Well, we knew that greenroofs would eventually make it into mainstream America – and finally they have!

Ed Snodgrass, co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms / Green Roof Plants (and Contributing Editor here on Greenroofs.com), will be on the Hallmark Channel’s “The Martha Stewart Show” on this Friday, April 20, 2012!

Since I’ll be working, I’ve already set my DVR is record Friday’s show – how exciting!  Check the Hallmark Channel/The Martha Stewart Show website for your area time listings.

“The Earth Day Show,” as it’s touted, is described as follows:

“Go green with environmentally friendly ideas for your home and outdoor space.  Build your own lush rooftop garden with a handy guide from Ed Snodgrass, president and founder of Emory Knoll Farms.  Plus, a look at Disneynature’s remarkable new film, “Chimpanzee.””

~ “The Martha Stewart Show“

I don’t know about “Chimpanzee” yet, but I can bet that it will be fun to watch Ed! He filmed at the studio on Monday, April 16 and here Ed is below on the set:

Chip, The Martha Stewart Show set designer, is on Ed’s left, and Andrea Mason, who produces the garden segments, is on Ed’s right.

Ed says they constructed the shed mock up, above, to highlight differences between green and non-greened roofs and show the basics of small scale projects, including various growing media and planting options.

Ed is also promoting his book Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living, 2011, which he co-wrote with Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge, and John Little.  I’m sure that viewers will appreciate the unlimited DIY possibilities here.

How appropriate that Martha is showcasing greenroofs on Earth Day – congratulations, Ed and kudos to Martha Stewart and staff for raising the public’s awareness of greenroofs!

By the way, make sure to see Ed’s collaboration on the “Green Roofs Without the Hype” panel presentation video, now playing on our GreenroofsTV Channel on YouTube.

As I always say, “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!”

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air the “Green Roofs Without the Hype” Panel Presentation with Patrick Carey, Dr. Robert Berghage, Charlie Miller, and Ed Snodgrass from our inaugural 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

Since Earth Day is coming up, I felt this panel of industry leaders and experts would make a great choice to honor the occasion!

Two of these gentlemen have been long standing editorial contributors to Greenroofs.com – Ed Snodgrass as The Plant Editor (2004) and Patrick Carey as The Architecture Editor since 2005.

Ed’s an accomplished nurseryman, author, proponent of sustainable business practices, and an all around affable guy with a big heart, and writes the (very occasional!) column “Ask Ed.”  We had the pleasure, along with our attendees, of having Ed as one of our Keynote Speakers at our Virtual Summit last September – look for his video “Right Plant, Right Place” coming up soon.  Read my in-depth interview with him at his family farm, Emory Knoll Farms, here.

Speaking of both Earth Day and Ed Snodgrass, make sure you see or record Ed’s appearance on the Martha Stewart Show this Friday, April 20, 2012.  In honor of Earth Day, Martha invited Ed to talk about – what else? greenroofs!

I have known Patrick Carey since 2000, when we corresponded about research and greenroofs (or greenruffs, as he says!).  He is very near and dear to Aramis and me, and is a brilliant (yet mental) philosopher, architectural/greenroof designer, and excellent writer, albeit in a rambling, existential kind of manner.  His column, “A View from the Sky Trenches,” has also come only occasionally, which can be expected of people who have to work for a living instead of writing for us in a consistent manner.  I asked Patrick to lead the panel discussion as the moderator, and in fact he chose the other three panelists to be on his team.

As you know if you read my blog posts, I hold Charlie Miller very dear to me as an inspiration and mentor since I’ve known him for years – I also asked him to be one of our four Keynote Speakers for our 2011 Virtual Summit – you can see my blog post about it here and see the Episode #1 “A New Place” video listed below.

Dr. Bob Berghage is a newer acquaintance, having met him finally along with the late, wonderful, Dr. Dave Beattie in Nürtingen, Germany in 2004 at the inaugural International Green Roof Congress sponsored by IGRA.  He’s extremely knowledgeable, outspoken, and friendly – a great combo for a professor!

I think the four made an excellent and very smart panel, and I’m sure you’ll agree:

Patrick Carey, GRP, lives in Seattle, WA, USA and has a degree in architecture and is principal of hadj design, a green roof design-build company.  Patrick is also director of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild’s Green Roof Project and a trainer with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities where he facilitates the Green Roof 101, 201, 301, & 401 Courses.  Patrick is also a contributing editor on Greenroofs.com (2005); he is the Architecture Editor (2005).  He writes an occasional architectural column entitled “A View from the Sky Trenches,” where he selects and discusses pertinent greenroof industry topics.

Patrick was the Moderator for “Green Roofs Without the Hype.”

