Green Walls at the University of Life Sciences
The first external green wall in Lublin was installed at the University of Natural Sciences in September 2015, and it was later followed by two smaller installations inside and outside in 2017 [5]. Apart from their decorative and aesthetical functions, the walls serve educational and research purposes, as the suitability of the chosen plants for the Polish climate conditions will be evaluated for similar urban projects in the country. Finally, the project promotes urban greenery and certain offsetting for grey infrastructure [1, 2, 3, 5].
Beehives on the roofs of the Catholic University of Lublin
The initiative involves establishing beehives on the roofs of the Catholic University of Lublin and the Centre for the Meetings of Cultures. It seeks to provide the habitat for the bees in the city, help in pollination, educate the society about the bees and shape more ecologically-friendly attitudes among the students, faculty and visitors. It should also produce honey that can be sold or distributed free of charge, which can serve in a promotional tool of the two institutions. The Centre for the Meetings of Cultures has additionally opened a garden to provide food for the pollinators [1,2,3,4,6]. In 2020, the initiative is still ongoing and expanding. Every year, the university organizes a competition about the life of bees for various age groups [7].
Telheiras allotment garden
In 2011 the Municipality of Lisbon promoted a project for urban gardens in the Horticultural Park of Telheiras (Ref.4).
The park is an allotment garden with the objective of supporting the urban agricultural practice for its own consumption. The residents of the locality had the possibility of renting at a symbolic price, one of the plots made available by the municipality (ref.5).
Beyond the provision of plots, the Council also provides fences, shelters for storage, water irrigation, training and technical support (ref. 1).
The park is an allotment garden with the objective of supporting the urban agricultural practice for its own consumption. The residents of the locality had the possibility of renting at a symbolic price, one of the plots made available by the municipality (ref.5).
Beyond the provision of plots, the Council also provides fences, shelters for storage, water irrigation, training and technical support (ref. 1).
The Coventry Water Vole Project
"The Coventry Water Vole Project aims to improve Coventry’s waterways and riverside habitat for water voles." "Water voles are Britain's most severely threatened mammal. Numbers have declined by as much as 95% in Warwickshire in recent years due to threats such as habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, poisoning, and predation.” "The Coventry Water Vole Project has focused on the control of the non-native and highly invasive plant Himalayan balsam, followed by replanting some riverside areas with native 'water vole friendly' wetland plants." (Ref. 1)
Garden Faber Bari
Due to the frequent episodes of flooding, the city of Bari has started thinking about becoming a laboratory where experimenting a new landscape approach, with the additional benefit of enhancing daily liveability. New green spaces have been built within housing areas (apartments that the municipality provides for those who have low income). (Ref.1&2) The aim of Garden Faber was to create a community garden, designed and made by residents for residents (Ref.1.) As of July 2020, no sources were available to understand if the community continued with the garden.
Liko-NOE building
Liko-Noe is a business office building that meets all of its energy demands on its own and has a sophisticated system of water reuse and management. The building features a green roof, a green facade, and water storage ponds on the outside (Ref. 1). The building has a constructed treatment wetland for the wastewater treatment, uses solar energy for photovoltaic panels as well as thermal wall (Ref. 4). The aim of the project is to demonstrate that nature-based building techniques can significantly help address the challenges of soil and water degradation, and climate change (Ref. 1).
Woodland Community garden
The woodland community garden is the main project of the Woodland community. Since 2010 they have transformed a derelict urban waste dumping site into a thriving community garden and ‘outdoor community centre’. Since then it has become an important local space where people make new friends and feel part of the community. It’s also a great place to unwind from the everyday stresses and strains of city life. Each year, around 50 households grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs in the garden’s raised beds. The garden has over 50 raised beds where local people can grow their own food with beds allocated on an annual basis. For people who do not have raised beds there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved, including via twice-weekly volunteer sessions. The garden is a wonderfully therapeutic space that helps people to recover from the stresses and strains of everyday life. (Ref 1)
Community Garden Fontgieve
"The garden was created in 2012 with the Parenthesis Association. The association closed in 2015. In January 2016 a group of gardeners decided to create a new association to continue their garden, that is when the gardens of Fontgiève were born. In the garden one discusses, one shares, one exchanges, one helps one, one gives oneself advice. The garden produces much more than vegetables and fruits; Ideas germinate there, sharing them is collective intelligence" (Ref.1).
Sowe Valley Project
The Sowe Valley Project was a community-based project focusing on rivers restoration. It aimed to link the local community with the Sowe River Valley and to improve the valley’s biodiversity and habitats for the benefits of people and wildlife. (Ref. 2, 6, 11-13)
The Bio Washing Machine
The Bio Washing Machine is a combination of an Aquifer Thermal Heat Storage (ATES) system and biological natural attenuation of groundwater and is thereby mainly focused on groundwater decontamination and energy storage. The ATES system accelerates the biological degradation of groundwater contamination and provides sustainable energy because cold water is pumped through buildings during the summer to cool the buildings and hot water during winter for heating. The groundwater decontamination measurements are aimed at protecting water in order to provide safe drinking water (ref. 1, 2, 3)

