Our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 is less than two weeks away!

Last week I told you about our seven fantastic panel sessions who you’ll be watching followed by a live Question and Answer session, including:  ”Biodiversity and Green Roofs,” Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx,” “The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon,” “Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Walls & Roofs to Table,” “Wind. Water. Heat. Grow. Greenroofs.,” “Greenroofs: Wind & Fire,” and “Green Roofs Without the Hype.”

In addition to our four awesome Keynote Speakers whom we’ve already profiled - Andrew Grant, Charlie Miller, Ed Snodgrass and Ralph Velasquez – and other luminaries previously highlighted, here are more brilliant speakers you will enjoy hearing:

Roland Appl, Germany:  The Technical Director of ZinCo and President of the International Green Roof Association (IGRA) will present “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics.”

Jörg Breuning, USA and Germany:  The principal of Green Roof Technology (Previously Green Roof Service) and co-founder of Green Roof Safari will present “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World.”

Ignacio Espoz, Chile:  The founder of LatinGreen, Director of the World Green Roof infrastructure Network (WGIN), and Director of the Chilean Association of Green Infrastructure will present “Green Infrastructure in Chile and Innovative Living Walls for Environmental Restoration in Mining of the Atacama Desert.”

Tanya Müller Garcia, Mexico:  The founder of AMENA – Asociación Mexicana para la Naturación de Azoteas – (National Mexican Greenroof Association), Vice-President of WGIN, and Director of Urban Reforestation and Bikeways for the City of Mexico will present “Development of Greenroofs and Walls in Mexico and Latin America.”

Richard Hayden, RLA, ASLA, CLARB, USA:  The landscape architect and Garden Roof Department Manager at American Hydrotech, Inc. will present “Sloped and Complex Green Roofs.”

Haven Kiers, LEED AP, GRP, USA:  The founding partner of GreenSwell Design and Planning, trainer with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will co-present the “2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” with Linda Velazquez.

Terry McGlade, Canada:  The horticulturalist, landscape designer, and founder and President of Gardens in the Sky will present “Constructing Gardens in the Sky.”

Chris Wark, MSME, LEED AP, USA:  The engineer, Senior Energy Analyst for Viridian Energy & Environmental, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will present “E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction.”

Imagine a world of green:
What are we doing to create organic architecture?

Next week I’ll highlight the rest of our stellar cast of greenroof and greenwall professionals and enthusiasts!

See the GGW Virtual Summit Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or the panel sessions.

You’ve got to admit that you can’t beat the super low registration fee of $99 for September 27 and 28 plus the 30 days archived on demand through October 28 to hear from all of these excellent speakers…

… but we want everyone to qualify for the even lower Associate Rate of only $49 (just type in the name of the non-profit/organization/constituency that you belong when prompted) or the Students/Faculty/Government Professionals Rate of only $25 (state the school/university or government).

And, you’ll be automatically entered for the chance at winning our second Apple iPad2 drawing, announced on September 30, 2011.

Pre-register or learn more by visiting:  virtual.greenroofs.com.

We hope you join us for this very interactive virtual experience – think film festival meets 2-day webinar and online expo extravaganza!

Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO (Rare Earth) and American Hydrotech (Emerald) and our Exhibitors, Associates, and Media Partners – make sure to visit them at the Expo Pavilions.

See you online on September 27 & 28, 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’s the transcript from September 9th, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for this week, September 9th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

-  Our project of the week is the Haworth Corporate Headquarters built in 2007 in Holland, Michigan.  The 300,000 square foot sedum greenroof at One Haworth Center is a “living laboratory of innovative organic workspace solutions.”  The headquarters is also LEED-NC gold certified and has modified modules for increased sub-drainage and three elevated steel barriers to help regulate flow for its sloped roofs.  Along with 5,000 square feet of reflective white pavers, this roof was waterproofed with Firestone ISO 95+ and ballasted EPDM and planted with Hortech/LiveRoof recycled interlocking modular units, the LiveRoof Modular Green Roof System.  The roof has performed well during at least two 100-year storms since its installation.

