Slowing the Flow at Flood Expo
Finally, we are jumping for joy to announce that events are back! It was a pleasure to be public-facing again whilst exhibiting at the NEC Birmingham for FloodExpo 2021. The team were delighted to meet with professionals from the water industry, whilst displaying our innovative SUDS related products and new marketing collateral on our eye-catching […]
Designing for Climate Change
Climate Change is a term that is used every day, but do we fully understand the importance of what this means for us, our families, our communities, and the human race? Our home, country and planet are rapidly changing and these changes may be irreversible unless we design correctly now. This action must be immediate […]
Bringing Nature to your Doorstep
Biodiversity surrounds us in our everyday lives without us even noticing, from the birds in the trees above us, the worms in the soil beneath us and the insects that fly around us. We live in a world where nature came first, yet with all the publicity of climate change, we still continue to destroy […]
Industry Collaboration for “The Green Up” Campaign
Pro Landscaper is launching a new campaign to help improve biodiversity within supermarket car parks. The Green Up Campaign is committed to seeing more green and less grey in supermarket car parks and is proudly sponsored by GreenBlue Urban, idverde and Hillier Trees. Pro Landscaper magazine’s Rachael Forsyth, who is leading the campaign, commented: “The […]
Quotation to Seamless Installation
Green infrastructure is often described as a series of interconnected networks of multifunctional green space, providing multiple benefits and accommodating sustainable developments. These elements include parks, open space, trees, both street and private, playing fields, woods, private gardens, allotments and green roofs and walls. Based in the South of England, GreenBlue Urban has grown every […]
Maintenance – Who is Responsible?
One of the most frequently asked questions when planning Green Infrastructure in our urban areas is who will maintain it? And what’s the cost? Whilst maintenance-free trees and planting schemes do not exist, careful specification of the planting methodologies can reduce maintenance to a minimal level. Historical tree failures – both in terms of failed […]
Good Design Starts Below Ground
It’s all too easy when designing an urban space, to begin with, what we have at or above ground level, superimpose our new vision over this and sell the idea to the client on this basis. However, we at GreenBlue Urban believe that good design starts below ground. In our experience, the best results come […]
Multi-Functional Blue-Green Developments
The 25-year Environmental Plan (2018) and more recently The Environment Bill (2020) has been a clear driver to connect more people to our environment, improve health and well-being and to ensure we leave future generations with improved air and water quality, create richer habitats for wildlife and of course omit wasteful pollution from landfill and […]
Building for a Healthy Life
Building for a Healthy Life (BHL 2020) updates England’s most widely used design tool for creating places that are better for people and nature. The document highlights a 12-point structure that reflects recent changes to legislation (NPPF) and in response to user feedback and best practice. Findings have been in collaboration with Homes England, NHS […]
Designing a 15 Minute City
Before COVID 19 and the need for working at home became essential, a ’15 minute City’ concept seemed near to impossible. Now, these barriers have been removed, the world has slowed down and multiple lockdowns have been relaxed, our hectic lives now feel less busy. Our days used to consist of long commutes and constantly […]
SuDS Slowing the Flow.
Stormwater management is close to the heart of GreenBlue Urban. This month has seen us assess the best-practice methods, products and case studies within our industry, conclusively finishing with our ‘Festival of Ideas, Guest Panel Webinar’. Combining the Blue with the Green was famously the deciding factor on our company name change back in 2013, […]
GBU Canada RootSpace Litigation Announcement (28 May 2021).
GreenBlue Urban UK (then Greenleaf) pioneered the world’s first recycled plastic, load-bearing soil cell for urban tree planting called RootCell. After it was launched to the market in 2001, RootCell’s popularity grew at an unprecedented pace. Customers lauded the development as an excellent solution to solve the problem caused by tree roots damaging the urban […]
Why the Water Industry is Better Together
Guest Blog:- Faye Gennard – World of Water Water is our most precious resource and it may come as no surprise that when we search for life, what we are actually searching for is water. No living organism can live without it, but, as any water professional will tell you, humans can’t live with it […]
Are there Post Planting Constraints?
