2006:

We were in full force for our 5th Annual BIG GREEN HOLIDAY PARTY and RAFFLE and it was  fun... we secured a space that could hold well over 500 people!  We were so excited to have Alex Steffen from WorldChanging.org who said a few words about his amazing new book WorldChanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century (Abrams November, 2006)**.  Here are the Holiday Party details:

Date: Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
Time: 7:00 pm - midnight
Place: M1-5 bar
Location: 52 Walker Street (between Church and Broadway, one block South of Canal. www.m1-5.com
Cost: $15 suggested donation. Fabulous free green raffle prizes and organic food.

Contact Margaret at nyc@green-links.org for info about the party.  We were joined by many other green groups in the city and it's a way for us all to come together to celebrate the good work we're doing to make the world a better place.

** Margaret said:  "Word is that if we all buy the book from Amazon.com TODAY November 1st, it could shoot up to the #1 spot; So I would encourage you, and trust me, this is way worth it, if you're gonna buy it anyway, cause it will make a great gift, to buy it on November 1st and help make it a hit."

HOW: Walk, cycle, bus, subway, taxi (ok if more than two passengers.)

WHO: Anyone who likes networking and being social.

WHY: Fun, contacts, alcohol, info, gossip, inspiration, business and pleasure.

NEW: Just go up to someone and say "are you green?", and you'll be made welcome.

! STATUS: Informal, self-organizing network. Every month since July, 2001. Average attendance: 100.

GLOBAL: London | Berlin | Bristol | Bath | Canberra | Hamburg | Munich | Oxford | Reading | Warsaw | Tokyo | Washington, DC | Peterborough | San Francisco | Chicago | Sacramento | New York City | Providence | Twin Cities | Portland, OR | Seattle | Houston ~ 129 cities worldwide!

Green Drinks is a low key, informal, self-organizing network who meet at a different place each month with people who work in the environmental field for a beer - it's a chance to mix with others to network, share info and make friends.  It is a lively group of people who work in the areas of: architecture, energy, film, finance, publishing, fundraising, graphic design, sustainability in business, eco-materials, interior design, fashion design, law as well as folks in the non-profit and for-profit worlds.  

If you like to be social and learn more about what other green folks are doing in the city, come on down. We are an informal, networking group with an average attendance of 100 people who work and study in the environmental field and have met very month since 1990.

Organizers feel this might be a way for greenroofs folks to connect with other green folks in the city, and suggest you take a chance to mix with other like-minded folks, to network, share info and make friends.  Just go up to someone and say "are you green?", and you'll be made welcome.

Read more at www.greendrinks.org.  To get on the email circulation list, send an email to: nyc@greendrinks.org.  

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Green Roofs for Healthy Cities offered the Green Roof Infrastructure Design & Installation 201 Course in December 2006 on:

Portland, OR, Green Roof Infrastructure: Design & Installation 201 Course on December 8: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.  Contact www.greenroofs.org for more info.

For further information, please visit Green Roofs for Healthy Cities or contact Anna Sergeyeva at 416.971.4494, ext. 228 or asergeyeva@greenroofs.org.

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Green Roofs for Healthy Cities offered the Green Roof Ecological Design Workshop in December 2006 on the following dates:

 

Portland, OR Ecological Design Workshop December 8:  Contact www.greenroofs.org for more info.
 

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Symposia in November, 2006 - About Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Symposia:

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is co-hosting, with various municipal governments, a series of symposiums across North America. Primary objectives of these symposiums are to demonstrate the benefits of a green roof system and to develop an action plan on how to establish a local green roof industry through research and policy development. These one-day symposia will provide an opportunity for participants to learn from local and national experts about the general design and implementation of green roofs. Local case studies will be featured wherever possible. Afternoon focus group sessions will allow attendees the chance to identify with relevant city officials the local research needs and obstacles to implementation. Input gathered from the participants at the symposium will be used to create an action plan that will help guide the development of the local municipality's research program to further explore green roof technical performance and introduce supportive policy options. Registration for this event is $195 US, and includes a one-year individual membership to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

Please contact jsprout@greenroofs.org for more information.  To view the current agenda and for more info, please visit www.greenroofs.org.

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Come DOWNTOWN this month for Green Drinks at Ear to the Earth sound and image gallery!  Experience incredible sounds and sights from nature, remember those?  Bring your electric bill to sign up for Wind Power and Con Ed Solutions and your $15 admission covered!

WHAT: Green Drinks NYC ~ Every 2nd Tuesday of the month, 100 or so New Yorkers who are interested in exploring all things green and sustainable meet at different fabulous locations around the city.  It’s a great chance to mix with other green-minded folks, share info and make new friends.  Open to everyone.  $10 admission.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2006.  6 – 10pm.

WHERE: Ear to the Earth at 3LD Gallery / Art Center, 80 Greenwich Street @ Rector, about 5 minutes walk from the World Financial Center.  Look for a glass facade to the right of the entrance to the Battery Parking Garage.  Map for details: http://www.3leggeddog.org/3LD/find.htm.

Ear to the Earth takes place October 6 - 14 in New York City and is a week-long festival of environmental sound and image with installations, panels, and concerts. Conceived and organized by Electronic Music Foundation, the aim of the festival is to inspire sensitivity to our natural and human environments through sound and foster engagement in environmental issues.   Click for the website.

SUPPORT NY WIND POWER: Sign up for Wind Power through Con Ed Solutions and receive free admission.  Bring a copy of your current electric bill to enroll.  Click for more info.

HOW: Walk, cycle, bus, subway, taxi (ok if more than two passengers.)

WHO: Anyone who likes networking and being social.

WHY: Fun, contacts, alcohol, info, gossip, inspiration, business and pleasure.

NEW: Just go up to someone and say "are you green?", and you'll be made welcome.

! STATUS: Informal, self-organizing network. Every month since July, 2001. Average attendance: 100.

GLOBAL: London | Berlin | Bristol | Bath | Canberra | Hamburg | Munich | Oxford | Reading | Warsaw | Tokyo | Washington, DC | Peterborough | San Francisco | Chicago | Sacramento | New York City | Providence | Twin Cities | Portland, OR | Seattle | Houston ~ 129 cities worldwide!

Green Drinks is a low key, informal, self-organizing network who meet at a different place each month with people who work in the environmental field for a beer - it's a chance to mix with others to network, share info and make friends.  It is a lively group of people who work in the areas of: architecture, energy, film, finance, publishing, fundraising, graphic design, sustainability in business, eco-materials, interior design, fashion design, law as well as folks in the non-profit and for-profit worlds.  

If you like to be social and learn more about what other green folks are doing in the city, come on down!  We are an informal, networking group with an average attendance of 100 people who work and study in the environmental field and have met very month since 1990.

Organizers feel this might be a way for greenroofs folks to connect with other green folks in the city, and suggest you take a chance to mix with other like-minded folks, to network, share info and make friends.  Just go up to someone and say "are you green?", and you'll be made welcome.

Read more at www.greendrinks.org.  To get on the email circulation list, send an email to: nyc@greendrinks.org.  

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The 2006 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO and 43rd IFLA World Congress was held on October 6–10, 2006 in Minneapolis, MN.  Education and field sessions covered issues from residential design to global issues of sustainability.  Leading experts in sustainable design were on hand to lead education programs and answer questions at the 2006 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO and 43rd IFLA World Congress.

Green Roof Sessions
On Saturday, October 7, the experts who designed the green roof for the ASLA headquarters building discussed the project and describe the context, design process, plant selection, implementation, and ongoing quantitative analysis of the project's environmental and structural impact.

Green Roof Design 101 and 201

Green roof technology is taking off in the U.S., and the landscape architecture profession is positioned at the forefront of this emerging market. Get a leg up on the competition with these certificate programs at incredible savings for ASLA/IFLA meeting registrants.  On Friday, October 6, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, an international organization dedicated to increasing the proliferation of green roofs,  presented two intensive, eight-hour green roof design courses. In Green Roof Design 101, the introductory course, attendees received an overview of the tools and techniques needed to meet green roof project objectives.  Green Roof Design 201, the intermediate course, provided an in-depth discussion of implementation issues.  Space was limited.

Open Forums on Sustainability
Two open forums focusing on sustainability were held on Saturday, October 7:

EPA Greenscapes: Building Sustainable Sites from the Ground Up—Soil

EPA Greenscapes: Building Sustainable Sites from the Ground Up—Water

Exciting Education Sessions
Water, brownfields, plants, and restoration are just a few of the subjects addressed by engaging programs throughout the meeting:

ASLA Green Roof Project

Millennium Report

Stormwater: Landscape Architects’ Role and a Neighborshed Approach to Stormwater Management

Sustainable Community Planning in China

Right Tree, Right Place: Selecting Trees for Urban Spaces Within An Urban Tropical Environment

SITES: System Integration Tool for Environmentally Sustainable Sites

Hong Kong Wetland Park—A MultiDisciplinary Exercise in Sustainability

LandTech: Wetlands Mapping

Planning and Redeveloping Brownfields

Defining Ecological Restoration Success: Principles, Project Case Studies, and Global Implications

Soil Biology—Sustainable Landscape Design and Management in the Public Urban Environment

Sustainability for the Virginia Capitol Square

Fascinating Field Sessions
Part education session, part professional tour, three of the 2006 field sessions highlighted local sustainable landscape architecture, providing a behind-the-scenes look at a number of extraordinary projects. Field session space was limited.