To learn more about the Haworth Corporate Headquarters, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New”

- Industry News

-  Watch our exciting trailer for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!  It’s quick and fun – under 3 minutes – and wets your appetite for what and who you’ll see at our virtual conference and expo that is like no other! It’s playing on our homepage, on our Virtual Summit page and on our YouTube channel, so check it out!

-  Also, today’s the last day to Pre-Register for this groundbreaking event.  Make sure to do go online and pre-register for our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 by midnight so you can be eligible to win an Apple iPad2! Click on the banner on our homepage or just go to virtual.greenroofs.com for everything about our event and to pre-register to see and interact with our amazing speakers!

-  Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “GGWVS 2011: Don’t Miss 7 Expert Panels!“, “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: August 26 & September 2, 2011” and our GPW.

- “Upcoming Events”

-  September 12th: is the Application Deadline for applying for a Greening Western Queens Fund Grant.

-  September 13th-16th: is CONSTRUCT2011 and the CSI Annual Convention, in Chicago, Illinois.

-  September 14th-16th: is the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

-  And September 27th & 28th: is our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design.

-  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

- “In the News”

-  Yi Chen, of PSFK.com, talks about “Rooftop Gardening Workshops At Your Local Grocery Store.” The Big Carrot, a grocery store in Toronto, Canada, that specializes in organic, GMO-free and environmentally safe products has transformed its rooftop. They’ve made a gardening workshop on their roof to teach urban dwellers how to winter-proof their urban gardens and about the benefits of using non-toxic household products. If you live in the Toronto, join them and along with the how to’s of urban gardening in winter climates, they’ll also teach you about vertical gardening and growing tomatoes in concrete parking lots.

-  Michael Bamesberger of the Omaha World-Herald says “Energy savings start at the top.” In June, the Whittier Research Center at the University Nebraska-Lincoln was renovated and became even greener than it already was by being the first building on the campus with a greenroof. The 700 square feet sedum roof allows researchers and landscapers to see first hand how to maintain a greenroof and test out all its benefits like stormwater retention, added insulation and preservation of the roof membrane. More buildings with greenroofs are popping up in Omaha, and people are realizing the energy savings greenroofs provide. Emily Casper of UNL Landscape Service, who planted the roof, said that “the U.S. … is moving towards more sustainable green building practices, and green roofs are a natural part of that movement.”

- 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 green wall 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 September 9th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez 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.

Early Bird Pre-Registration ended last night at midnight for the inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011, and Aramis and I had our 2 and half year old grandson, Nicky, do the honor of selecting the winning name for the first iPad2:

Without further ado, the winner of the first Apple iPad2 is…

James Neville of Neville Environmental Services!

James hails from Vancouver, B.C., Canada and is an environmental consultant, GRP, and member of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.  Congratulations!

Thanks, James, for your Early Bird Registration!  He’ll be contacted today and after we receive acknowledgment, we’ll be shipping out his brand new Apple iPad 2.

Stay tuned for more Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 updates and info on how attendees can become eligible to win the drawing for the second iPad2, which will be randonly selected on September 30th, 2011.  See the official Rules & Regulations here.

See you online on September 27 and 28, 2011!

~ Linda V.

Just a quick post to remind you to pre-register for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 by midnight tonight EDT to qualify for the half-off price of only $49 ($25 for students/faculty and government professionals).

PEOPLE: Creative thinkers, innovators, and trailblazers sharing project-focused organic “vegitecture”

PROJECTS: International icons of sustainability:  early successes + current & visionary profiles of excellence in design

DESIGN: Proven standards of diverse green technologies + dynamic and cutting edge designs for greening the planet with building integrated greenery:  bioclimatic, biodiversity, biomimicry & chic sustainability

This gives you full access to all the presentations, panel sessions, Expo Pavilion booths, Sponsor Meeting Rooms, Networking Lounge, Media Lounge and all your Social Collaboration Network (SCN) online video, audio, and text chatting on both September 27 and 28 and 30 days archived on demand through October 28!

As I’ve said before, we’re really giving away two iPad2’s to registrants and attendees.  But increase your chances by pre-registering now and to become eligible for the first drawing, announced tomorrow, September 9, 2011 at noon.

