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.

First of all, you probably know by now that Roofscapes has changed its name to Roofmeadow, right?  Headed up by president and founder Charlie Miller, P.E. – one of our favorite people, and one of my very earliest mentors – Roofmeadow has been one of the trailblazers in our industry starting in the 1990’s and has provided much inspiration to many of us.

They’ve started a new blog, and you’ve got to check out their post about “Philly’s First Bus Shelter Green Roof.”   We first alerted you about it from a series of articles posted in NewsLinks: Philadelphia Unrolls A ‘Green’ Roof On A SEPTA Bus Shelter, Waiting for the rain: Green-topped bus stop a first in Philly, and Green roofs: That bus stop shelter is only the beginning.

As part of its Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters plan, the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has commissioned Roofmeadow to create a deployable prefab bus shelter green roof kit.  With much fanfare, the first small but highly visible 60 sf prototype was installed at a bus shelter across the street from City Hall on June 15, 2011.

In fact, Mayor Michael Nutter, middle, launched the installation of the series and the event was very well publicized and attended.

“The bus shelter project will benefit the city by increasing Philadelphians’ familiarity with a new type of city greening.” ~ Charlie Miller, P.E.

Charlie’s son, Ari, designed the installation so it could be replicated as a “kit” for other bus stop roofs in the city.  Roofmeadow also has committed to maintaining the roof for its first two years.  Now it will receive regular watering, but after the first growing season the greenroof will not need to be watered.

In the photos below, you see Roofmeadow’s crew of Ari and Lauren on June 14 preparing to remove the existing bus shelter’s polycarbon​ate top and below it, the final green result!

“Much like a scaled down version of Roofmeadow’s 1.2 acre green roof on the PECO building, the bus shelter green roof was constructed using pre-grown mats. The mats are made up of drought tolerant succulents (primarily Sedum species) and allow for an instant cover of vegetation. You may also notice flowering Dianthus (also known as Sweet William or Wild carnation) and Portulaca poking through at two of the four corners where the growing media increases to 6.00 inches.” ~ Roofmeadow Blog

Signage will direct people to the Philadelphia Water Department’s Office of Watersheds “Green Roof Bus Shelter” website with more information about things residents can do.

“We basically see this project as an opportunity to inspire homeowners. A lot of the green roofs that are really fabulous and gorgeous are on high-rises – invisible to most. We thought it would be fun to bring it down to eye level.” ~ Project Coordinator Tiffany Ledesma Groll, Office of Watersheds (via Philly.com)

Roofmeadow has also put up a Picasa web album that shows the entire installation process as well as the unveiling last month, see them here.  Watch a cool video about the installation below:

These Roofmeadow designed kits can be put up around city bus shelters by others, too. What a nice way to celebrate your city – Happy 4th of July, Philadelphia and everyone!

~ Linda V.

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 6/20/11
Hotel Ushüaia Low-Tech Vertical Garden
Ibiza, Spain
3,735 sf. Greenwall

Year: 2011
Owner: Hotel Ushüaia
Location: Ibiza, Spain
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Living Wall
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 3,735 sq.ft. 
Slope: 100%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public

Project Description & Details

The newest vertical garden project from the young Spanish firm Urbanarbolismo was completed on May 20, 2011, in collaboration with Alijardín and Alicante forestal. Situated in the Hotel Ushüaia de Ibiza, the four panel eco.bin greenwall acts as a sound barrier between the open air disco located in the hotel’s central courtyard and the neighboring guest rooms. The unique garden wall system consists of rows of ceramic terracotta containers whose circular openings are individually filled with growing medium and planted.

Each interconnected planted ceramic, with its own substrate and vegetation, works together to create this sound-absorbent garden space. Keeping in account the climatic characteristics of the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, the designers have selected a variety of crassula, euphorbia, echeveria, aeonium, kalanchoe, sedum and sedeveria which can adapt to these conditions. In comparison to complex automated vertical gardening systems, this type requires a more personalized maintenance regime, yet the designers feel this low-tech typology option also offers more people a greater possibility of having a vertical garden of their own.

Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Architect & Designer: Urbanarbolismo
Greenwall System: eco.bin
Construction: Urbanarbolismo + Alicante forestal + Alijardín

Additional Info

In Spanish, “Urbanarbolismo” literally means “UrbanTreeism” – wow, it sounds very tree huggerish yet obviously on a larger, urban scale – and that’s part of the philosophy of this design/build architect-led group of designers.  They believe there is no division between urban and natural: Urban development should not only create a space for us; we should ameliorate previous ecosystems and if they were not present, we should find ways to recreate them.  Known for a handful of previous local greenroofs and greenwalls, founding principal Jordi Serramia Ruiz tells us that this is their first project utilizing their new greenwall system called “eco.bin.”

The design of the plant-filled ceramic greenwall allows for curvaceous, undulating, and sweeping vistas, creating a sense of dizzying vertigo with colorful succulents – nonetheless beautiful and eco-friendly while cleansing the air and providing a sound barrier to boot.  You have to admit that along with their own resident mega-ants, seen above crawling up the stark white stucco walls, the Hotel Ushüaia Low-Tech Vertical Garden is truly unique!  And strategically placed accent lighting highlights the spiky leaves of the succulent vegetative structures seen poking through their ceramic plant holes.

Developed by Urbanarbolismo as a way to make vegetated walls affordable to most people, four separate panels help define the intimate space, including a smaller living wall greeting people the entrance from the outside of the hotel below:

Once you plant the wall, you’re set, and the low-maintenance drip-irrigation watering system also keeps it low-tech, especially since they’re designed to tilt towards each interior cell, thereby retaining water at the bottom for future use.

The design appears to be avant-guard in its execution while promising to be easy and low-tech.  Seeing how this one-month old greenwall is brand-spanking new, let’s see how it develops and fares over time.  If you visit this gorgeous party island of Ibiza and get to the popular Hotel Ushüaia, send us some photos to share!

Read more, in Spanish, at Urbanarbolismo’s May 30, 2011 blog post: Jardín vertical low-tech en Ibiza. Urbanarbolismo.

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!  Click here to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.  See how you can submit yours here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.

Of course, we’re not the only ones with an Earth Day related contest – I just received my newsletter from MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) and saw this great contest between MBDC and one of Greenroofs.com’s perennial favorites, Inhabitat (I get Inhabitat’s Daily Digest as well, but don’t always read it right away since it has so many cool posts – I do need enough time to read them all!).

To celebrate Earth Week, the two have joined up to offer Inhabitat readers four fabulous prizes during Earth Week.  Each winner will receive and a copy of the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things and the following Cradle to Cradle Certified^CM products:

Monday: Method products & Casabella Eclipse cleaning system
Tuesday:  Pendleton Eco-Wise wool throw
Wednesday:  Herman Miller Sayl work chair
Thursday:  Shaw Ultra Shag area rug (as featured in InStyle Magazine)
Friday:  Winners are announced

At the 2001 Greenprints Conference Visionary Dinner here in Atlanta, I had the pleasure of (briefly) meeting early green architect William McDonough (after standing in a long line).  I had become aware of his firm’s work when I still a student of landscape architecture at the University of Georgia in the late 1990’s and had encountered the awesome Gap Headquarters (901 Cherry).  Former Partner & Director of Practice Kevin Burke was very helpful to me in my initial studies of greenroof technology, and I’m a big fan of William McDonough + Partners‘ work.

Cradle to Cradle Certified^CM products resulted after the wonderful success of the book Cradle to Cradle, 2002 from North Point Press, New York, NY, written by William McDonough and environmental chemist Michael Braungart.  I fully embraced the philosophies behind the “paradigm shift” in our thinking towards our built environments and products, and the need for “eco-effectiveness” versus just “eco-efficiency.”

In fact, in my Recommended Readings book review of Cradle to Cradle, I felt that this book should be a part of every teenager’s reading curriculum so that we may inform and inspire our young minds to rethink and remake our architectural and engineering worlds to be actually good for the Earth.  This is one true “Bible” of green thinking that should be a part of each of our libraries.  If you’re interested, you can read more here.

On a related note, Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM products will be featured on The Early Show for Earth Day.  You can tune in to CBS on Friday, April 22 7:00-9:00 am EST to see some of them.

To enter the Inhabitat Green Giveaway, go to www.inhabitat.com and click on the daily blog post.  In my opinion, just receiving a copy of Cradle to Cradle is well worth winning!

Happy Greening,

~ Linda V.

