This past weekend Yael Stav offered tours of her home and vertical garden as part of the “Houses From Within” Batim Mibifnim exhibition in Tel Aviv. Some of the garden was built using recycled materials and compost from her children’s eco-friendly diapers.
Jerusalem Bird Observatory Brown Roof – Local Flora no Irrigation by Rov-Noy, image via the World Green Infrastructure Network
Stav is currently completing her doctoral thesis on the environmental benefits of vertical greenery, which professor of public health at Columbia University Dickson Despommier proposed in 2009 as a perfect fit for the Middle East. (Stephen Colbert asks Dickson Despommier about vertical farming video).
Stav’s research shows that growing plants on a buildings roof and walls can save over 20 percent of the energy used to cool the building.
“The vertical greenery can enable the whole family in the city to grow a variety of plants, including assorted vegetables and herbs,” she says to Haaretz newspaper, pointing to tomatoes curling down from one of the holders hanging from the fence. “You can do this in any building and use a variety of materials.”
The annual ‘Houses From Within’ event also included tours of local community gardens and environmental academic centers in Tel Aviv. The city is at the heart of Israel’s environmental movement, and every year there are new citizen-lead developments to celebrate.
Image via Haaretz
Author: Leigh Cuen
Leigh Cuen is a freelance journalist currently reporting from Israel. She has written for the Earth Island Journal, the San Francisco Public Press, the Palestinian News Network, J. weekly newspaper and the Women News Network. Follow her @La__Cuen.
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