some great conferences. Check out this article entitled Potential for reducing noise by trees and cultivation 1.58mb by Keith Attenborough on behalf of Noise Futures Network which links to urban issues. Other environments to consider are the roles of water, that we must garden our ponds and rivers also.

Managed wilderness
There are numerous nature reserves in London, some being large extensions of wild area incorporated into parks and other green spots. We must not forget railway embankments, pond and river sides, and small remnants of a once forested past. That Brockwell Park used to be coppiced woodland, with the River Effra running through it, the Great North Woods extending all the way up to Penge and Nunhead, the important work of the London Wildlife Trust, BTCV and local government is all the more desired.

Gardens
We are losing our gardens to driveways and patios. And in a way, this is our interface with the building and transport sectors. If we can address the issues of transportation one's own front garden space need not become a battle zone. Different energy requirements will necessitate novel, practical ideas for using technology and growing your own food.