One random winner will be chosen from the Early Bird Registrations and one from attendees who have been the most active using the (SCN) during the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 on September 27 & 28.  This includes all your online chatting and visiting our very important sponsor and exhibitor booths at the Expo Pavilions!  Swipe your Virtual Badge at each exhibitor booth you visit to increase your chances.  See the official Rules & Regulations here.

Watch our quick Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Trailer below for highlights of Speakers, the Agenda and more:

Visit the Virtual Summit website here to see how it all works.

See you online on September 27 & 28!

~ Linda V.

Last week I told you about our Keynote Speakers for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 - Andrew Grant, Charlie Miller, Ed Snodgrass and Ralph Velasquez –  awesome thinkers, designers, trend setters, eco-luminaries all of them!  And among others, we have French botanist and modern green wall pioneer Patrick Blanc, whom I’m interviewing this afternoon in Chicago…

See the GGW Virtual Summit Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or the panel sessions.

Speaking of our panel sessions, we have seven very distinct, innovative, and important collaborations that you are sure to enjoy and learn from personal experiences of movers and shakers in their respective fields from international non-profit, private and university level to U.S state, city, and borough level to professional association, private enterprise, and corporate experiences.

Click on the photos or titles to learn more about each scheduled time slot on the Agenda and each individual - they all have live Question & Answer sessions afterwards, so don’t miss them to pick their brains on how they are succeeding in greening our roofs and walls:

“Biodiversity and Greenroofs” above left to right: Christine Thuring (Moderator), Nathalie Baumann, Dusty Gedge, and Gary Grant discuss original research and unique experiences, from field work upwards to bigger picture perspectives, as well as corresponding experiences with legislation on urban nature conservation.

Christine is moderating the panel on “Biodiversity and Green Roofs” where she also speaks about her research on plant community development and ecological processes on extensive green roofs with time.  Nathalie speaks about “Green Roofs / Natural Roofs = Biodiverse Habitats and Ecological Compensation in Urban Space: 15 Years of Experience in Switzerland.”  Dusty speaks about “Designing and Working for Biodiversity on Green Roofs for Over 10 Years.”  And Gary speaks about “My First Biodiverse Green Roof in 1992, Considerations for Planning and Design and Some Thoughts on the Future.”

“Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx” above left to right: Robert Bieder (Moderator), Jon Beuttler, Jess Dannhauser, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Javier Lopez, New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, and Steve Ritz.  Fueled by a passionate and committed Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., it is common knowledge that the Bronx is leading NYC in embracing green technologies and the green economy. To wit, the policies and educational initiatives underway in and of the Bronx are making dramatic strides in the quality of life and opportunities for all residents with concentric benefits and ripples felt citywide, statewide and nationally.

This panel featuring: a State Senator, noted business leader, NYC project manager, health care manager, social service providers and a dedicated educator speaks to triple bottom line benefits, impacts and the uses of green roofs, green walls, and urban agriculture as highly replicable, critical components to creating and leveraging social equity and economic and educational opportunities in challenging times.

“The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon” above left to right: Tom Liptan, Matt Burlin, Amy Chomowicz, Casey Cunningham, and Alice Meyers.  The Portland Ecoroof Program started in 1996 when a city employee constructed an experimental ecoroof on his garage.  From this small start, the program has grown and as of July 2011 there are over 420 green roofs of varying sizes, on all types of buildings, from multi-story apartment complexes and commercial buildings to humble sheds, kiosks, and garages.  These green roofs cover nearly 30 acres of Portland rooftops (extensive and intensive roofs).

The Portland Ecoroof Program consists of technical support, incentives, education, policies, and research.  The program is incentive-based rather than regulatory, and the city’s policies reflect this approach.  This presentation provides an overview of how these program elements work with the private sector and general public to sustain the green roof movement in Portland.

“Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Walls & Roofs to Table” above  left to right: George Irwin (Moderator), U.S. Congressman Tom Reed, and Tom Ferraro.  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.

“Wind. Water. Heat. Grow. Greenroofs.” above left to right: Dr. Bill Retzlaff, David Aponte, Kevin Songer, and Joe Webb.  Greenroofs are impacted by wind, water and heat on an unrelenting basis.  Through wind trials and real hurricane survival stories in Houston, TX, Jacksonville, FL, Edwardsville, IL, and Puerto Rico, we have met those challenges and will discuss various projects’ responses and successes to Hurricanes Ike and (any others?).  Drought, hot winds, and unseasonable 100° days can also quickly desiccate or kill greenroof plants.