Dr. Robert Berghage lives in University Park, PA, USA.  Robert D. Berghage, PHD is an Associate Professor in Horticulture and Director of the Center for Green Roof Research at Penn State.  He has been a member of the Penn State faculty since 1994 and was a member of the Faculty of New Mexico State University from 1989 to 1994.  He received a Ph.D. and MS in Horticulture from Michigan State University and a BS in Botany from the University of Michigan.  He conducts research in phytoremediation and plant growth in modified environments.  Current projects mainly focus on green roofs where Dr. Berghage, along with colleagues in engineering and graduate and undergraduate students have been working to evaluate green roof materials, plants, and systems and to quantify the beneficial functions of green roofs.  He teaches Plant Propagation, Herbaceous Plant Identification and Use, and Eco-roof Technology classes in Horticulture.  He is state Floriculture and Greenhouse Crop Production Extension Specialist and the serves on the Penn State Stormwater Management Advisory Committee.

Charlie Miller, P.E. lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA and is the Principal of Roofmeadow. Charlie Miller has 30 years of experience in projects related to civil and environmental engineering.  In 1997, Charlie formed Roofscapes, Inc. (now Roofmeadow) to introduce green roof technology as a new tool for managing stormwater in urban and developing areas in the United States.  He has written four new ASTM standards that are specifically intended for use by the green roof industry, and is currently at work on the new ASTM Standard Guide for Vegetated Green Roof Systems.  Charlie’s firm provides project delivery services, including feasibility studies, design consulting, preparation of construction documentation, construction management, and long-term maintenance and support for green roof installations.  Projects have included the design and installation of the well-known green roof for Chicago’s City Hall.  Roofscapes, Inc. supports and supervises a national network of landscape contractors that specialize in green roof installation.  It also partners with several national roofing manufacturers in order to offer complete green roof assembly packages.  Over 200 green roofs have been installed by Roofmeadow contractors. Consulting services offered by Roofmeadow focus on providing affordable green roof options for controlling stormwater and nurturing green space in cities.

Edmund Snodgrass lives in Street, MD, USA and is co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants.  Edmund Snodgrass started the first green roof nursery in North America and has collaborated on green roof research with colleges and universities.  He is co-owner and president of Emory Knoll Farms Inc.  Ed speaks and lectures widely on green roofs and has presented in England, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Canada and the US.  In 2009, Ed was the recipient of the Spencer P. Ellis award from the Maryland Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects and is the 2011 recipient of the G.B. Gunlogson Award from the American Horticultural Society.  Ed is the co-author of Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living, 2011; The New American Landscape: Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening, 2011; The Green Roof Manual: A Professional Guide to Design, Installation, and Maintenance, 2010; and Green Roof Plants, A Planting and Resource Guide, 2006.

Ed is also a contributing editor on Greenroofs.com (2004): the Plant Editor where he answers reader questions, writes occasional articles, and features seasonal greenroof plants in “Ask Ed.”

The premise of the ”Green Roofs Without the Hype” Panel Session is:

Here are four people with the knowledge to speak frankly about the current state of affairs in green roofing.

This panel focuses on the designation and evaluation of expertise, appropriate background and training, roadblocks to research and education, design origination and control, chain of custody issues, installation, and the residential market.

After the panel presentation on the second day of the 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit, Patrick Carey, Dr. Robert Berghage, Charlie Miller, and Ed Snodgrass were available for the live Q & A session; the transcript was available archived for 30 days for participants of the Virtual Summit – unfortunately, we do not have it available now – one of the reasons to participate in this year’s Virtual Summit!

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Green Roofs Without the Hype” or click below:

Watch earlier videos on our exclusive Virtual Summit greenroofs.tv play list, or see the following Virtual Summit videos now available on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:

If you’re looking for an overview, make sure to see our 2011 Virtual Summit Highlights video (6:18) and our 2011 Virtual Summit Trailer (2:59).

Check back next week on GreenroofsTV for our 20th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here is the transcript from April 13, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for April 13th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the Green Wall Ferrara, built in 2009 in Ferrara, Italy. This project entailed converting a garden space in the courtyard of a private estate and there was little room for a traditional garden, which led the designers to plant on the walls.  The Optigreen Living Wall Garden system was installed and a beautiful vertical garden was created, resulting in a very soothing effect.

The core unit of the Optigreen Wall Garden system solution is a high-grade, substrate-filled aluminum cassette system which can be planted on site.  The horizontal suspension rails support the Wall Garden elements which are hooked into the rails. The irrigation system is fully automatic with a blending unit for fertilizer and herbicides. Three thousand plants with about 50 different species were planted into this 5 meter high, 120 meter squared private green wall.

- To learn more about the Green Wall Ferrara, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 18: “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics” by Roland Appl.

And find the rest of the videos in this series on our GreenroofsTV page and/or our greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

- Advertiser Press Releases:

- Sika Sarnafil Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Sarnafil Brand Roofing Membrane.

- Another Green Roof Boosts Stormwater Management at Loyola University Chicago by LiveRoof.

