Integrating green technologies into curriculum for tomorrow's professionals

As revitalization of metropolitan areas continues to expand, innovative green technologies hold considerable promise for creating sustainable urban eco¬systems. Over the last three decades green designs have been successfully applied over a diverse range of environmental problems including storm water management, energy conservation, microclimate mitigation, pollution remediation, food produc¬tion, and biodiversity restoration. Keeping current with new trends in these rapidly evolving technologies is crucial to comprehending the potential of green plants that accelerate ecological transformations of urban land. This rapid development of green technologies suggests teaching oppor¬tunities at the university level to assist future professionals in understanding the principals of green designs. The new interdisciplinary course engages students majoring in various fields such as landscape architecture, horticulture and natural resources and acquaints them with the effective selection and use of plants in the modified urban environment. The course familiarizes students with a broad range of innovative green technologies including green roofs and green walls; phyto¬remediation and bioretention including bioswales, wetlands and rain gardens; as well as urban streetscaping, and discusses the design principals related to each technology. The course also addresses the proper selection of plant genotypes based on proven attributes which are critical for the success and sustainability of each installation. Selection of the optimal plant for a specific environmental concern requires an understanding of the characteristics and capabilities of different plants and their suitability to perform effectively under specific conditions in order to employ the concept of green applications to its fullest potential. And finally, the course presents principles of how to design sustainable plant communities specific to each installation that are based on the ecological models and principals of designing for biodiversity.