UW Biodiversity Green Wall & Edible Green Screen
Seattle, United States · Operator: Green Futures Lab, University of Washington (student-led, Campus Sustainability Fund)
Overview
A demonstration completed in fall 2012 that turned two concrete walls at the University of Washington's Gould Hall into urban habitat, combining a biodiversity green wall, an edible green screen, and rainwater harvesting. Roof-collected rainwater irrigates hop and kiwi vines, demonstrating reduced energy use, heat-island mitigation, and increased urban biodiversity.
Citizen participation
A participatory project conceived and funded by students through the Campus Sustainability Fund. A Green Futures Lab team monitors temperature, biodiversity, and water use, and the installation is open as an educational and research demonstration.
Operating model
A university student-led project. Operated as a non-commercial demonstration funded by the Campus Sustainability Fund and supported by university research and teaching resources.
Impact
An award-winning demonstration showing students and the public how edible vine-based wall greening can contribute to building and local temperature reduction, rainwater reuse, and increased urban biodiversity.
Crops
- hops
- kiwi
Scale
Two formerly blank concrete walls at Gould Hall (15th Ave NE & NE 40th St); edible green screen uses 39-foot steel cables as a trellis for hops and kiwi vines, irrigated by roof-harvested rainwater from cisterns
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
Related cases
Ginza Honey Bee Project
JPTokyo, Japan
A citizen project keeping bees on Ginza rooftops to make urban green networks visible. Linked to rooftop gardens and local food culture, it helped spark urban beekeeping across Japan.
gin-pachi.jp
Jardins Partagés (Main Verte), Paris
FRParis, France
A shared-garden framework based on the City of Paris's 2003 'Main Verte' (Green Hand) charter, under which resident associations run gardens on city plots, committing to public access, events, composting and organic growing to spread social bonds and greenery.
paris.fr+1
Edible KAYABAEN, Nihonbashi-Kayabacho
JPChuo, Tokyo, Japan
Opened in spring 2022 on a building rooftop in Tokyo's Nihonbashi-Kayabacho, this urban community garden grows about 200 species of edible plants. Run by Heiwa Real Estate with Edible Schoolyard Japan as an 'edible schoolyard' in the city, it hosts food education for the nearby Sakamoto Elementary School and community exchange, and has won green-city awards.
edibleschoolyard-japan.org+1
RHS Campaign for School Gardening
GBLondon (national), United Kingdom
Launched in 2007 by the Royal Horticultural Society, this is the UK's largest school-gardening campaign. It gives children aged 2–18 opportunities to grow plants and connect with nature, supporting over 30,000 schools and groups and some 2.1 million children, and promotes gardening as a teaching tool through teacher training and resources.
rhs.org.uk+1