- Industry News

- Communities looking for the most cost-effective options for managing polluted runoff and protecting clean water should choose green infrastructure solutions, according to a report released this week by American Rivers, the Water Environment Federation, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and ECONorthwest.  The report, Banking on Green: How Green Infrastructure Save Municipalities Money and Provides Economic Benefits Community-wide, demonstrates that green infrastructure practices can offer more cost-effective solutions relative to traditional infrastructure approaches.

- Sky Gardens Blog

- Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 18: Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics,” and “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: April 6, 2012.”

- “Upcoming Events”

- Don’t forget going on now through April 22nd is our “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest! So make sure to like our Facebook page, if you haven’t already, upload your greenroof photo and then get your friends and family to vote for it daily!

- April 14th-17th: is the American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference, in Los Angeles, CA.

- And April 17th: is the Green Roof Science Symposium, at Columbia University, in New York, NY.

- “In the News”

- Matthew Camp of The Alestle, talks about “Unseen green grows on SIUE rooftops.”  He says several buildings at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are becoming a part of a greener tomorrow with the additions of rooftop gardens.  Civil engineering professor and acting environmental program coordinator, Susan Morgan, says there are currently three buildings on campus that have the gardens and there are several more planned for the future.  Biology professor Dr. Bill Retzlaff [one of our contributing editors] says the typical green roof may cost $11-50 per square foot, SIUE’s gardens are at the cheaper end, and “since 2004, more than 100 students have worked on the project.  SIUE is a leader in green roof research in the United States.  They are one of the five or six bigger institutions that conduct research on green roofs.”

Mechanical engineering professor Serdar Celik says they don’t use traditional soil for the roofs – they have been experimenting with different inorganic rocks and different varieties of sedum, and also that the students do experimental testing and theoretical analysis.  They take temperature readings, measurements of stormwater runoff weight, solar radiation, plant coverage, and more.  Celik also says that since we are aware of the global warming issue, the rooftop gardens are one of the solutions toward environmentally friendly sustainable design standards.

- Sandy Bauers of the Philadelphia Inquirer, reports on “Philadelphia embarks on green stormwater management.”  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave the go-ahead to Philadelphia’s $2 billion plan to manage its stormwater with green methods like porous pavements, green roofs, and planting more trees.  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said “the city has earned a place as a national and global leader on sustainable innovation and clean water protection.”  She joined Mayor Nutter and other officials at the Fairmount Water Works to sign the agreement for a 25-year plan that has been described as one of the most innovative and ambitious in the nation, it will transform how the city looks but more importantly how the city handles its stormwater.

Other cities like Syracuse, Cleveland and New York will be following in Philadelphia’s footsteps, and hopefully they’re the first of many cities around our country to enhance their cities and beautify their streets.  Later this month, a nonprofit water sustainability organization, the Clean Water America Alliance, will name Philadelphia one of the six national 2012 prize winners for its stormwater plan.

- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or Newslinks section of our website.

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!

- Make sure to keep up with everything Greenroofs.com by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, being a member of our network on LinkedIn, and subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube!

- This has been This Week in Review for April 13th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air Roland Appl’s video presentation “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics” from our inaugural 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

Aramis and I first met Roland in Nürtingen, Germany in 2004 at the inaugural International Green Roof Congress sponsored by IGRA – the International Green Roof Association.  What a first class person and a first class event!  After the conference, the native German was our amiable and knowledgeable Green Roof Tour leader who took our large group to several beautiful sites around Nürtingen and Unterensingen.

One was the awesome ZinCo International Headquarters with about 12 expansive extensive greenroofs, above, and one beautiful intensive greenroof, below, on site used for hosting visitor and employee gatherings.  The premises was later used as testing grounds for developing their solar system used in conjunction with vegetated roofs.

Another stop, included in Roland’s video, is ZinCo’s first project combining the two green technologies of greenroofs and photovoltaics – the Schule Unterensingen, below, where 200 solar panels and an extensive greenroof grace the top roof of this large primary school in Unterensingen.  Read more in my previous Sky Gardens column about the 2004 International Green Roof Congress here.

By the way, both ZinCo GmbH and ZinCo USA have been steady advertising supporters of Greenroofs.com since 2003, and ZinCo USA is one of our esteemed Sponsors.  We’re grateful for their continued support!

Roland Appl has been working as a green roof engineer for more than 25 years in the Stuttgart region in Germany.  As the Technical Director of the green roof system developer and supplier ZinCo, he has been involved in several technical innovations (e.g. thermally insulating green roofs, green roofs and photovoltaics).  He is designing green roof systems dedicated to all kind of possible applications.  Roland is member of the research group “Green Roofs” of the FLL and he was also speaker at the GRHC conferences in Boston, Minneapolis, Baltimore and Toronto.

In 2009 Roland Appl was elected president of the International Green Roof Association ( IGRA), which was responsible for the “International Green Roof Congress 2009 “Bringing Nature Back to Town” in Nürtingen near Stuttgart.  IGRA was also one of the organisers of the Skyrise Greenery Conference 2010 in Singapore (read my blog post about it here).

