About us

Eixverd is a social enterprise that promotes the sustainability of urban centers, throughout the execution of climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. Specifically, through the implementation of proposals for the resilience of cities and, ultimately, the improvement of the quality of urban life. At the same time, it aims to raise awareness and citizen participation to specify the action to face climate change.

In addition to being a social enterprise driven by environmental benefits, Eixverd distinguishes itself by other means, such as the comprehensive management of each project and scientific research, managing an experimental roof at the Pompeu Fabra University.

Being a social company, we make decisions based on environmental benefits, not economic ones.

Company

We manage climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in urban areas such as green roofs, green walls, urban gardens and installation of solar panels.

Climate change is an undeniable phenomenon; and societies can only try to reduce the magnitude of this change and prepare themselves for its effects. Thus, “mitigation” is understood as projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to reduce the magnitude of climate change. On the other hand, “climate change adaptation projects” refer to projects that increase the resilience of cities to events associated with climate change.

The management we offer includes vital tasks to each project such as:

  • The structural analysis of the building.
  • Architectural project to adapt the building to the proposal.
  • Landscape project.
  • Input from the neighbors.
  • Drafting the terms of use of the terrace.
  • Selection of the installer of roofs, solar panels, and urban gardens based on their price, characteristics and customer preferences.
  • Processing of the rehabilitation aid provided by the government.
  • Monitoring the construction.
  • Roof maintenance.

Furthermore, Eixverd does not prescribe any particular installer or supplier, but rather keeps all doors open to recommend the most suitable and most economical option to the client.

We’ll help you assess the best option for your building and process subsidies.

Eixverd will only implement solutions that are validated by existing scientific evidence. The enterprise also contributes to scientific research by partnering with different universities and by testing it out on an experimental green roof at Pompeu Fabra University (UPC), in order to contextualize scientific advances in a Mediterranean environment.

Green roofs and different construction methods are no innovation. There are scientific experiments that support some of their benefits, mostly done in Northern Europe or North America, but there isn’t much open research done in a Mediterranean environment.

During 2016 we collaborated with the UPC through the Higher Polytechnic School of Barcelona (EPSEB), the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) and Sustainable Urban Drainage to monitor 9 comparable samples of green roofs. The parameters that were monitored are the following:

  • Thermal insulation, including the thermal transmittance and the temperature delta between the inner and outer covering.
  • Urban biodiversity.
  • Water runoff.
  • Humidity and evapotranspiration-perspiration.
  • Social effects of the ecosystems.

During 2017 we experimented with different substrates used for extensive roofing and for vegetable garden roofs.

During 2018 we expanded our experience with more types of plants beyond sedum: semi-shade resistant plants; matting plants; plants resistant water shortage…

During 2019 we analyzed adventitious herbs that grew on the roof without doing maintenance, at the same time we began to distill essential oils as a potential vector to finance green roofs.

If you’d like to receive more information about the research protocol and scientific advances or want to participate in the research, feel free to contact us!

Do you want to be part of the research team of our experimental green roof? Contact us!

Our Team

Lídia Calvo

Foundress

Eixverd was founded by Lidia Calvo in 2015. She is an Industrial Engineer at the UPC in Barcelona (1992-1997) and an MBA from the University of San Diego, California (2001-2003). Her professional experience includes: R&D Engineer at Hewlett-Packard; international development in Bolivia (2005-2006), Uganda (2007-2010), and Mozambique (2011-2014) as coordinator of cooperation projects in food security, agriculture, institutional policies and climate change projects.

Gina Calvo

Graphic designer, gardener and phytotherapist

Gina Calvo graduated in Graphic Design in 2007 in Elisava. Before long, she began to travel around the world, living in different rural places where she got closer to the vegetable kingdom. It was her excitement and passion that led to her study of Phytotherapy. From that moment on she has dedicated herself to the world of agroecology; the cultivation of vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants; natural cosmetics; and gardening.

Gemma Merino

Higher technical in Forest and natural environment management and in Landscaping and rural environment

The curiosity to discover and learn about the natural environment of our territory led her to complete two higher cycles related to the natural environment. These were the basis for deciding that he wanted to devote himself to conserving and improving the environment.
Always with the mentality of leaving the world better than we found it, in this case, from gardening and green roofs, contributing to the renaturalization of cities.
It does its best to apply sustainability criteria in the different areas and continue to learn from day-to-day experience.

helena rovira eix verd

Helena Rovira

Photographer and gardener

She studied Photography and Digital Creation at the CITM in Terrassa between 2002 and 2006. Ever since she started, she has been dedicated to landscape and territory photography.
Her passion for printed image led her to co-found Lindero Libros, a small non-profit publishing project to self-publish her own works on paper. Her interest in plants motivated her to submerge herself into the world of gardening. She is passionate about everything that  has to do with Mediterranean culture.

Associates

Our collaborators are entities committed to Eixverd’s message of social and energy sustainability. We have collaborators who install green roofs, green walls or who provide material. We also have alliances in public and research entities:

  • Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)
  • Escola Politècnica Superior d’Enginyeria de l’Edificació (EPSEB-UPC)
  • Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA)
  • Barcelona City Council
  • Barcelona Metropolitan Area

Eixverd is part of the Agenda 21 of Sustainable Barcelona, is a member of the Col·legi d’Enginyers de Catalunya, Gremi d’Obres and the Spanish Association of Green Roofs and Vertical Landscaping (ASESCUVE).

Eixverd’s involvement in the following groups:

  • February 2018 – March 2019: Foment del Verd Urbà, with with Toni Solanas, Cinthia Echave, Roberto Soto, among others.
  • 2017-2018: Projects led by Barcelona + Sostenible network entities: Cobertes Mosaic
  • September 2018- November 2019: Climate Project: Barreres i Oportunitats de les Cobertes Mosaic. With Joan Rieradevall (ICTA-UAB), Julio Bermejo (4A + A), Lluïsa Arranz (Entorn XXI) and Alrun Jimeno (COAC).
  • Et Posem Verda, association of industrialists to design green roofs, of which the architect Joan Ramon Garcia (Espai Qbic) and salesman Jaume Ferret are a part of.

The following experts are also involved in the project: