February 17, 2020

What to do with underground parking

Ian Robertson found one solution in Paris.  From Euroactiv:

In Paris, as in many European cities, the number of cars is declining, which is leaving a vast amount of underground car parks empty. With its start-up project called “La Caverne”, Cycloponics is reclaiming these urban territories and using them as a way of growing plenty of organic vegetables. …

At Porte de la Chapelle in Paris, the two have set up a 3,500 m2 urban farm located underground, in a former car park. …  Gertz and Champagnat responded to call for tenders from Paris, whose empty car parks were squatted by consumers and crack dealers. It’s been more than two years now since ‘organic has replaced crack’, and about fifteen jobs have been created. …

 

 

Small packets of water-soluble, sterilised and packaged straw are hung from floor to ceiling, and the mushrooms grow through tiny holes. Everything is calculated to ensure their optimal growth. The air is saturated with moisture, the endives grow in the dark, and the mushrooms get a few LED lights.

But the car park has definite advantages over the limestone cavities usually used to grow mushrooms, as there is a permanent and precise control of the weather, as well as better thermal stability. …  Farming in car parks also makes it possible to better resist the climate crisis. Parasites and other insects, for instance, are rather rare in the subsoil, even if endive tubers and straw bought outside can also be vectors of diseases, such as sclerotinia, which destroyed part of this year’s endive harvest. …

“In Paris, as in many European capitals, people no longer have cars, there are too many parking lots, especially in the poorest districts. But we also visited unused car parks on the Champs-Elysée. It would be possible to do something about it!” according to the entrepreneurs.

Full article here.

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Comments

  1. Yup humans are very inventive and will come up with all sorts of creative solutions in all sorts of situations .. even in the alleged “climate crisis” with 0.7-2 degree warmer weather in 100 years. We will be fine. We might even have a subway to UBC and a rail link to car congested Fraser Valley, NVan & WVan by then !

    Btw: is therefore shutting down a gas pipeline to export vastly cleaner burning energy to coal belching SE Asia esp China and India a good idea?

    1. Global average temperatures are already 1.1 degrees warmer so you have to be severely mathematically challenged to have an increase from there get you to 0.7. But facts never matter much to Beyer.

      Most climate scientists agree that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is critical to have a good chance at avoiding tipping points that could lead to runaway climate change beyond our control. But obviously Beyer knows much more than them because he has spent his entire career studying climate science.

      No, leaking high levels of methane with 30X the warming of CO2 is not a good thing to be replacing coal in Asia. Fracking and LNG production are prone to a lot of methane leaks and the industry is fighting against government regulations to tighten it up. Even if they could eliminate those leaks, a cheap new source of fossil fuel merely delays adoption of renewables.

      But Beyer doesn’t care about any of that. Deniers are in delusion and quite happy in their ignorance.

      1. Many theories about the weather in 2120 abound, none proven or reliable.

        People don’t want to waste trillions of dollars fighting a non-existent problem when those resources can be used to actually improve the world today. The “climate crisis” is the height of first world hubris. There are billions of people who actually need real help today, such as better healthcare, better education, clean water (even here in Canada on indigenous land), affordable housing (even here in Vancouver), better nutrition, a decent job etc.

        Check the temperature records for the 1930s and 1940s when hardly anyone had A/C. It was hotter then. 1960s and 70s were colder. Climate has cycles. We may be going into a cooling now. Tornadoes or floods are not worse now. Just more people and buildings closer to flood zones or coast lines, thus far more damage. And of course 24×7 TV and internet.

        Climate models need to be tested out of sample. Take a model whose parameters were “tuned” to fit late 20th century warming and spool it up with initial conditions from 1870. Run it forward to 1970 and compare to the actual temperatures over that century. It will miss badly.

        But carry on, shutting down the global food chain and comfortable heating in northern climates. Sitting in a house at -20, with no food, so enjoyable ! Disallowing gas heating or cooking in Vancouver a very dumb idea.

        Anyway, these parkades are a good idea.

        1. Only fools still believe climate change is a non-existent problem. The scientists who study it (unlike the fools who don’t) know that it is a major threat.

          Thomas again shows his complete lack of understanding by talking about the weather in 2120 rather than the climate. And because Beyer does not understand, he gets his information wrong. Climate models do exactly what he says they should do only they don’t miss badly. If they missed badly the science would not be robust and they wouldn’t have the consensus they have.

          So wanting to sound smart, Beyer pulls out the fossil propaganda talking points of starvation and freezing to death. One minute he talks about human ingenuity the next he assumes we’re a bunch of monkeys who can’t solve these problems. We can already economically heat homes in northern climates without fossil fuels. But I wouldn’t expect a denier to know these things. He’d rather have civilization stagnate.

  2. Today Feb. 18, 2020 / ABC News
    CEO Jeff Bezos announced via Instagram that he is donating $10 billion to fight “the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share.”
    “We can save Earth,” he wrote. “It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organizations, and individuals.”
    The commitment will go toward “scientists, activists, NGOs” and “any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.”

    1. As long as the shipping of new products continues. Would Amazon suggest more recycling or re-use, a far more green and less environmentally invasive approach?

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