In Roland’s presentation, he explains how the synergistic effects of combining green roofs with photovoltaics are not limited to their installation – the substrate serves as ballast against wind-uplift and they are also noticeable in their operation: solar module efficiency is normally linked to temperatures.

As evaporation from the green roof cools the photovoltaic modules, in turn the process increases their efficiency – this is an important contribution to the environment and to climate protection.

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics” or click below:

Watch earlier videos on our exclusive Virtual Summit greenroofs.tv play list, or see the following Virtual Summit videos now available on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:

If you’re looking for an overview, make sure to see our 2011 Virtual Summit Highlights video (6:18) and our 2011 Virtual Summit Trailer (2:59).

Check back next week on GreenroofsTV for our 19th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here is the transcript from April 6th, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for April 6th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the Salmon Creek School & Environmental Center, built in 2009 in Freestone, California.  This LEED® Platinum certified school is the first public school in California to receive this highest level of LEED® certification.  The educational building is also a community and environmental education center that focuses itself on place-based learning and developing eco-literacy among its students and parents.  SYMBIOS eco-tecture worked with students, administrators, community and environmental groups to design and plan a living roof that would be educational and functional.  The cafeteria food comes from the organic garden; the walls are not only natural plaster but also clean the air; and natural light is strategically introduced to keep the kids perky and to help heat the building in the winter.

In the summer the green living roof keeps the school cool, in the winter keeps it warm and creates a habitat for wildlife all year long.  Biodiversity was emphasized in the planting scheme of the greenroof, which included 12 species of drought-tolerant succulents, three of which are native to California.  Salmon Creek that runs through the school’s property is currently undergoing a multi-year restoration project to restore the Coho Salmon populations and therefore a net zero stormwater discharge rate was mandated.  Other sustainable features of the building include passive solar design, daylight harvesting, a 30 kilowatt PV solar system, eco-plasters and floor finishes, reclaimed lumber and recycled content steel framing low-water use fixtures, and more.

- To learn more about the Salmon Creek School & Environmental Center, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 17: “Sustainability in Plant Production” by Lluis Recasens Pahí.

- Contributing Editor

- Also read Haven Kiers’ new “Chic Sustainability Watch: Trends, Projects & People – Disappearing Acts.”

- Advertiser Press Releases:

- Tecta America Expert Angie Durhman Named Opening Speaker for the NYC Green Roof Science Symposium.

- Industry News

- Toronto is the first city in North America to have a bylaw to require and govern the construction of green roofs on new development.  It was adopted by Toronto City Council in May 2009, under the authority of Section 108 of the City of Toronto Act.  The Bylaw applies to new building permit applications for residential, commercial and institutional development made after January 31, 2010 and will apply to new industrial development as of April 30, 2012.

- New York City Planning Commission unanimously approves Zone Green proposal.  Zone Green is the most comprehensive effort of any city in the nation to sweep aside obstacles to green buildings and energy efficiency – eliminating barriers to green roofs to energy generation and to rooftop agriculture.  Zone Green will give homeowners and building owners new opportunities to make investments that save them energy, save them money, and improve our environment.

- Forty-six ASTM International standards covering various aspects of building construction are cited in the 2012 International Green Construction Code.  Published by the International Code Council, the new model code addresses the construction and remodeling of residential as well as commercial structures.  The IgCC is expected to increase cost savings and job growth while enabling safe and sustainable building design and construction.  ASTM green construction standards such as E2399 on green roof systems, C1549 for solar reflectance and E2635 on water conservation in buildings are part of the 2012 code.

- Sky Gardens Blog

- Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 17: Sustainability in Plant Production,” “Enter the 2012 ‘Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!’ Earth Day Photo Contest Now!,” and “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: March 29, 2012.”

- “Upcoming Events”

- Speaking of our 2012 ‘Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!’ Earth Day Photo Contest, make sure you enter your favorite greenroof and then get friends and family to vote for it daily!  The winner gets $100 plus a lot of air time!  Going on now through April 22nd: Enter the 2012 “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest, on our Greenroofs.com Facebook page!

- “In the News”

- Peter Raabe of the American Rivers Blog, has “A Vision Of Green Roofs In Durham, NC.”  He says “North Carolina has a stormwater problem.”  Many of its rivers are polluted due to stormwater runoff.  The state has put rules into effect to clean up its act and Durham is at the center, on one side, Jordan Lake and the other, Falls Lake reservoirs, and both have strict clean up requirements due to the poor land use practices around them.

Beyond stormwater runoff reductions, greenroofs could offer many benefits to Durham like reducing roofing maintenance, improving building energy efficiency, reducing urban heat island effect, improving habitat for wildlife, improving air quality and the potential creation of a green economy work force.  American Rivers has partnered with Downtown Durham, Inc. and they put on a forum for more than fifty city and business leaders that explored the potential of greenroof enhancements in Durham.  The forum created momentum within Durham and they are on their way to creating a more sustainable city.