Innovative Stormwater Treatment

A Sustainable Approach to Residential Landscape Design

From Waste to Amenity: Stormwater Treatment and Reuse in Minneapolis's Heritage Park

Terrific Tours
One of this year’s tours, Conservation Development, highlighted innovative conservation development projects currently underway in the Twin Cities. Space was limited. Early Registration saved $100.

For more Conference info, please visit the ASLA website.

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Living Roofs: Cayuga Nature Center and Motherplants presented a one-day living roof workshop. We put a green roof onto a 320 square foot structure in one afternoon.  People came to familiarize themselves with the process of installing a living roof!

Date: Saturday, September 30 1pm-5pm / Rain Date: Sunday, October 1, 2006 1pm-5pm

Cost: CNC Members $25, Non-members $35

Registration: Highly recommended!

Living roofs reduce storm water runoff; moderate building temperatures, reduce heating and cooling costs; reduce heat radiation from buildings which causes the urban heat island effect; add to a building's aesthetic value; and increase green space for human enjoyment and wildlife value.

Visitors to Cayuga Nature Center can explore the wonders of the natural world first hand. The CNC houses over 40 live Animals in both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Explore our Butterfly House seasonally from June to August. Climb 50 feet into the tree canopy in Treetops, our six story observational tree-house. Or simply enjoy the outdoors while walking our five miles of interpretive trails, which meander through a mature deciduous forest, along gorges and streams, and past a variety of native plants and wildlife. Visitors to our Smith Woods property in Trumansburg can explore a rare old growth forest.

Local Schools and Educators can benefit from the many programs offered by the CNC. Connect the classroom to the natural world with one of our many Environmental Education programs, or challenge your students to surpass their perceived limitations on our TEAM Challenge ropes course.

Learn more about the Cayuga Nature Center here, and Motherplants here.
 

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West Coast Green is the largest residential green building conference + expo in the country.  The September 28-30, 2006 event was the inaugural conference for the western region of the United States, offering cutting-edge educational tracks, panels, continuing education units, a state of the art conference experience, networking forums, gala events, and more!

Greenroofs.com was a key outreach partner of West Coast Green, the first and largest residentially-focused green building conference in the country, and Publisher Linda Velazquez attended this astounding event.

Greenroofs.com offered its readers and subscribers a 20% discount on full conference registration. See below for details.

Thousands of Bay Area homeowners were invited to attend on Homeowner Day, September 30, when Robert F. Kennedy was our keynote speaker.  This landmark event come to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, September 28-30, 2006 in San Francisco, CA.  West Coast Green showcased over 250 exhibitors and 120 speakers, including keynotes by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Sarah Susanka (author of "The Not So Big House"), and industry leaders Ed Mazria, Peter Yost and Mark LaLiberte.

There were many designers/builders speaking about all aspects of residential building and one speaker focusing specifically on the green roof concept: Paul Kephart, Executive Director of Rana Creek.  Rana Creek designed the roofs of the Gap corporate headquarters and the California Academy of Sciences using sustainable strategies such as vegetative roofs.

More than 12,000 industry professionals and homeowners convened from all over the country to gain the tips and tools for building sustainably and successfully.  In honor of this momentous event, The City of San Francisco proclaimed the week of September 25th "Green Week."

NETWORK, SCHMOOZE, PROMOTE, LEARN, GROW YOUR BUSINESS....

For more details, visit us at www.westcoastgreen.com to learn why West Coast Green is the Largest Residential Green Building Event in the country.

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Green Roofs for Healthy Cities offered the Green Roof Infrastructure Design & Installation 201 Course in August on the following dates:

Chicago, Illinois Green Roof Design & Installation 201 Course on August 25: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm at Best Western Inn of Chicago, Buckingham Room, 162 east Ohio Street, Chicago, Illinois. (Trainer: Virginia Russell)

This much anticipated second course in the green roof accreditation program covers in detail many different steps that need to be understood and incorporated into any successful green roof design and implementation including actors' roles and responsibilities, construction contracts and their administration, warranties, bidding process etc. This course is suite to those who have already taken Green Roof Design 101 or who already have a good general understanding of green roof design.

Those using AIA, RCI, or ASLA credits for application toward their local/regional association or for license renewal can acquire 7 education credits for participating in this course.

Tuition for this one-day course was $345 per person and included course materials, lunch, and a one-year individual membership of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities - the green roof industry association for North America. Co-host members received a $50 discount, where applicable.

For further information, please visit Green Roofs for Healthy Cities or contact Dayna Goucher at 416.971.4494, ext. 228 or dgoucher@greenroofs.org.

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An extraordinary opportunity was offered to take part in the Regenerative Designs and Landscapes Tour of Middle Germany, August 21-30, 2006.

Hosted by Roland Oehme and his father, Wolfgang Oehme, the world renowned, German-born landscape architect, this exclusive tour offered special insights gained from years of practice in landscape architecture and garden design, and from many years of travel to Germany visiting its significant buildings, parks, gardens, and garden shows.

The highlights of the tour included two 2006 State Garden Shows, Berlin's magnificent botanic garden, Potsdam's historic & contemporary gardens (including the Foerster garden & nursery, Sanssouci (the summer residence for Friedrich the Great), & the former Federal Garden Show), two totally unique Hundertwasser buildings, the Bauhaus architecture school & Woerlitzerpark (one of the best German estate gardens in Dessau), the garden with the largest rose collection in the world, the dramatic restoration of the open pit coal mine into a recreational paradise with the large lake as its centerpiece in Bitterfeld, and the one of a kind Ferropolis or "city of iron."

Furthermore, we explored Germany's pioneering and responsible society actively pursuing a sustainable lifestyle, as exemplified in the latest in green building technology, recycling programs, beautiful public parks and gardens, climate cooling roof gardens, lively pedestrian town centers, creatively fun playgrounds, hemp & organic food stores, solar & wind power, delicious, healthy cuisine, and more unique and inspirational places and people.

This tour was designed for the person with an adventurous spirit and the ability to exercise on some days. We walked large distances on most days; and on some days swimming and bike riding was optional.  Tour participants needed to have been healthy and fit, and capable of walking several miles each day. This was not a motorcoach tour. We traveled in large vans, used public transportation, and walked as necessary. This allowed for a more intimate and richer experience with the local people and customs.

Land costs were estimated at $3,290, with a single room supplement of $300. Included in the cost were the accommodations and transportation for 10 days and 11 nights, all breakfasts, and 5 lunches & 5 dinners. Airfare was not included.

Past:  I welcome you to join us on this wonderfully unique tour of gardens and sustainable living in an undiscovered and blossoming region of Germany. A deposit of $200 (made payable to Roland Oehme) and completion of the Reservation Form (see below) is required to confirm a seat on this tour. Full payment and application deadline is Monday, July 10, 2006. The detailed itinerary and terms & conditions will be sent to you upon receiving your deposit.

Please contact me for any questions regarding this trip: Roland Oehme, T 410.825.3269 or greenharmonyendeavor@yahoo.com.

Bis bald! (See you soon!)

Roland Oehme

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The "Green Building Innovation" Symposium was held on August 23-25, 2006 in Berlin - Adlershof, Germany, co-hosted by:  The Department VI of the Berlin Senate, The Green Roof Centre of Excellence, FBB, EFB and FBR.   The Symposium addressed rain water usage including Rain Water Systems, Green Facades, and Green Roof Infrastructures.  Venue: Berlin-Adlershof, Rudower Street, Audience Hall Schrödinger Zentrum 0 115.

The symposium was held in German, but August 23rd was the "Academic Day," which was presented in English.

August 24 was the official day presented by the Berlin Senate where results of the project "Building of Physics in Berlin - Adlershof" was presented, where monitoring of cooling with living walls was investigated since 2002. Results of this project were launched at this symposium (in German, but with an special environmental mapping program of Berlin and the projects of Berlin - Adlershof also for our English speaking guests).

On August 25 a day trip through the history of eco - city projects in Berlin was offered,  demonstrating an overview of more than 25 years in green building technology realized in Berlin.

Please contact Manfred Köhler below for any detailed questions and visit The Green Roof Centre of Excellence website in English here.

Manfred Köhler: koehler@hs-nb.de
Tel. 0395 - 56 93 210 oder / 203 / Fax /299
Landscape Architect, BDLA,
Member of FLL, FBB, GRHC

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