From March 1-3, the London ExCeL hosted the world’s largest sustainable construction fair. It was the biggest EcoBuild yet, with over 50,000 visitors, over 1,300 suppliers, and more than 130 free seminar sessions featuring over 600 speakers.

Mate and verdant conversation with Roberto Ollett

I went with some colleagues for a day, and everyone agreed that the size of the show was nearly unmanageable, both in terms of time availability and mental/ physical endurance. Fortunately, my colleague Roberto Ollett of Eudaimon shared some of his newly acquired (yerba) mate with me, which is very high in caffeine.

Having won the Bristol City Council Public Art & Urban Regeneration commission, Eudaimon is radically reinterpreting the meaning of ‘public art’ by creating a site that will engage biodiversity, urban ecology and community involvement to a derelict part of Bristol. See website for more info. How perfect to share a social beverage (from South America) while discussing a collaboroative socio-ecological greening project!

Entering the massive ExCel to EcoBuild

Chelsea College's Speedo-Willow design

Once inside the trade show, some highlights for me included the launch of the 2011 Integrated Design Habitats competition, a Speedo-woven willow tunnel and herb wall from Chelsea College of Art & Design, and the presence of nature conservation organizations like the Wildlife Trust, Bug Life, Natural England.

On a personal note, the Swiss booth tickled my homesick taste-buds not only with Frey chocolates but also with Basler Läckerlis! Yummmm and happeeeeeeeee!

• ICS Heat Pumps: the latest in DeLonghi’s inverter-driven heat pump technology
• EMMVEE Photovoltaics: a new range of mono- and polycrystalline solar modules suitable for use in grid and off-grid applications
• Wind Turbine: the Evance R9000 wind turbine was the fist and is currently the only 5kW wind turbine to receive full MCS accreditation, making it eligible for the UK Feed-In Tariff scheme
• Photovoltaic energy roof system: IKO Solar launched two new systems: flexible strips (which are adhered to a roofing membrane), and a cylindrical system (which, when placed loosely on the roof, benefits from additional reflectance from the surface of the waterproofing).
• Cyclepods: the new Streetpod secures bike frame and both wheels with a single lock.
• Wood fibre insulation: new natural wood and hemp fibre insulation and construction solutions which provide both thermal and acoustic insulation
• Energy efficient timber house: the new generation of such houses presented by Stommel Haus

Living architecture at EcoBuild

In terms of green roofs and living walls, such events provide tangible representation of how living architecture fits into the greater building sector. It’s humbling to realize what a small niche we fill. But hey, someone’s gotta do it!

At EcoBuild, all the component sectors of the living architecture industry (substrate, systems, ecology, etc.) held just a tiny sliver of the show. The companies and organizations in attendance were nicely represented, however. Blackdown Horticultural always put on a good show with their big and welcoming green spaces and impressive slopes. Alumasc and Optigreen had big booths and smart-looking business people ready to answer all questions. Shire Mineral had a little booth and many personable visitors. A number of living wall system providers were present, too, providing welcome towers and walls of greenery within the show.

Launch of the 2011 Integrated Design Habitats Competition (IDHC)

The IDHC “[puts] biodiversity at the heart of the built environment for the benefit of all” and celebrates design which accomplishes this. Organised by RESET and livingroofs.org, the IHDC was devised to provide a forum for visionaries and innovators in order to design better, more sustainable habitats for everyone.

For this year, the IHDC 2011 was launched at Ecobuild’s Cityscape Stage. Last year’s winners presented their projects, along with 2011 Principal Sponsor (Victoria Business Improvement District) and co-organisers Dusty Gedge (livingroofs.org) and Blanche Cameron (RESET). Gary Grant, Chair of Judges, spoke of the urgency to support biodiversity in the built environment.

The first competition ran in 2010, and awards were presented at the London World Green Roof Congress (September 2010). First prize went to Edge Hill Halls by Maria-Cristina Banceanu (1^st year architecture student, University of Liverpool), above; second place went to MATRIPOLIS, by Paul Jones and David Dobereiner; and 3^rd place went to the highly-commended Seed Catalogue by Susannah Hagan, Silvio Caputo, Mark Gaterell. To learn more about these projects, follow their respective links.

The Cityscape Stage was buzzing with interest

Registration for the 2011 IDHC is from 21 March to 31 July, with entry period from 1 May to 31 July. 1^st prize is £2,000, 2^nd prize is £1,000 and 3^rd prize is £750.