- Texas A&M University talks about “Interdisciplinary green roof effort to engage wide variety of students.”  Next fall, 1,000 students from a variety of academic programs, including architecture, construction science, environmental geosciences, environmental studies, landscape architecture, horticulture and meteorology at Texas A&M, will begin working together on an interdisciplinary, three-year project to install and monitor a greenroof and living wall atop a campus building.  Assistant professor of landscape architecture and leader of this project,  Texas A&M University , says this initiative is aimed at preparing students to become leaders in energy conservation and resource management.

In the project’s first year, students will have learning experiences beyond a traditional classroom setting, as they build, install and maintain all of the elements of the greenroof, including physical structures, standard meteorological and soil monitoring instrumentation, planning and plant maintenance, manual measurement and associated live and stored data processing and display.  This project is funded by a $100,000 Texas A&M reallocation grant for enhancing students’ preparation for the workplace and society through high-impact learning experiences.

- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or Newslinks section of our website.

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!

- Make sure to keep up with everything Greenroofs.com by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, being a member of our network on LinkedIn, and subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube!

- This has been This Week in Review for April 6th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air Lluís Recasens Pahí’s “Sustainability in Plant Production” from our inaugural 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

We first started corresponding with Lluis early last year when he contacted us very enthusiastically about the in depth work he is doing in the Catalan region of Spain.  He wanted to submit a Guest Feature Article with us about his plant research and testing yet once we decided on hosting the Virtual Summit, I felt this would make a great topic.

Although Lluis speaks Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian and English, he preferred to present his video in Spanish.  So you will find this is our first video presented in another language, Spanish, with English subtitles (translated by me) - Chinese being the second (not translated by me!), coming up soon.

Lluís Recasens Pahí lives in Tarragona, Spain, is a horticultural engineer, and co-founder of the first Escuela de Horticultura y Jardineria de España (Horticulture and Gardening School of Spain), 1982-1988.

Lluis has worked in various high level managerial positions within the fertilizer (controlled and slow release fertilizers) and ornamental horticulture industries for The Scotts Company and Nosterra Ibérica S.A Europa.  Presently, Lluís is Profesor de Horticultura (Professor of Horticulture) at the Institut d´Horticultura i Jardineria de Reus (Institute of Horticulture and Gardening of Reus) in Catalonia, Spain, and he also is a consultant on various projects including maintenance of greenroofs and greenwalls.

In Lluís’ very informative video presentation, sustainable crop production is addressed with a focus on greenroofs and walls in the areas of Reus, Ampurias, Guadalajara, Tarragona, and Barcelona, Spain, utilizing plant selections with minimum agronomic requirements (low demands on maintenance, water intake, and disease control) as well as contemplating the use of environmentally friendly and respectful materials.  Using these technologies will ensure more sustainable parterres, greenroofs, and greenwalls through their material selection and plant diversity.

He says that by using biodegradable materials and encouraging recycling and biodiversity, we reduce our water requirements and the maintenance program is respectful of the environment and the ecosystems, plus we contribute to the implementation and popularization of these sustainable processes.

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Sustainability in Plant Production” or click below:

Watch earlier videos on our exclusive Virtual Summit greenroofs.tv play list, or see the following Virtual Summit videos now available on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:

If you’re looking for an overview, make sure to see our 2011 Virtual Summit Highlights video (6:18) and our 2011 Virtual Summit Trailer (2:59).

Check back next week on GreenroofsTV for our 18th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here is the transcript from March 30th, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for March 30th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the Mary Catherine Bunting Center at Mercy built in 2010, in Baltimore, Maryland.  This 18-story 688,000 square foot hospital offers spacious, beautifully appointed private rooms, convenient front door drop-off, an expansive 2-story atrium lobby, three eco-friendly rooftop meditation gardens, and operating rooms equipped with advanced technology including robotics.

Mercy installed 17,500 square feet of greenroofs, totaling about $1 million, in three different locations.  The gardens provide rest and recovery for the hospital’s patients, families and staff and they reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool the interior of the building.  The rooftop gardens feature recycled furnishing materials, native plantings and a water feature.  Clinically proven, experts say that even a view of nature from a hospital window can improve patient recovery.

- To learn more about the Mary Catherine Bunting Center at Mercy, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

- The Greenroofs.com eNewsletter

- Our March 2012 eNewsletter is out, so be sure to check it out all the highlights for this month!  To subscribe to our newsletter just click the envelope icon on our homepage.

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 16: “Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Wall to Table” with George Irwin, Tom Ferraro and U.S. Congressman Tom Reed.

And find the rest of the videos in this series on our GreenroofsTV page and/or our greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

- Contributing Editor

- Also read Kevin Songer’s first contributing blog post as our new Tropical Green Roof Editor.

