Luxembourg is looking for urban farmers
A new pilot project in the capital will try out multi-faceted farming in a built-up setting as a source of food and environmental awareness
(L-R): Elisabeth Mair Regional Manager ASFINAG and Greening expert Stefan Gieselberger, Source: ASFINAG on Facebook
The new road wall will be a home for birds and insects, while also lowering the temperature on the highway itself
Last week, ASFINAG, Austria’s road and highway maintenance service announced they will install a green noise protection wall along the A12 autobahn, between the city of Kufstein and the village of Kramsach. The wall will be 3.5 metres high and overflowing with different shades of green from the plant life explosion on it.
It is supposed to improve the quality of life for residents living by the highway and increase biodiversity, offering great living conditions for a wide variety of plants, insects and birds.
The green wall will have a total length of 425 metres and a maximum height of 3.5 metres. Additionally, according to a statement by ASFINAG, it does not need a complex construction process based on a concrete foundation. Instead, it will be built on a simple gravel layer.
As soon as the metal outer frame is placed, the structure will be filled with 1,300 cubic metres of free-flowing organic material containing seeds. Plants will start growing in the green wall as soon as the first autumn rains pour over the region.
According to expert estimates, the green wall saved 50% of the CO2 needed for the construction process. The green wall will also lower temperatures on the highway and providing it with shade and trapping fine dust particles. The organic plant material is composed of Virginia creeper, ivy and clematis.
Road authorities say that the crown of the wall will also have a variety of wildflowers, which will attract bees and other insects, as well as birds.
The project has a 60-year warranty, and, supposedly after three years, it will have completely overgrown to require very little to no maintenance including no watering.
The project included the removal of the previous noise wall on the highway, installed in 1983. Interestingly, it had a layer of trash functioning as sound insulation. However, the trash had seeped into the surrounding area and ASFINAG had to remove up to 4,000 cubic metres of waste, which ultimately made the project much more expensive.
The final price tag for the green wall is 2.1 million euros and the Austrian road maintenance company explained that it would serve as a pilot programme to test out whether the approach is scalable in the future.
The subsidy will apply to single women, couples and families
The aim is to have a carbon impact of only 2.5 kg of CO2 per square metre per year
The government has set aside a 150-million-euro pot, which is supposed to replenish once the properties are resold
Search for health, search for well-being - in any sense and category of these terms
The Agri-Tech centre in Osnabrück has a lab, workshop and test field all rolled into one
These officials help seniors to push back the feelings of alienation in a world gone rapidly technological
It’s the latest European capital that wants to do something about the rampant and chaotic use of the two-wheelers in its public spaces
Regional authorities have identified 260 roadside areas suitable for solar farms; so they are looking for partners
The aim is to have a carbon impact of only 2.5 kg of CO2 per square metre per year
The subsidy will apply to single women, couples and families
It makes perfect sense, given the vibrant café and fashion cultures in that country
Search for health, search for well-being - in any sense and category of these terms
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
The European Commission has published its first progress report charting the achievements of the socio-cultural movement that combines beauty, inclusion and sustainability
The 2023 edition of the creative initiative promises to be bigger, bolder and more inclusive
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria
A conversation with the mayor of Utrecht on the occasion of her mission to COP27
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy