Schedule 3 – Time to Make a Change
You can imagine our delight when the Government finally announced that it will be mandatory to include Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in virtually all new housing developments from 2024. The Flood and Water Management Act was brought into law in 2010 but the Government decided not to implement its Schedule 3 which would have made […]
What sustainability and resilience opportunities are we still missing?
How many of us have said “If only I could turn the clock back” at some point in our lives? Most of us, we guess, and this is often because, over time, we become aware of things that if we knew then, what we know now, would have done things differently. This is typical human […]
Creating climate resilient urban treescapes
What can we learn from our experiences of heat waves and what are the implications for creating and managing heat-resilient treescapes for the future? These were the questions posed at this week’s event organised by the Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) which took place online and in person in Birmingham. It was jointly delivered […]
Will Levelling Up transform Britain?
Levelling Up is a flagship policy that the Conservative government introduced in 2019 which through two rounds of funding distributed £4.8 billion. On the 18th of January 2023, the UK government published a list of 111 successful bids in receipt of Levelling up Round 2 funding. This follows from the last year’s announcement of 105 […]
How to Combat the Effects of Drought on Trees
Am I the only one noticing that trees are turning colour this year before the end of July? Isn’t it a bit early for autumn colours? Why is this happening this year? There are a number of influencing factors why and when leaves turn yellow and fall from the trees: generally, it is when the […]
Resources for Resilience Webinar
Last week GreenBlue Urban had the privilege of hosting a webinar entitled “Resources for Resilience” following previous sessions where attendees has clearly signalled that there was a desire for better implementation of green infrastructure to help with climate change mitigation, but a lack in the understanding of the “how”. Joining us on the webinar were […]
Making the case for Long Term Tree Health
One of the biggest challenges the landscaping industry face today is how we effectively combat the current crisis of climate change. Most importantly how we can align collectively to enable an integrated approach to consider both mitigation and adaption to reduce emissions and stormwater, support the heat island effect and above all reduce global warming. […]
The GreenBlue Circular Economy
The concept of a circular economy is not new – in fact, the linear economy characterised by taking, make and dispose of has only existed since the industrial revolution in any particularly meaningful way. In previous eras, very little was thrown away, as nearly everything had an alternative use at the end of its life, […]
Protecting Newly Planted Urban Trees
In nature, young trees are supported and protected by other trees. As trees grow from a seed, their roots establish simultaneously with their leaves and stem, but when we plant a tree, whether a container-grown, a root balled or a bare root type, the root plate is reduced in size. This means that the tree […]
Discussing the Basics of Root Management
Whilst tree roots can grow deep into the ground, most tree species that we plant in the UK streets are relatively shallow rooting (most of the roots within the top one metre) – depending on the geology. It is these rooting patterns that tend to cause long term problems with surrounding hard surfaces, but tree […]
Celebrating Southwark’s Urban Forest Assets
A recent inventory of the trees in the London Borough of Southwark as managed by the tree officers has revealed an estimated economic value of the urban forest at an outstanding £165 million. Tree officers are often recognised as ‘custodians of the urban forest’, managing the public tree estate for the common good. The study, […]
The Case of Structural Soil & Sand vs Soil Cells
Have you ever grown a tree in rocks? Trees need appropriate amounts of nutrient-rich, moist, well-aerated, and uncompacted soil in order to mature in the urban environment. In addition to the nutrients that trees absorb from the soil through their root system. A method that has often been utilized to deal with compaction issues harming […]
Driving Toward a Greener Future with ArborCharge
One question that is on many minds is “what will our towns and cities look like in the future”? Well, nobody knows, but one thing is sure – it’s going to be different from what we have been used to. There seems to be little doubt that pedestrians and cyclists will have higher priority than […]