- Industry News

- A new report released by the Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition identifies green infrastructure as a cost solution policy makers should be considering on the eve of the Ontario Budget and in subsequent political discussions centered on doing more with less.  Health, Prosperity and Sustainability: The Case for Green Infrastructure in Ontario argues taxpayer dollars spent on green infrastructure offer a greater return on investment because of the multiple economic, health and environmental benefits.

- Sky Gardens Blog

- Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 16: Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Wall to Table,” “Welcome to Kevin Songer, Greenroofs.com’s Tropical Green Roofs Editor!,” “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: March 23, 2012,” and “Less than a Week to go for Earth Hour 2012!”

- “Upcoming Events”

- Tomorrow, Saturday, March 31st: is Earth Hour at 8:30pm local time, Worldwide!

- And April 5th-6th: is the ASLA Texas Chapter – Regional Conference & Expo, in Grapevine, TX.

- “In the News”

- Dean Johnson of the USDA Blog says, “USDA Works to Reduce Its Environmental Footprint – Here’s How.”  He asks, “did you know that USDA manages 193 million acres of land; occupies approximately 89 million square feet of office and laboratory space and operates over 23,000 buildings?  And if this isn’t enough, USDA also operates a fleet of over 40,000 motor vehicles and equipment.”  It’s reducing its reliance on nonrenewable energy by improving energy conservation, increasing efficiency and promoting renewable energy projects and programs, supporting green transportation and travel practices that reduce harmful emissions, increasing operational and fuel efficiency, and reducing nonrenewable fuel use.

The Department created the USDA Sustainable Operations Council to help keep this effort going.  For example, the USDA greenroof on Court 5 of the South Building saves energy and reduces excessive stormwater runoff, which in turn supports their efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.  USDA’s future plans include reducing GHG emissions from USDA operations by 21% by 2020, increase use of energy performance-based contracting investments by $5 million over the next 2 years, complete energy evaluations of USDA’s most energy-intensive facilities by July 1st, 2012, and increase alternative-fuel use in fleet vehicles by 10% by 2014.

- Jim Motavalli of the Mother Nature Network talks about “Paving paradise: It’s time to reinvent the parking lot.”  Some great ideas are getting realized when it comes to parking lots and multi-story garages, like having music festivals on garage roofs, green gardens and solar canopies.  One person helping the cause is Eran Ben-Joseph, an MIT professor who has a new book, “Rethinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking.”  Ben-Joseph’s happy parking lot has “a forest of solar canopies to ‘produce energy while lowering heat,’ porous asphalt to stop stormwater runoff and trees ‘planted in rows like an apple orchard, so [the park] could sequester carbon and clean contaminated runoff,’ and has regular activities, including farmers markets, games of street hockey, tailgate parties, and the aforementioned concerts and film screenings.”

Motavalli says he loves the greenroof idea.  The 12-story parking garage at 900 North Michigan in Chicago has a 16,866 square foot greenroof, and the new Yankee Stadium has a unique garage rooftop park that covers seven acres and a full city block, with trees and plants, a soccer/football field, a 400-meter running track, eight handball courts, four basketball courts and a workout place.

- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or Newslinks section of our website.

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!

- Make sure to keep up with everything Greenroofs.com by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, being a member of our network on LinkedIn, and subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube!

- This has been This Week in Review for March 30th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV. I’m Anjuli Velázquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air the panel presentation “Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Wall to Table” with George Irwin, Tom Ferraro, and U.S. Congressman Tom Reed from our inaugural 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

We’re happy that George is an editorial contributor to Greenroofs.com as The Green Wall Editor (2008).  Outspoken and sometimes even a bit brazen, he always shoots from the hip and writes from the heart and George has become a true friend and staunch supporter of ours.  With George’s excellent work combining his greenroof and greenwall systems with education for youth and the underprivileged plus his implementation of vertical food farms, I felt he would make an excellent leader of a panel on the subject.

This panel of experts addresses how urban agriculture is on the rise globally – up the walls and on rooftops.  Fresh, local crops benefit the entire community for many reasons.  U.S. Congressman Tom Reed from the 29th district of New York, Tom Ferraro, CEO of Foodlink – a national network of 200 food banks – and George Irwin, CEO of Green Living Technologies International (GLTi), provide interactive conversation and commentary concerning the impact of education, economics and opportunity around local food production with green walls and roofs.

Rochester-based GLTi started in New York City and has since grown nationally and internationally through education and collaborative hands-on projects with local youth, the underprivileged and disadvantaged in New York and Los Angeles and with business partnerships in Santiago, Dubai, and beyond to include their Food Factory and more.

George Irwin is founder and CEO of Green Living Technologies International, LLC (GLTi), a privately held company manufacturing patented Green Living Walls and Green Living Roofs, and is a global pioneer in vertical agriculture.  Prior to founding GLTi, George was a landscape contractor for two dozen years.  He holds a degree in education and his mission is to help create sustainable solutions to the challenges of food insecurity and the dearth of job opportunities for at risk youth throughout America’s inner cities. His efforts have earned him recognition as an official education partner for the New York City Department of Education and additional higher education facilities, with the development of a GLTi-dedicated degree track in “Green Tech” education at secondary schools in multiple states.  The first high school is scheduled to open in September of 2012.  George is also a contributing editor on Greenroofs.com (2008); he is The Green Wall Editor and talks about his own experience as well as industry happenings within the field.