Overall a great day, a massive show, several inspiring projects, numerous impressive technologies, and many great people! Many thanks to all who made EcoBuild a fabulous event and gathering!

~ Christine

 

As you probably know (unless you’ve just entered the greenroof field), Ed Snodgrass is a horticultural consultant who co-owns and operates Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants, a perennial nursery specializing in green roof plants that stocks over 100 varieties of green roof plants.  To date they have and provided over 2.5 million sf of planted roofs!

Ed also happens to be one of our Contributing Editors, our first in fact – see my 2009 ”From Llamas to Greenroofs: An Interview with Ed Snodgrass.”  Appropriately, Ed is our Plant Editor and writes “Ask Ed” where he answers reader questions, writes occasional articles, and features seasonal greenroof plants for us.

Ed is also a seasoned speaker (highly in demand) and writer (who says he will try and contribute more here on Greenroofs.com!).   By now I’m sure you’ve all read Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide, by Edmund C. Snodgrass and Lucie L. Snodgrass, published by Timber Press, 2006 – I thought it was great, and a perfect resource – see my review here.

And, his brand new book, The Green Roof Manual: A Professional Guide to Design, Installation, and Maintenance, by Edmund C. Snodgrass and Linda McIntyre, published by Timber Press, 2010, is now available!  I feel privileged that I was sent an early copy to review, which I’m working on along with finishing up another Contributing Editor’s book by Kelly Luckett – The Green Roof Guy - Green Roof Construction and Maintenance, published by McGraw-Hill’s Greensource, 2009 (it’s fantastic and I can’t believe I haven’t finished the review yet).  Are they similar? Yes and no.  Both are certainly unique with dinstinct perspectives.

But my early feeling for Ed and Linda’s new book is that it is simply great – much more overall in scope than the first (of course, it had a plant focus) and another must have for our greenroof and greenwall library!  Order today from Amazon.com for quick delivery.

Congratulations, Ed, on yet another success!

~ Linda V.

Season’s greetings to all,

It’s time to reflect on the industry as we find ways to combat the decline of the economy. The green industry has taken center stage and has also become a profitable market for most. Looking back at 2008, personally I have seen more backyard manufacturing of products being labeled green, new DBA’s sprouting green buds of lackluster products, performance and knowledge, making waves in the industry and establishing flags of caution for the experienced and legitimate green business and products.

My point is a word of caution to consumers and designers. It used to be when there were layoffs and an adjustment in the economy, a new lawn cutting or landscaping business would show up, and everyone was a landscaper. These same small landscape companies did not have the experience and overhead that resulted in low ball bids making the Lawn & Garden industry a tough place to make a living - I know, I did it for 23 years.  The good thing is these start-ups are not around long.

Today it’s not the person with a new truck or trailer and a lawn mower; it’s a new “Green Business, Green Business Consultant or a green product”. It’s understandable that we all want to make a living and at this point retain our existing lifestyles or in some cases simply survive. Anyone with a lump of cash or a credit line can manufacture anything. Things to consider when hiring a consultant or thinking about using a new green product:

1. Ask for credentials, experience and portfolio;

2. Request references;

3. Ask to talk to other employees, they can be brutally honest;

4. Request research and long term data;

5. Look for public media, not just press releases;

In our business we have seen consultants and designers that simply do not have practical experience. As forward thinking and positive our industry (green roofs and green walls) is, do your homework when a green project is in your reach. Just because they attended Green Roofs 101, it doesn’t make them a green roof consultant or installer.

Hi, I’m George Irwin, a contributing editor here on Greenroofs.com – The Green Wall Editor. I write the occassional Green Walls Column, and as promised I will convert and dedicate most of my personal blog thoughts from a prior blog site to Sky Gardens…..One thing I do not care about when Im writing is the grammar or spelling mistakes I make when Im spilling my thoughts, so if you’re reading this blog and want to comment on my mistakes….too bad:)

I think free writing is important not to be interrupted by the conscious thought of making mistakes, it takes away the creativity of transferring the thoughts to writing. The same holds true with new research and products introduced to the market. Dont be afraid to make mistakes, take chances and like Nike “Just do it”. You will make mistakes…..So there is the inspiration for my first post.

