News

We’re thrilled to have been awarded funding from the University of Plymouth’s Net Zero Solutions Fund for our new project: ‘Livingwalls for NetZero (LNZ): A live research and engagement project’.

This funding is supporting University of Plymouth researchers to work with us and Western GeoBuild (the living wall contractors) to design, monitor and engage the public with a living wall on the Melo Cafe, below our new office!

We are determined that the science centre buildings that we create are good for both people and planet – and we have always intended to cover them with green walls (living walls) which formed a live research project. The Lumi and Melo team were keen to improve the aesthetics of their building with a living wall (Lumi are funding the living wall itself) so this is the ideal opportunity to investigate and highlight the benefits of living walls while we don’t have a building of our own yet!

The focus will be on optimal green wall plant and soil choice for carbon sequestration and insulation properties, longevity, and also the wider benefits for biodiversity, sound reduction, wellbeing and flood-risk reduction, some of which may be investigated via student projects. We’re particularly excited to be using locally-sourced plants and growth medium, which will include biochar for added nutrient, water retention and carbon sequestering benefits.

We’re aiming to install the living wall in early Autumn. In the meantime, we’re collecting data to compare to when the living wall is in place, and planning our public engagement activities.

We’re also really grateful to the University of Plymouth and Devon County Council for involving us in the Net-Zero Exchange Internship and Leadership Programme. They are generously providing us with an intern to support our work on this project – see below.