George is the Moderator for “Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Wall to Table.”

Tom Ferraro is Executive Director of Foodlink.  Founded in 1978, it has grown to serve a 10-county area in the Greater Rochester area.  As a founding member of Feeding America, Foodlink is part of a national network of 200 food banks whose mission is to provide hunger relief, eliminate the root causes of hunger, improve health and promote economic development.  They do this through the distribution of food to a network of agencies and by empowering individuals through nutritional and agricultural programs.  Foodlink’s vision is to build a hunger-free community and sustainable regional food system in which every individual has access to nutritious food and is empowered with the tangible skills to lead a healthy and productive life.  Locally, they rescue and redistribute over 11 million pounds of food annually to a network of 450 programs.  Today, the food bank’s network of agencies serve 102,000 meals each week, or over 5 million meals annually to an estimated 125,000 different people.

U.S. Congressman Tom Reed was elected to represent the 29th District of New York in a special election held November 2, 2010.  He took office during the “lame duck” session of the 111th Congress and began his own full two year term in the 112th Congress on January 5, 2011.  In June 2011 Congressman Reed was recently appointed to the Committee on Ways and Means and serves on the Human Resources and Oversight subcommittees of Ways and Means.  Tom previously served on the Rules, Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.  He graduated from Alfred University in 1993 with a degree in Political Science and from the Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1996.  Tom says, “Job creation and the nation’s financial health are the most important challenges facing the country and upstate New York.”

After the presentation on the second day of the 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit, George Irwin and Tom Ferraro were available for the live Q & A session; the transcript was available archived for 30 days for participants of the Virtual Summit – unfortunately, we do not have it available now – one of the reasons to participate in this year’s Virtual Summit!

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Wall to Table” or click below:

Watch earlier videos on our exclusive Virtual Summit greenroofs.tv play list, or see the following Virtual Summit videos now available on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:

If you’re looking for an overview, make sure to see our 2011 Virtual Summit Highlights video (6:18) and our 2011 Virtual Summit Trailer (2:59).

Check back next week on GreenroofsTV for our 17th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here is the transcript from March 23rd, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for March 23rd, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the WaterShed House, built in 2011 in Washington, DC.  This prototype solar house entry from the team at the University of Maryland won the U.S. Department of Energy 2011 Solar Decathlon – an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive.  WaterShed is a solar-powered home inspired and guided by the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, interconnecting the house with its landscape to promote sustainability and ecosystem protection.  Two rectangular modules form the house, and it is capped by a split-butterfly roof, which is well suited to capturing and using sunlight and rainwater.

Key features of the house include a greenroof to retain stormwater and reduce the volume and velocity of run-off, and constructed wetlands to filter stormwater and grey water for reuse.  The south module of the WaterShed House has an extensive greenroof supplied by the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System with LiveRoof Lite modules.  LiveRoof modules feature the company’s Soil Elevator™ and Moisture Portal™, horticultural innovations that establish a greenroof as a cohesive ecosystem.  The LiveRoof design unifies the entire installation into a naturally functioning biological system.  Natural function maximizes plant health, long-term sustainability, rooftop aesthetics, roof membrane protection, and environmental benefits.

What’s New

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 15: ”E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction” by Christopher Wark.

And find the rest of the videos in this series on our GreenroofsTV page and/or our greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

- Advertiser Press Releases:

- Tremco Headquarters Renovation Receives Cleveland Engineering Society Award.

- Tecta America Corp. Announces Enhancement of Tecta Green Website.

- LiveRoof® Launches Overburden Removal Warranty Program for its Green Roof System.

- Work and relaxation on a pitched roof: functional roof landscape at SOLON SE in Berlin-Adlershof by ZinCo.

- Joblinks

- Sika Sarnafil USA is seeing an Inside Sales Representative in Canton, MA.

- Industry News

- The District of Columbia is a national leader in the total amount of Greenroofs constructed – second only to Chicago, IL in the total area of greenroofs per capita.  The District’s Green Roof Rebate Program is the perfect way to fund your greenroof – and it’s now back in full swing.  Anacostia Watershed Society is offering $5 per square foot on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified DC buildings of any size!

- Guest Blogger

- Read our guest blog post, “Greening the District with Green Roofs,” by Laura S. Washington, Green Roof Rebate Program Coordinator, of the Anacostia Watershed Society.  And also our guest feature article, “Portland Builds Over 100,000 Square Feet of Greenroofs in 2011,” by Casey Cunningham, Landscape Architect with the City of Portland’s Sustainable Stormwater Division.