Dr. Bill Retzlaff moderates discussing wind studies and plant trials for greenroofs at SIUE. Joe Webb talks about his project which endured 110 to 120 mph winds and 11” of rain in 24 hours and shares water mapping and Living Building Challenge Water requirements.  Kevin Songer talks about the Outdoor Turbine Hurricane Simulator at the University of Florida, water conservation through ‘nature-based irrigation design,’ and the importance of biodiversity.  David Aponte speaks to his experience of engineering and designing greenroofs with the correct growing media and plants in hurricane-prone, sub-tropical Puerto Rico.

“Greenroofs: Wind & Fire” Panel above  left to right: Kelly Luckett, Mike Ennis, and Jim Kirby.  No longer can the green roof be deleted from a project due to failure to comply with the fire code.  After three years in the making from members of Single Ply Roofing Industry in cooperation with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), we now have a green roof design guide for minimizing the risk of fire on green roofs.  The securing of a place in mainstream construction through the International Code Council (ICC) has resulted in a milestone for the North American green roof movement. Fire concerns are only half of the code story as the wind design guide is still progressing through the ANSI process – we must overcome both the wind and the fire obstacle.

Kelly Luckett, President of Green Roof Blocks, moderates and shares his experiences representing GRHC with the consensus based ANSI/SPRI VF-1 and RP-14 standards.  Jim Kirby, NRCA’s AED, Technical Communications, provides NRCA commentary about building codes, vegetative roofs and RP-14.  Mike Ennis, Technical Director for SPRI, speaks to SPRI’s leadership leadership in the development of fire and wind standards and experience in the building code arena.

And, because the panel sessions weren’t stirring enough, we’ve ended with the “Green Roofs Without the Hype” Panel above left to right: Patrick Carey, Dr. Robert Berghage, Charlie Miller, and Ed Snodgrass.  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.

We hope you join us for this very interactive virtual experience – think film festival meets 2-day webinar and online expo extravaganza!

Pre-register or learn more by visiting:  virtual.greenroofs.com.  Don’t forget to pre-register by this Friday, September 9 for the discounted Early Bird rate of only $49 ($25 for students/faculty and government professionals).

Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO (Rare Earth) and American Hydrotech (Emerald) and our Exhibitors and Media Partners – make sure to visit them at the Expo Pavilions.

See you online on September 27 & 28, 2011!

~ Linda V.

The ever growing demand for sustainable design continues to grow across the world – especially with living architecture, and Greenroofs.com’s inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit held online on September 27 and 28, 2011 is truly a groundbreaking event you can’t miss!

Join us as we inform, share, and create a global social media experience for learning and networking via the power of the Internet.   It’s a community destination that will allow you to connect with everyone in our growing community!

Over 50 speakers from around the world are joining us in the Virtual Summit including architects, ecologists, landscape architects, engineers, educators, industry CEOs, product manufacturers and suppliers, botanists, non-profit directors, government officials and representatives from the state of New York, cities of Portland, OR; Chicago, IL; and the Bronx.

We’ve just released our very impressive international speaker line-up for the Virtual Summit 2011 – you can now see the Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or panel sessions.

Our Keynote Speakers are thinkers, designers, trend setters, eco-luminaries:

“Imagine a world of green:
What are we doing to create organic architecture?”

• Andrew Grant, Landscape Architect, Principal, Grant Associates, presenting: “Gardens by the Bay, Singapore“
  Charlie Miller, P.E., Principal, Roofmeadow, presenting “A New Place“
  Ed Snodgrass, Farmer, Author, Co-owner, Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants, presenting “Right Plant, Right Place“
  Ralph Velasquez, Executive Director of Sustainability, Tremco, presenting “CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility – The Who, What, Where, When and How“

Here are just a few more of the illustrious speakers we have in store for you:

Rosemarie S. Andolino, USA: The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner will present “CDA Leads the Way for Incorporating Green Roof Space in an Airport Environment.”

