plant wall

there's a company in rochester that makes these plant walls and installs them all over the US. the new LEED-certified CAST building at RIT has this one inside the main entrance of the building. this one only has plants for decoration, but i've seen some that have flowers, herbs, and vegetable plants in them. they can be installed indoors but most of them are installed out. there are two main types of customers that have these installed - yoga, clothing, and other retail stores that have them for the wow factor and inner cities that use them to grow food for the people in the neighborhood.

the thought is not only do they look cool and can provide food, but they can provide some of the same green building benefits as green roofs. green roofs insulate the building (reduce heating and cooling costs) and collect and use rainwater to water the plants (thus reducing the burden on the sewer system by diverting a significant amount of water from it). they could also be great for city dwellers that don't have the space for a traditional garden. it's pretty cool.

you can buy smaller versions that sit on a countertop at the Green Living Technologies website at www.agreenroof.com