- Sky Gardens Blog

And over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “CitiesAlive Call for Papers Extended to March 29, 2012,” “Greenroofs.com’s “This Week in Review” on GreenroofsTV for March 16th, March 9th, and 2nd, 2012” respectively, and “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 15: E = MC² of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction.”

- “Upcoming Events”

- March 23rd & 24th: is the Open House & Plant Sale, Good Earth Plants & GreenScaped Buildings, in San Diego, CA.

- March 23rd-25th: is the Better Living Show – Home, Garden & Lifestyle, in Portland, OR.

- March 29th-30th: is the 10th Annual New York State Green Building Conference, in Syracuse, NY.

- “In the News”

- Richard Lee, of the Danbury News Times, reports on “LaurelRock adds ‘green walls’ to its offerings.”  Earlier this week, LaurelRock, a Wilton-based landscape design and installation business, hosted George Irwin, CEO of Green Living Technologies International [and one of our contributing editors], where he demonstrated how his company creates green walls.  LaurelRock is the exclusive installer of GLTi’s patented panel technology in the company’s service area.  LaurelRock President Burt DeMarche believes gardeners will be interested in GLTi’s “edible walls” concept, because they can produce fruits, vegetables, and herbs in an easier way for gardeners who want to grow their own food but don’t have the time or energy to do it the “old-fashioned way.”

At the Millstone Farm presentation, George stood by a 2×6 foot frame holding plants including moss, waffle leaf, palm, ferns and more; and he said, “this wall has light indoor plants which are relatively low maintenance.  They provide an incredible opportunity to clean the air in the room” and that his “idea was to mimic Mother Nature.  It provides an opportunity for roots to migrate from cell to cell.”  Green Living Technologies International developed a program with the Innovation Charter School in Harlem, where students learn the technology, preparing them for work a companies like LaurelRock.

- Bill Marken, of Garden Design Magazine, talks about “Green Roofs.”  He reflects on the evolution of greenroofs being just an “eco-fantasy” to becoming the current “eco-solution.” He says greenroofs have become natural fits for many public buildings, thanks to the environmental and financial benefits like energy efficiency, storm-water management, sound insulation, while also being habitats for birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects and animals that help our environment.  Residential greenroofs will accomplish most of the same environmental goals but the financial benefits will take longer to realize.  There are do-it-yourself kits nowadays but developing a sustainable green roof usually calls for someone who knows the structural demands, assembly systems, drainage, local conditions, plants, and maintenance.

To explore the possibilities of having a greenroof of your very own, author Ed Snodgrass, and contributing editor here at greenroofs.com, suggests starting out with a doghouse or a birdhouse.  He says, “starting with a birdhouse is a good first step to getting your feet wet and understanding the limits – and opportunities – of growing plants in such a shallow root space.”  And from there, there’s no place to go but up!

- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or Newslinks section of our website.

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!

- Make sure to keep up with everything Greenroofs.com by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, being a member of our network on LinkedIn, and subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube!

- This has been This Week in Review for March 23rd, 2012 on GreenroofsTV. I’m Anjuli Velázquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something? We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

The world’s largest grassroots environmental movement, Earth Hour is almost upon us!  This Saturday, March 31, the Velazquez family here in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA and hundreds of millions of environmentally aware people across our planet will once again show their commitment to the Earth and voluntarily turn off all their non-essential lights for Earth Hour, 8:30 – 9:30 pm local time.

Started in 2007 when WWF-Australia inspired Sydney to show their support for climate change action, Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative to a 5,251 city strong global movement.  In 2011 it encompassed 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across all seven continents.

This year Earth Hour has a new campaign – “I Will If You Will” – using YouTube as their video platform youtube.com/earthhour to encourage people to share a personal dare with the world by asking “What are you willing to do to save the planet?” Earth Hour’s Co-Founder and Executive Director says:

“I Will If You Will gives every individual the opportunity to inspire their friends, colleagues and neighbours to take sustainability actions not just on the hour but beyond the hour.

The challenges we are seeing from all walks of life are truly inspiring” ~ Andy Ridley

Of course, they want us to go beyond the hour, using this event as a catapult to inspire more action.  Watch this cool Earth Hour 2012 video below from YouTube:

You can download a wallpaper, or even send an e-card to your friends and family here.

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with WWF and Leo Burnett. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 31, 2012 at 8:30 PM to show their support for environmentally sustainable action.  In 2012, Earth Hour’s I Will If You Will concept invites individuals and organisations to challenge others to an ongoing environmental commitment beyond the hour.  Earth Hour began in one city in 2007 and by 2011 reached over 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across every continent, receiving reports as ‘the World’s largest campaign for the planet.’

About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with almost five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries.  WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Earth Hour aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world.  We couldn’t agree more!  Enter your pledge for Earth Hour 2012, see how you can create buzz for this worldwide event, and learn more.

Happy greening, and Make sure to turn off your lights this Saturday night on March 31, 2012, at 8:30pm, wherever you are!

~ Linda V.