It's getting hot in here!

Today the Australian Government had a victory as their Carbon Tax was passed in the lower house. With the focus of the Nation on a greener Australia and the growing cost of living, you could be reducing your footprint and cutting costs in your own home!

Did you know a vertical garden installed on the outer wall of your home could lower the temperature inside from 7 to 10 degrees cooler than a home without one! The plants and soil act to reflect the heat and create a barrier between your house and the sun.

If your house is cooler you don't need to turn up the air-conditioner, which will save you money on your bills during the Australian summer, and this will also significantly reduce your greenhouse emissions! It's a win-win!

Greening Cities Conference - SYDNEY

SAVE THE DATE!!

From November 9-12th 2011, at Sydney's National Maritime Museum, will be held the 5th Annual Greening Cities Conference. Patrick Blanc, the man who designed "The Vertical Garden", will be a guest speaker and the conference will be focusing on building more vertical gardens and rooftop gardens throughout the city centre.

The Government recognises how beneficial these gardens are in improving the quality of air and reducing energy usage, they have a 2030 goal of turning Sydney into one of the worlds greenest cities!  If you head along, you can find out what support and information the government has for the general public who also want to make a difference in their community.

Below are some famous works from Patrick Blanc. Clockwise from top left - Caixa Forum Madrid, Musee du Quai Branly Paris, Siam Paragon Shopping Centre Bangkok, detail Musee Du Quai Branly, Paris.

The Ultimate Science Project

A Sydney based company has worked with a Melbourne school to bring the vertical garden to a new generation of young Australians. They were commissioned to install two vertical gardens in the Science block of the school with 14 different species of plants being installed.

The garden walls are managed on a fully automated irrigation system run purely from a solar panel installed on the roof of the school. The students are able to help manage the system from an information panel showing live information about the solar charge, irrigation cycle and all other relevant information for them to successfully grow their garden.

Thinking outside the garden bed.

With Global Warming and green energy a hot topic of conversation for years now, some people have begun to think out of the box. Even some cities and countries have joined in. In this blog I will be exploring how people have been making their lives greener. Literally.

The phenomenon of vertical gardens is a beautiful thing. They are water saving gardens and are being used in homes and businesses around Australia. Vertical gardens improve the air quality in built up areas by filtering carbon dioxide from the air and replacing it with oxygen. Plants also filter pollutants from the air so when used in CBD areas, they improve the quality of the air we breathe.

It's all about seeing the world differently, and seeing where we, as individuals, can make a difference.

How can you use the space you have?