YES
"A switch of public spending from grey to green infrastructure would trigger an environmental revolution. At a time when investment in grey infrastructure, such as the new road-improvement programmes, runs into billions, investment in green infrastructure remains tiny.
"We have to redesign our cities in response to climate change, and this means investment in green roofs, street trees, parks and urban greenways. Green infrastructure investment would help tackle recession, address climate change and create a lasting environmental and economic legacy in urban areas."
Richard Simmons, chief executive, CABE
YES
"There are serious challenges ahead: climate change, food and energy security, flood risk, wildlife loss and improving economic performance, to name but a few.
"Green infrastructure offers solutions to many of these issues, but this can only be realised if it is given the same priority, particularly in investment terms, as is currently enjoyed by grey infrastructure. We must understand what the natural environment has to offer - green infrastructure is no longer just a 'nice to have' but a 'must have' - and a shift in public spending would go a long way to achieving this."
- Stephen Russell, policy officer, Landscape Institute
NO, WE CAN DO BOTH
"Why don't we build our grey infrastructure into the green infrastructure?
"A good model for future investment into green spaces is to build in elements like heat-distribution plants and biofuel crops, which give a future structure to the space.
"We designed a scheme that includes those features, and flood alleviation and rainwater harvesting into the green infrastructure. They can then be adopted by the utility companies so, effectively, the green space needs no money to maintain it. We need to create more self-sufficient communities."
- Peter Wilder, director, Macfarlane Wilder
YES
"Investment in green infrastructure is crucial, not just economically and for climate change but socially as well.
"If unemployment rises, more green spaces are needed to meet health and well-being needs. If we are going to be more sustainable long-term, we need to move away from driving up and down the motorway to get to work. We have the capacity to work electronically so we need to be pushing that. In terms of training, the Government has talked about apprenticeships and we need more in the green sector."
- Helen Woolley, senior lecturer, Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield
All Comments
It is vital that we promote environmentally sustainability. the best way to start doing is by promoting environmentally sustainable products.
so moving from gery to green can indeed create an environmental revolution, and we should all be apart of this!!!!
It seems trying to get the gardening industry to come up with developing environmentally-friendly products is a bit like pulling slugs' teeth. Pensioning-off peat products would be a good place to start.
I have posted a piece questioning why the phasing out of peat products is being left to those with a vested interested in keeping them at Landscape Juice:
http://www.landscapejuice.com/2009/11/growing-media-association-working-government-peat-reduction-targets.html
Please feel free to join the discussion.
Urban and rural policy-makers need to bear and keep in mind the "deep" needs of society for grey infrastructure - renewables energy, sustainable homes, efficacious workplaces, sustainable food supplies, etc. The "light" needs \(eg green infrastructure) should be considered as a "green balance" to mitigate and support grey infrastructure. Build it in with sustainable management policies and practice.