stocks crash, melg'puguitaieg @indie@ecosteader.com

Going to be building a vertically tall living wall at the #Ecostead today thru this weekend.

Long-term readers of Ecosteader may remember our #LivingWall hashtag from a couple years ago. Have been dreaming about being able to make one IRL, with integrated drainage for a long while...

Right now is beginning as a S.I.P. or ¨Structural Insulated Panel¨ anchored into ground as the core _ug'tatqa'lam_.

Picked up a few sandwich-board foam insulation panels at the Rebuilding Center in North Portland. One shown here will be the ¨I¨ part of the SIP; am going to layer waterproofing things around it since there will be dirt and plants involved. Area behind it is central _ug'tatqa'lam of the building still needing work that will likely not come together until much later.

Materials to work with include mostly recycled components from the tear-down on-site, plus some warehouse and lumber yard scraps compiled from nearby sources.

Sending creative energies out into the Universe, hopeful some find their way back here today.

We were invited recently to Paul Rollins' anarchist permaculture garden. We dubbed it "anarchist" because it mostly lets the plants decide for themselves how to grow with and around each other. It also doesn't require most of the typical "work" associated with gardening, such as weeding and troweling. It literally uses every space available to produce food. If you live in a place that doesn't get much water, it's great because it doesn't even require watering! It also produces an incredible yield. It can fit a lot of food into even a small space.

Any open yard space or empty lot can do; his is in the front yard of a house he's renting.

Of the many ways to adopt concepts that increase Community Wealth and make an ecostead, this one would be effective for ending food apartheid. (@emsenn probably will enjoy this)

1. Mow down the grass or weeds.

2. Cover the ground with cardboard or several layers of craft paper ... plastic can be used as well. Anything that can hinder undergrowth works.

3. Add a layer of straw. How thick this layer need be depends on many things: one is the amount of rain you get. More rain = more straw. The straw will eventually act like a sponge, helping the garden share and re-circulate the moisture underground.

4. Add a thick layer of compost, or compost / dirt blend. This is where anarchy thrives best, among all the decomposing ruins of a system.

5. Toss a seed blend (cover crop) over the whole thing. Cover with another light layer of straw and compost... water and walk away.

6. (optional) Plant large sunscreen-type crops (sunflowers and corn) near your indoor windows for extra air conditioning power in hot climates.

#LIvingWall #Anarchist #Permaculture #Gardening
#CommunityWealth #Ecostead

The addition of a #livingwall made out of nothing more than #plants, #moss, driftwood, or succulents transforms a totally boring wall into the #art of something beautiful and alive.

Great idea for naturalizing outdoor #urban spaces:

The #construction of this outdoor #livingwall in the video was undertaken with the hope of reducing urban flooding in London.

"Two months, 16 tonnes of soil and 10,000 plants later, Victoria has just welcomed London’s largest Living Wall, designed to reduce urban flooding. Housed on the side of Rubens at the Palace Hotel, the 21 metre high wall covers a 350 square foot area and is home to seasonal flowers like strawberries, butter cups and winter geraniums to ensure it’s in bloom all year round.

The lack of absorbent surfaces in the area, means Victoria is prone to urban flooding but with specifically designed storage tanks, the wall can house up to 10,000 litres of water which is channelled back through the wall to nourish the plant life."

https://vimeo.com/victoriabid/livingwall

Some more #inspirational designs:

#Biophilia, defined as "inherent love for nature", is gaining ground in modern sustainable design. Incorporating the outside indoors, it's a very ecosteader-friendly practice.

Ideas for a #LivingWall, both indoor and outdoor spaces:

Source: https://freshome.com/living-wall-vertical-gardens/