Dr. Patrick Blanc, France: The renown botanist and creator of Le Mur Végétal will present “The Vertical Garden – from Nature to Cities” with an exclusive interview by Linda Velazquez.

Dr. Nigel Dunnett, UK: The Director of the Green Roof Centre and University of Sheffield Professor will present “Sky Meadows: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Diverse Green Roof Plantings.”

Paul Kephart, USA: The President of Rana Creek and ecological designer will present “Large-Scale Applications of Living Architecture.”

Xianmin Wang, China: The Deputy Chief of the Vertical Greening Academic Group of China Green Building Council; Vice Chairman of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association will present “The Current Situation and Future of Green Roofs in China.”

We’re treating our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 as a production, and now you can see the trailer – it’s fast, fun, and informative and gives you a glimpse of presentations to come.  Watch just a few highlights from our stellar cast of greenroof and greenwall professionals below:

Don’t forget to pre-register by September 9 for the discounted Early Bird rate of only $49 ($25 for students/faculty and government professionals) for access on both September 27 and 28 and 30 days archived on demand through October 28!  Plus, you’ll be automatically entered for the chance to win the first of two Apple iPad2s that we’re giving away.

One random winner will be chosen from the Early Bird Pre-Registrations and one from attendees who have been the most active using the Social Collaboration Network, including all your online chatting and visiting our very important sponsor and exhibitor booths at the Expo Pavilions!

Pre-register or learn more by visiting:  virtual.greenroofs.com

Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO and American Hydrotech and our Exhibitors and Media Partners:

See our Press Release here.  Join us for the sharing, networking and fun event of the year!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here’s the transcript from August 12, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for this week, August 12th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

-  Our project of the week is the BCIT Green Roof Research Facility built in 2003 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The British Columbia Institute of Technology designed a dedicated Green Roof Research Facility with the support of regional government, organizations, industry associations and material suppliers to help address the major barriers to market penetration of green roofs in BC. The BCIT Green Roof Research Facility was constructed to evaluate green roof performance for stormwater source control and thermal efficiency.  It has three independent roof surfaces – one reference roof and two green roofs – each with their own weather poles to measure climatic parameters. In addition to researching stormwater source control and thermal performance of green roofs, the BCIT Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology also conducts product performance testing, serves for demonstration, and offers research-based education and training across disciplines. The Centre is a leading sustainable initiative that will help re-define how buildings are designed, and how land and water can be more effectively managed.

-  To learn more about the BCIT Green Roof Research Facility, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New”

-  Due to a series of unexpected events, we have rescheduled our Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011 to September 27th & 28th. We are very excited about our exceptional line-up of speakers and exhibitors and the extra time will ensure that the event will be a unique experience like no other. The extra time will be well worth it in the end to allow our speakers more time to prepare their presentations, people to be back from vacations, and for all of us to start spreading the word! So, our Early Bird Pre-Registration has also been extended and now you have until September 9th to pre-register and be entered to win an iPad2!

-  Advertiser Press Releases:

-  AIA Credits Available at Boston GreenFest for the GLTi “Green Roof Installations” Lecture with George Irwin.

-  Community College of Philadelphia Selects LiveRoof® for Two New Green Roofs at its Main Campus.

- Industry News

-  The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems & treatment plants, at an estimated cost of $4.7 billion over 23 years, to eliminate illegal overflows of untreated raw sewage, including basement backups; and to reduce pollution levels in urban rivers and streams.

-  Over at Sky Gardens, read Linda’s latest posts: “Date Change for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011,” TWIR for 8.5.11 and our GPW.

- “Upcoming Events”

-  August 16th: there is a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – GRP Exam in Washington, DC.

-  August 16th-18th: is Ag Progress Days, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences in Rock Springs, Pennsylvania.

-  And August 18th-20th: is Boston GreenFest 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts.

