It will be an urban home to 125 trees and 5,200 plants, as well as flats on 19 storeys. Planned for the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the latest project by architect Stefano Boeri is a bid to prove that the twin challenges of climate change and a lack of affordable housing could be tackled alongside each other through innovative architecture.

The Trudo Vertical Forest is thought to be the first vertical forest on a social housing project in the world. Following schemes in Milan, Nanjing, Lausanne, Paris and after a global call to action for architects, planners and housing companies to embrace urban forestry, Boeri has published plans for the building in the city in the south of the Netherlands.

Urban forestry is not only necessary to improve the environment of the world’s cities but also an opportunity to improve the living conditions of less fortunate city dwellers

“Urban forestry is not only necessary to improve the environment of the world’s cities but also an opportunity to improve the living conditions of less fortunate city dwellers,” said Boeri.

The building, commissioned by housing body Sint-Trudo, will include 125 ‘affordable’ social housing units as well as ‘hundreds of trees and plants’ in a variety of species. It is hoped that the biodiverse environment will help curb urban pollution and provide homes for a range of animals and insects.

Images: Stefano Boeri Architetti

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The post The world’s first vertical forest for low-income housing is coming to the Netherlands appeared first on Positive News.

1. Motivation

Do you complain you don’t have enough time? I consistently see clients underestimate time spent online by approximately two hours a day: a whole extra month per year. What would you do with all this extra time? Set a goal you can really look forward to, and track your digital usage for a week by installing a free Rescuetime browser extension. Then? Cut the biggest distractions.

2. Time management

Give up on the idea that you need to be connected 24/7. In the age of digital distraction, information is abundant, but our attention is limited. Remove all notifications, and use blocking apps and extensions – for example Stayfocusd, which is free – and functions that let you take control of when you send and receive email messages, like Boomerang. Take back control of your agenda from your devices.

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3. Space management

We need space in our heads to digest information, take good decisions and be creative. Set up a daily ritual of locking your devices out of sight when you finish work. Arrange tech-free zones in the areas where you relax and process information – the bedroom, dining table or bathroom. Get an old-fashioned alarm clock instead: this will improve both the quality of your sleep and your sex life.

4. Relationship management

We still don’t have etiquette around how people can contact us online, so we end up managing multiple communication channels: email, WhatsApp, social media, text messaging. Be proactive and advise people the best channel to contact you on, and when they can expect to hear back from you. By managing their expectations, you free up parts of your brain.

Anastasia Dedyukhina is the founder of Consciously Digital consultancy. Image: Olga Kotilevskaya

5. Self-management

Don’t rely on willpower alone to change your digital habits: online temptations will quickly deplete it. Instead, create daily structures to support yourself. Finding something truly inspiring to do will help: we often go online not because we need to, but because it makes us feel important or helps us avoid being sad. Replace this artificial dopamine high with a natural one. Social achievements, discovering new exciting things, and doing things you truly enjoy, will make you less tempted to go online so often.

Consciously Digital works with businesses to help people stay healthy in an ‘age of digital distraction’

Read our feature, The big disconnect: how to tackle tech addiction here

The post Choose life over the device: 5 ways to build resilience in a digital age appeared first on Positive News.

The Good Business column features people who are leading social change. It is created in collaboration with Impact Hub Islington, a co-working and business incubation space in London for socially minded entrepreneurs. 

The entrepreneurs featured in this week’s column took part in the Hub Youth Academy, a two-week intensive course and year’s incubation period at Impact Hub Islington for young people to grow and develop their own social enterprise.

Nicola: Hi guys, tell us about Rabble

Charlotte: Rabble is a sports club on a mission to revolutionise exercise. We want to make people healthier by exercising regularly in an enjoyable way – inspired by kids who play all the time with their friends just because they want to. We run three team games per week in parks across London and play any team-based game as long as it’s fun, social and active. Our games are inspired by kids’ games or movies, so for example we might play Dodgeball, Capture the Flag or our version of The Hunger Games. We also offer classes to businesses to promote the wellbeing of their teams as an alternative to subsidised gym membership.

How did it all begin?

Charlotte: In 2010, I was accepted on to a programme to train for the 2012 Olympics in triathlon. Unfortunately I was run over by a Landrover while I was training and broke my back, punctured both my lungs and broke my ribs and collarbone. I luckily managed to survive but during rehab for the second major surgery I had to have on my spine, I fell out of love with elite sport. It kind of felt a bit self-centered.

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I then cycled from Beijing to London to raise money for the charity that saved my life, the Air Ambulance. When I came back, I got a job in London. It was there that I realised all the current forms of exercise for adults were really repetitive and monotonous. Without a race to train for, I found the gym isolating. I tried a few other things like Zumba, which I found really awkward. Then there are sports teams but I felt too scared to join. I was struck by how exercise was made into this really big chore for so many people. I thought I could do something to change that and so I persuaded Rosemary to quit her job and join me to build Rabble!

Rabble founders Rosemary Pringle (L) Charlotte Roach (R) and . Photo © Rabble

What was it like giving up your job to start Rabble?

Rosemary: It’s not as scary as you think. Everyone keeps saying I’m brave but I don’t feel brave, I’m doing what I love. The bigger fear would be living a life that didn’t make me happy. For someone like me, it got to the point where something had to change. The brave part is the first step. After that it doesn’t feel brave any more, it feels like I’m indulging myself. I’m so lucky.

What’s been your biggest success to date?

Rosemary: Three months ago we didn’t even have a business name yet a few weeks ago we got offered six-figure funding for the business. We just never ever anticipated that. We were amazed we could inspire confidence in people to put money where their mouths are.

Are you a business or a social enterprise?

Rosemary: We see it as the same. For a social enterprise to be sustainable it has in a lot of ways got to operate as a business – you’re just looking to generate social good at the same time and you care about the social good you are generating.
Charlotte: So for us that’s getting people healthy, both mentally and physically, and enjoying it. We want people to come outside, meet their friends, have fun and exercise regularly because they want to, and that should have a positive impact on their health. That’s what we’re passionate about.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Rosemary: No one is really ready to start their own business; you’re only as ready as your network. So lots of really kind people have helped us and given us some absolutely genius insight. The best advice we were given to start was to just get out there and do it. Also on the Hub Youth Academy, one of the facilitators, Ehon Chan, said: “Live for your eulogy, not your resume.”

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