My trip to The Crystal; Take it with a fist of salt

In a little step away from my planned topic of biodiversity, I wanted to make a day trip recommendation if you happen to be around London. Siemens have developed a temple to sustainable cities at Royal Victoria Docks, which dreamily explores how we might hope to make our cities sustainable(it does what is says on the tin). The video below elaborates on this museum a little more:

Now, while this corporate greening flagship might seem like a wonderful, win-win filled cornucopia of solutions to humanity's environmental concerns, I can't say I was convinced entirely by such an obvious ploy of a massive corporation to green its image. This brings up yet again the question of whether consuming our way to sustainability is in itself a sustainable model for the future. However, I celebrate this museum for raising awareness to visitors who are less familiar with climate and sustainability challenges specifically related to cities.

I was a big fan of the real green walls referenced in my urban afforestation post(See my picture below). So, jump on the bus, the tube, or your bike and pay a visit, but remember to bring some salt with you because you'll need a pinch or two for this flashy display of greening and win-win rhetoric.

The green walls of The Crystal. I gave the bricks a squash, they're made up of compacted soil!