-  And check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

- “In the News”

-  Darah Hansen of The Vancouver Sun talks about “Car dealership buzzing with sweet activity.” In 2007, the 62,000-sq.-ft. Auto West BMW dealership in Richmond opened with more than $1 million in sustainable features, including a 16-meter-tall wind turbine, solar panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and a rooftop garden. Honey bees came two years later, following the rise of alarming news articles on the global collapse of honey bee colonies. The rooftop garden includes more than 3,500 bee-friendly plants, from lavender, wild strawberries and red currant to pink carpet roses, blueberries and apple blossoms. The project is also part of a study led by York University exploring how the urban environment affects the nesting habits of honey bees.

-  The Your News Now, web staff says “Downtown building gets new green roof.” The roof of the Monroe Building in downtown Syracuse now has a new environmentally-friendly roof with stormwater management capabilities projected to capture more than 90,000 gallons of water each year. The building’s owner applied for and received help from Onondaga County’s Green Improvement Fund, which is part of the county’s Save the Rain campaign. Its goal is to help reduce storm water pollution and clean up Onondaga Lake. The Green Improvement Fund covers several areas in the City of Syracuse.

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

- Have something you think we should know about and post on our website? You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.

- Stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Greenroofs.com by subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and being a member of our network on LinkedIn.

- This has been This Week in Review for August 12th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez 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.

We here at Greenroofs.com have rescheduled the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 for September 27th (Tuesday) & 28th (Wednesday).   A large number of unexpected events have made this decision necessary – from speaker delays/conflicts to personal events to technical glitches – yet, we know that the extra time will be well worth it in the end!

We are very excited about our exceptional line-up of speakers and exhibitors and the extra time will ensure that the event will be a unique experience like no other!

We will also be extending the Early Bird Pre-Registration date for the Virtual Summit quite a bit – up to a little more than 2 weeks before the event, which now will run through September 9.

Remember the Early Bird rate is only $49 (or $25 for students/faculty and government professionals) for both days plus the 30 archived on-demand days afterwards which includes over 30 presentations and panel sessions from 50+ colleagues from around the world.  So that means that the drawing for the first of two Apple iPad2s that we’ll be giving away will be announced on September 10 here on the Sky Gardens blog.

I’m hoping to finally release the agenda by the end of this week or Monday.  We have some incredibly awesome presentations, both individual and panel sessions – stay tuned!

See our Press Release here.  See you at the end of September!

~ Linda V.

The Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 is eight weeks away, and the Early Bird Pre-Registration rate of $49 – which is 50% off the registration rate of $99 - ends on September 9!

Of course, if you’re a student/faculty or government employee, you can sign up to the last minute for the super discounted rate of only $25- you’ll just miss out on your chance at winning the first of the two fabulous iPad2s we’re giving away.

Today I’ve posted the 2:45 video ”Connecting with Content” from the 6Connex Virtual Experience Platform below which helps you navigate around to find specific types of content available at our Virtual Summit.  Once again, the Campus, above, is the home or starting point – in the videos it’s called the Lobby – same thing:

Basically, the fastest way to find a piece of content is by using the search field in the marquee on top – simply type in the word or phrase in the search area. You can also also adjust your preferences in the navigation bar below to specify what type of content you’re interested in browsing within your Recommendations tab.

The Recommendations tab is a shortcut to content found elsewhere in the virtual environment – review this content at any time by clicking the star icon.  There’s also “virtual browsing” by using the viewport, which is this large center portion of the environment from the greenroof campus which you can access from various areas.  When entering the Auditorium, for example, you can browse through the various pieces of content and then interact by simply clicking the play button for videos or you can add documents to your briefcase as a convenient zip file to your desktop, add videos to playlist, etc.  And don’t forget you can always access the Agenda  posted on the log-in page, Help Desk and Auditorium area.

Remember, you can access these features from the navigation bar, adjust your preferences, edit your profile at any time, and if you need assistance, you can always just go to the help desk for a live person on either September 27 or 28.

Review the Social Collaboration Network (SCN) video or see all of them here – and look for another video highlight soon.

Follow us on our Twitter page and we encourage you to tweet to your followers using our event hashtag, #virtualsummit2011.

Visit our LinkedIn Event page and share the event info with your connections and networks.

Like our Facebook page and help us promote it to your fans.

Subscribe to our YouTube GreenroofsTV Channel.

