Name:
John Little
Position:
Tutor
About John
John has always loved plants and what they can do for people and urban space. In 1995 his built his own green roof home. This was the catalyst for a career change and in 1998 he founded the grassroofcompany.co.uk
Since then he has designed and built over 130 small green roof buildings, combining living roofs with habitat walls.
John has always argued the importance of linking grounds maintenance to the residents that use the space. He campaigns to lift the profile and the importance decent imaginative maintenance plays in helping to improve life and biodiversity within social housing estates. His company has looked after Clapton Park estate Hackney East London for 17 years. He has produced a sustainable grounds maintenance contract template based on this work that puts people first.
He is currently researching the potential of dictating low fertility substrates in new landscapes to provide habitat for invertebrates and diverse plant communities. He suggests rethinking our obsession with specifying top soil in all new projects.
John has also launched a range of small Green roof shelters based on second hand shipping containers and designed portable structures.
He lives in Essex with his wife and 2 children.
You can find out more about John from his recent chat about his career with Sarah Wilson on her Rootsandall podcast.