Many potential tree-planting schemes are cancelled because of misunderstandings over the long term requirements of trees. Concerns over local authority adoption, potential commuted sums and maintenance issues can lead to trees being viewed as liabilities rather than the incredible assets that they truly are. Let’s take these issues apart, as a better understanding of these […]
Trees in the Urban Realm – Legacy or Liability
As soon as tree planting is proposed in our congested urban areas, the full plethora of challenges quickly become obvious. When planning urban tree planting, an understanding of the constraints that urban areas present are critical if long term canopy cover is going to be possible. Our most recent webinar challenged the urban planting myths […]
Right Tree, Right Place
One of the best known arboricultural statements is Right tree, Right place – often used to explain the species choice or planting site for new trees. Unfortunately, this phrase has become a bit hackneyed and is really too simplistic for useful application in urban planting schemes, where there are so many factors involved. Alan Simson, […]
Urban Tree Planting Constraints
As soon as tree planting is proposed in our congested urban areas, the full plethora of challenges quickly become obvious. With over 30 years of experience in getting trees established in what can be very hostile conditions for what are essentially forest plants, GreenBlue Urban have unrivalled experience in every scenario. When planning urban tree […]
Our Climate is Changing, are we?
In celebration of Earth Day – 22nd April, GreenBlue are proud to endorse our team as industry educators, covering all disciplines on 5 of the dedicated long term focus areas Earth Day signifies: • Climate Action • Science and Education • People and Communities • Conservation and Restoration • Plastic and Pollution Our mission statement illustrates […]
Changing the Landscape of Flood Resilience
Giving Natural Flood Management Development a Boost Through Innovation Support Guest Blog: Hiatt Jackson, Technology Research Manager, Flood Innovation Centre At the Flood Innovation Centre, we are huge fans of Sustainable Drainage and the kind of innovative work done in the field by organisations like GreenBlue Urban. Lately, we have also begun to take a […]
What is an Urban Forest Master Plan?
Guest Post – Keith Sacre – Treeconomics Following on from our recent blog from Kenton Roger’s What is an Urban Forest, Keith discusses our current theme Master planning & Strategy to implement canopy cover for the long term. Urban trees are now widely recognised as essential urban infrastructure. The benefits that trees provide to people […]
Introducing StreetPark – Beautiful & Functional Furniture Collection
Over the years, GreenBlue Urban have widely echoed the numerous worldwide studies on the importance of having trees in retail areas; proving that the presence of healthy mature trees positively influences shopping behaviour. These studies showed that customers are willing to pay 9 to 12% more for goods and services in a shopping area with […]
Introducing ArborAdvance – Guaranteeing Long Term Planting Success
Is it all about “Right Tree, Right Place?” Or do we need to add “For the Right Reasons & In the Right Way”? In recent weeks GreenBlue has been excited to see recent developments within our planning system; particularly with the soon-to-be revised version of NPPF Planning policy which is seeking to include street trees […]
Are there enough “Green” Planners?
GreenBlue were delighted to see a DEFRA announcement dated 12th March for a government-led funding scheme: The Local Authority Treescapes Fund – designed to increase new tree planting and natural regeneration in locations outside woodlands, helping our great nation-build back greener following the pandemic. A total of £2.7 million has been released from the central […]
Driving Resilient Green Infrastructure Policy Forward
GreenBlue is overjoyed when councils present a resilient GI Policy / Strategy; even more so when we see the inclusion of “blue” too, but how do these policies reinforce resilient planning/designing of our towns and cities. What is green and blue infrastructure? Green and blue infrastructure is the combination of green space and stormwater […]
Discussing Carbon Storage Potential
In June 2019, parliament passed a legislation requiring the government to reduce the UK’s net emissions of greenhouse gases by 100%, relative to the 1990 levels by 2050. By doing so it will allow the UK to become a ‘net zero’ emitter. Trees have a positive role to play and are an important contributor when […]