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Visit the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 website here to learn more!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here’s the transcript from July 29, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for this week, July 29th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the Church Street Station, built in 2002 in Evanston, Illinois.  Focus Development wanted to build their 17-story postmodern Church Street Station Condominiums not only with beautiful interiors but also to be a place that their customers would love to call home.  They also had future needs in mind by putting in a garden roof where condo owners could go to get away from the day-to-day stresses.  Adding natural beauty to the 5th floor roof atop the residents’ parking structure, this 8,500 s.f. garden roof sits alongside a beautiful pool and fitness room.  American Hydrotech provided the Garden Roof Assembly, which is a seamless, hot-applied rubberized asphalt membrane that provides long-lasting protection and incorporates a minimum of 25% recycled materials – along with retaining moisture, irrigating the vegetation from the underside, helping to recreate the plants’ natural growing environment on the roof.  Birch, maple and evergreen trees, tall grasses, and flowering shrubs and perennials create a naturalistic backdrop to the lush lawn and beautiful arbors, making the garden roof a benefit for the building owner, its occupants, and the whole neighborhood.

To learn more about the Church Street Station garden roof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New”

-  Pre-Registration is now open for our Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011! Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design, a Greenroofs.com Virtual Conference and Expo, which will be held on August 23rd & 24th of this year!  Remember to Pre-Register by the Early Bird Registration date of August 10th and you’ll be entered to win one of two iPad2’s that we’ll be giving away!

-  Also here on Greenroofs.com:  Our monthly eNewsletter is going out today, so look for it in your inboxes!

-  Advertiser Press Releases:

-  CitySoil™: New Growing Media for Green Roofs and Urban Agriculture now in the market.

- Industry News

-  This week state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced that urban forestry grants totaling $966,489 are being awarded to communities & organizations across New York.  The NY State Urban & Community Forestry Program provides technical assistance to communities through local Urban Foresters & ReLeaf volunteers.

- You can apply for a Greening Western Queens Fund Grant by submitting an application to the North Star Fund by September 12, 2011.  Special consideration will be given to the planning and/or creation of greenroofs and other newly created green spaces that demonstrate multiple benefits, for example, energy conservation and increased local food production.

-  Joblinks Update:

New York Green Roofs is looking for a Foreman-in-training and a Green Roof Installation Laborer in New York, NY.

- At the Sky Gardens Blog, read Linda’s latest posts:  “CitiesAlive Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow, August 29!” – which is today, so make sure you register to save $150 off the registration rate; “Virtual Summit 2011: Participating with the SCN!,” “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: July 22nd, 2011,” and our GPW!

- “Upcoming Events”

- August 23rd & 24th: is our Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011 held online around the world!

-  And check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

- “In the News”

-  Alexandra and Elena Hall, of blogTO talk “Atop the Sky Garden of UofT.”  They say, “initiated by the Urban Agriculture Society and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and urban agriculture enthusiasts, the Sky Garden is one of Toronto’s largest rooftop vegetable gardens and the first of its kind on a Canadian university rooftop.”  The garden has grown fresh produce for the student community and all harvested vegetables and herbs are donated to the University of Toronto’s food banks, Hot Yam!, a student-run vegan cafe, and/or divided among the volunteers.  Reducing the amount of time and labour necessary for maintenance, the garden’s built-in irrigation system makes sure that water and organic fertilizers are evenly distributed.  Read the full article to find out how you can take a tour of the Sky Garden!

-  Wade Malcolm of The News Journal announces, “First green roof on UD campus will keep class comfortable.”  Annette Shine, a chemical engineering associate professor at the University of Delaware, decided to grown a garden on the roof of the Colburn building.  The 14,000 square feet of small sedums planted in trays with 4 to 8 inches of soil is UD’s first greenroof.  Rooftop gardens are popping up on campuses around the country and are a great way to cool buildings in hot weather and teach faculty and students about the benefits of greening their buildings.  In the case of the Colburn building at UD, the plants cause the peak temperature on the roof to occur later in the day, at a time when they don’t have many classes.  Another greenroof is currently under construction at the university.

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

- Have something you think we should know about and post on our website? You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.

- Stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Greenroofs.com by subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and being a member of our network on LinkedIn.

- This has been This Week in Review for July 29th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez 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.