London is one big vegetable patch
London is making increasing use of its vacant land to grow its own food. Capital Growth is a Mayoral initiative that aims to create 2,012 new growing spaces in London by 2012.
Rooftops, deserted building sites, spaces in parks, disused skips and neglected corners of estates are being transformed into neighbourhood gardens.
British Waterways has donated canal-side land and is building floating gardens on barges.
Hospitals, schools and mental-health institutes are exploiting the therapeutic value of gardening. Transport for London is transforming derelict railway banks into vegetable plots.
The demand for high-quality produce is reflected by an increasing number of farmers' markets throughout the city and the widespread popularity of organic food.
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Installation representing the wealth of vegetables that can be grown on a small urban balcony.
London conserves its water
Despite its reputation, London is surprisingly dry. Annual rainfall is around 585 millimetres of rain a year: less than Rome, Sydney or New York and considerably less than Shanghai, which gets 1,117 millimetres of rainfall a year.
But London is determined to conserve and reuse what water it has. The city is investing in the improvement of outdated infrastructure to reduce the amount of water lost through leakage; encouraging water recycling and taking measures to reduce the volume of water required by businesses and homes.
It is also working hard to clean, care for, and reinstate its waterways as part of a wider policy of improving London's environment in response to the challenges posed by climate change.
London's network of canals and rivers helps to ameliorate fluctuations in temperature and is vital to the capital's sustainable drainage strategy, accommodating surges in rainfall and reducing the risk of floods.
The Mayor is on a mission to promote London's high-quality tap water. Bars and restaurants are being encouraged to offer tap water to patrons and drinking fountains are being installed in the city's streets and parks.
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Umbrellas by London designer David David.
London is rich in wildlife
London is setting land aside for wildlife centres, nature reserves and city farms, while initiatives such as the Mayor's street tree planting programme and the priority parks programme are creating better habitats for wildlife within the fabric of the city itself.
London's domestic gardens make a valuable contribution to the city's biodiversity. An increase in urban bee keeping and the quality and variety of London honey reflects the wide range of plants to be found in London's window boxes and gardens.
Hives can increasingly be found in the heart of the city. Some of the world's most expensive honey comes from hives on the roof of Fortnum & Mason, one of the city's most exclusive department stores.
Following a concerted effort to clean its waters, the River Thames is home to 115 different species of fish that, in turn, support a growing population of birds including cormorants and herons.
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Urban bird boxes by Luke Morgan.