The Role of Maintenance in Successful Urban Tree Planting
Unfortunately, the maintenance-free tree has yet to be discovered. However, the correct species choice and an intelligent inspection regime can reduce long term liabilities massively. In this blog we discuss the needs of trees, and what happens if maintenance is skimped on. Once planted, the first couple of years of support and care are critical […]
Discussing Tree Planting Mediums & Canopy Volume
Trees have evolved over millennia to grow in a wide variety of soil conditions. In fact, trees grow on every continent on earth except Antarctica, from the scorching African cities shaded by palms to the freezing Arctic circle with the birch, larch and willow trees that grow as far as the tree line allows. Life […]
Supporting Myerscough, Arbor Day & Future Flora
Many thanks to Dr Duncan Slater for a very enjoyable Arbor Day at Myerscough College and for the privilege of being able to provide a presentation on the successful GreenBlue urban planting schemes over the years. Speakers included Paul Nolan of Mersey Forest, Glyn Levis of Trees for Cities, Sharon Durdant-Hollamby of Institute of Chartered […]
GreenBlue’s Roadshow Finale at Bannister Hall
It was a clear crisp October day at Bannister Hall Nurseries – possibly the coldest day of the year so far however GreenBlue were delighted to see 50+ attendees eager to network and enjoy themselves at the closing Roadshow for 2019. Making the most of the outdoors prior to influx of rain and of course […]
Pioneering Urban Tree Planting Since the 90’s
Since the inception of GreenBlue Urban in 1992, we have set out to research and provide solutions to assist trees in their battle to establish in urban areas. In the late 1990’s, we commenced testing on the world’s first soil support module. The RootCell generation 1 was the world’s first soil cell and became the primary pattern […]
Bringing Together a Wealth of Expertise for – “Suds in the City”
In the fourth of the 2019 roadshows GBU has undertaken, having visited Glasgow, Leeds and Cambridge, the team arrived in Manchester. We have had a long and robust relationship with City of Trees and it was timely that we collaborated to bring together speakers on the topic of SUDS in the City. Making the explicit […]
Evolving our Understanding to Meet Drainage Solutions
GreenBlue Urban’s Charlotte recently attended the CIWEM Spring Conference in Birmingham to learn about the ways in which we can evolve an understanding to meet new and old challenges when it comes to water management. Keynote speaker Mark Worsfold from Water UK, outlined the latest developments in DWMP (Drainage Waste Water Management Plans). He explained the […]
In Collaboration with Private and Public Sectors
Last week saw the first of a series of collaborative roadshow events, which took place at Southside Housing Association, Glasgow. The event co-hosted by CSGN, GreenBlue Urban and Southside HA provided a platform for stakeholders across the public and private sector divide to present innovative SUDs projects and discuss barriers and opportunities for the implementation […]
Creative & Innovative Solutions from EUGIC
In the stunning setting of London’s Olympic Park, in the East of the City, the 2019 EUGIC conference showcased the best of pan European learning focused on creating resilient, healthier cities through nature-based solutions and water sensitive urban design. The programme encompassed a huge variety of topic areas ranging from the financing of green infrastructure […]
Rainforests – The Ultimate Green Blue Environment!
During a recent business trip to visit GreenBlue South America, three representatives from GreenBlue Urban had the opportunity to stray away from the noise and chaotic bustle of Buenos Aires (which has magnificent trees by the way) and go explore the subtropical rainforest further north in that continent. Nestling on the border between Argentina and […]
Trees: “Frontline” Bulwark in Combatting Air Pollution
What single thing can you incorporate into a city which increases in value every year it exists? What item will remind you of seasons, enhance property value, provide shade, urban cooling and stormwater attenuation whilst simultaneously boosting retail sales, improve social cohesion and reduce crime? Well as it happens, this same entity – (it can […]
Cool Towns Meet Up
It is a great pleasure that GreenBlue Urban have become partners on a second successful EU Interreg program in the 2Seas area – “Cool Towns”. This project will be specifically focused on developing tools and capacity building resources to ensure that towns and cities across the 2Seas area and beyond will be able to design, […]