The second part of the post is our Green Living Technologies Green Living Newsletter, not associated with Greenroofs.com but I thought you might be interested in my personal business, too. This month we have some very cool changes…yes change is good…for both our green roof and green wall systems. We are also charging the way into Central America, Honduras to be exact. Im hoping to bring you into my thoughts and also provide a combination of education, stimulated thinking and comments…..as always I make myself available for contact via email at the greenwalleditor@greenroofs.com.

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Green Living TM Technologies and THE GREEN LIVING NEWS
Current September Issue:

I want to welcome the new subscribers to our newsletter! Lots to talk about this month! Our dedication is to improving our products making sure they are both affordable and functional. This month we are proud to release our Roof Tray system that was designed to retain stormwater.

New Product Launch: Green LivingTM Roof Tray

Rochester NY…. Green Living TM Technologies announces the release of its advanced patent pending Green Living TM Roof Tray with water retention. The heavy gauge aluminum soon to be zinc Green Living TM Roof Tray was developed as a simplified way to install a basic green roof. The original Green Living TM Roof Modular System requires a higher level of installation skills and green roof know how. The Roof Tray has a price point similar to the cost of the original modular system but the installation labor cost is half. It’s easier to transport and can be pre-vegetated or filled and planted on the roof. “This is a great product for clients who have the ability to lift and place the trays on almost any flat or minimally sloped roof without hiring a green roof contractor.” The Green Living TM Roof Tray comes complete with a hydro-blanket that also acts as a filter. The system was designed for stormwater retention. The trays measure 20″ x 24″ (3.5 square feet) and come in standard 4″, 6″, 8″ and 12″ depths. The 4″ depth can retain up to 4.35 gallons of stormwater and still provide unlimited drainage through the large .25 drain holes within the sides of the tray. Just like the Green Living TM Roof Modular System once the tray reaches saturation the stormwater flows to the roof and into the designated drains. With embossed feet, to allow the tray to sit off the roof for air and water flow and built in handles for easy transport and carrying, two people can install a complete 1000 square foot roof in less than a day! Even fully saturated, we still maintain 15 +/- pounds per square foot.

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Change is Good! for the Green Living TM Wall

With all good companies product improvement and development is a high priority. After additional R&D we have made some key changes to the Green Living TM Wall. Before we announce the changes let us make note the corner panel is now part of the standard Green LivingTM Wall System. The first change is the safety hem on the outer edges of the wall panel structure. Second is the two part assembly that led to removing any torque. The result is a green wall panel that is easier and safer to handle. With our patented cell technology we still retain the unlimited drainage and root migration within the panels themselves and unlike plastic components the Green Living TM Wall will not warp or crack with the expansion and contraction of heat and cold. Also now available in standard increments of 6 inches and custom manufacturing, powder coating and laser engraving are always available.

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Green Living TM Wall Featured on Dream Home w/ Lisa Quinn on October 4th, 2008

Green LivingTM Technologies and the Green Living TM Wall was featured in one of the San Francisco area’s Dream Home episode. Join us as we work with Lisa Quinn, co-host Alexandrea Schardt and GLT’s George Irwin on how easy it is to dress up an otherwise drab wall by planting and installing a 2 – panel Green LivingTM Wall system with manual irrigation.

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Green Living TM Technologies in Honduras

Green Living TM Technologies Breaks ground with Angela Stassano of Techos Verdes and her partner Lazarus & Lazarus in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. October 13th we will be in Honduras with Angela to establish the installation of the Green LivingTM Systems. In addition the location will also serve as a continuing education and eventually a growing facility. Congratulations to Techos Verdes and Lazarus & Lazarus. I will have more pictures and in depth coverage for our next newsletter!

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Green Living TM Technologies reps and installer Michael and Angela Bucci, G-Space Philadelphia, showcase the Green Living Wall

Green Living TM Technologies’ Philadelphia-based and authorized representative / installer G-Space (Not to be confused with another “G” company) displays one of their latest Green LivingTM Wall projects on the exterior of the refurbished Vorhees Coliseum, home of the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul. Great job to Michael and Angela Bucci and the entire G-Space staff!

I can be reached via email also at George@agreenroof.com. If you like our Green Living TM Technologies and THE GREEN LIVING NEWS newsletter and want to receive it directly, register for email updates.

That’s it for now, look for my next Green Walls Column soon!

George Irwin, The Green Wall Editor on Greenroofs.com and President and CEO of Green Living Technologies, LLC (GLT).