Today is World Health Day – 7 April 2010! With the campaign 1000 cities, 1000 lives, events have been organized worldwide by the World Health Organization during the week of April 7 – 11, 2010.
“The theme of urbanization and health was selected for World Health Day in recognition of the effect urbanization has on our collective health globally and for us all individually. Urban areas provide great opportunities for individuals and families to prosper and can provide a healthy living environment. However, urbanization can also bring many challenges including: overcrowding; air pollution; rising levels of risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol; road traffic injuries; inadequate infrastructure, transport facilities, solid waste management systems; and insufficient access to health facilities in slum areas.” ~ WHO
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. Inaugurated on April 7, 1948, WHO provides leadership on global health matters, shapes the health research agenda, sets norms and standards, articulates evidence-based policy options, provides technical support to countries, and monitors and assesses health trends.
Organizers of World Health Day see April 7 as a call to action day and hope its observance “can trigger the long-term commitment to approach health from a social determinants point of view – addressing the factors and conditions that can determine our health outcomes – across multiple sectors engaging a wide array of partners including civil society and residents.”
The global goals of the 1000 cities, 1000 lives campaign are:
•1000 cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles – over 1,300 cities joined the campaign! •1000 lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities – you can nominate someone.
Of course, we all know green infrastructure and eco-friendly architecture can improve the environment and support urban well-being. As reported by the BBC, a recent study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health states evidence that living near a green space has health benefits, especially if you live less than a kilometer (0.62 miles) away.
According to the study, diseases that benefit most from green spaces are:
Coronary heart disease Neck, shoulder, back, wrist and hand complaints Depression and anxiety Diabetes Respiratory infections and asthma Migraine and vertigo Stomach bugs and urinary tract infections Unexplained physical symptoms
In addition to connecting people back to nature, greenroofs and walls help filter and cleanse both airborne and stormwater toxins and pollutants. So doesn’t it make sense that increasing green spaces at all planes - ground, rooftop, and wall - and at all scales, from pocket parks to mega developments, can reduce many of our physical and emotional health problems?
You can sign up on Who’s social media website for 1000 cities, 1000 lives, where you can become a part of the movement by creating a profile and inviting your friends to join you. You’ll find an interactive map showing which cities have joined the movement, you can join a forum, and there’s even a WHO YouTube site for the 1000 cites, 1000 lives campaign where you can upload your own videos – see it here.
World Health Day 2010 posters available for download:
World Health Day encompasses a much wider scope than just green buildings, but by investing now in greening the world’s cities we’ll all benefit - at environmental, economic, and health levels – for our future as well as our grand children’s and beyond!
As we continue to ring in 2010 we hope you enjoyed warm holidays with family and friends and celebrated the New Year with renewed hope for the future. Can you believe we’ve entered a new decade? Shall we call it 2K10, Twenty Ten, or just good old fashioned 2,010? In any case, we’re finally out of the 0’s, now we’re into the 10’s.
Our world economy has been through a lot in the past few years, yet with a promising light hovering just over the horizon. Although development overall has declined, there is continued desire for green buildings from both the public and private sector, and in general our greenroof & greenwall industry has weathered quite nicely. Many of us are taking time to reflect on this passage of time and make New Year’s resolutions (another topic altogether!), and I was thinking of how far we have come since the German experience entered our architectural radar and into our collective consciousness in the 1990’s. Literally thousands of vegetated roofs and walls have been constructed since then in every continent except for Antarctica, with ever growing support from forward thinking multidisciplinary professionals: designers, government officials, organizations, companies, universities, students and other advocates looking to make Earth a little more sustainable.
Sadly, one of those special, innovative people passed away last November 27, the indomitable architect Malcolm Wells. Regarded as “the father of modern earth-sheltered architecture,” he was a staunch advocate of living architecture, known for his way ahead-of-the-times underground earth designs with living roofs starting in the 1960’s, see just one example below. He leaves a legacy of what he referred to as gentle architecture, design that would, in his own words, “leave the land no worse than you found it.”
The visionary Malcolm Wells' design for an eco-gas station, from MalcolmWells.com.
Many inspirational people and organizations have contributed to our current market, and I want to highlight just a few success stories from the past year, personal and global. So in my review, here are my favorite 2009 Top 10 Milestones and Accomplishments for both Greenroofs.com as a company and our international community as a whole:
10) In 2009 Greenroofs.com celebrated 10 years of being in business! We’ve seen a lot of progress and change for the good here as well as across the greenroof world. The fledgling Greenroofs.com – “exploring the ecology of organic greenroof architecture” started out as 60+ pages in 1999 as the result of an independent research study I did at the University of Georgia.
By 2003 we changed our format and grew into Greenroofs.com – “the international greenroof industry’s resource and online information portal,” and contained 600+ pages at the end of 2009 (not counting the hundreds of .php pages from The Greenroof Directory or The Greenroof Projects Database). At present, each month Greenroofs.com receives more than 160,000 unique visits and about 400,000 page views, and we’ve also expanded our presence in social marketing, too, so now you can stay connected with us on: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, eNewsletter (our monthly eNewsletter consists of 10,000 opt-in subscribers) & YouTube, as well as our Blog.
9) The proliferation of living architecture is greatly spreading and permeating into the areas of design, policy, research and education through numerousworld conferences, congresses, expos, trainings, tours, and other events. For example, the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) – formerly the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGRIN) - held its first CitiesAlive! World Green Roof Congress in Toronto, Canada, with the second scheduled for Mexico City this October, 2010. The International Green Roof Association (IGRA) hosted the 2nd International Green Roof Congress 2009 in Nürtingen, Germany and the 3rd annual Green Roofs Australia Conference 2009 was held at the University of Melbourne. Longevity was evident with the 7th National FBB Green Roof Conference in Ditzingen, Germany and the 7th annual Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards, and Trade Show in Atlanta, Georgia. By the way, look for the 8th annual GRHC conference to occur in Vancouver, B.C. on November 30 – December 2, 2010, rebranded as ”Cities Alive.” Look for many new 2010 events throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, China, Singapore, India and more under Upcoming Events, where you can also access Past Events.
7)Green walls are firmly becoming entrenched in sustainable design,evidenced by high media attention, as much for their green properties as for their edible gardening possibilities. We’ve had tons of news articles posted in NewsLinks, our huge database of global articles, concerning living walls and green façades! In fact, they were listed as #31 in TIME’s 50 Best Inventions of 2009 and Triple Pundit recently proposed: ”Gardens Grow Up: Are Vertical Landscapes the New Green Roofs?“ - both featuring the works of Patrick Blanc. In our business you’d have to be living under a rock not to know who the renowned French botanist is; his often fantastical “murs végétalisés” designs stretch the limits of horticulture and design. Since 1994, he has created over 140 public vertical gardens as well as many private installations, including his most famous, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, shown below. Read more about green walls from Treehugger, Daily Telegraph, Daily Commercial News, The New York Times, Times Online and CNN.com, just to name a few.
In 2009 Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the North American professional association, established greenwall research projects at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland, and GRHC has included an award category for Green Wall Excellence in Design for a couple of years now. In 2008 Greenroofs.com added our 8th Contributing Editor, George Irwin - aptly titled The Green Wall Editor - to cover this growing vertical gardening field, and new for 2010 we have altered the title of our Greenroof Projects Database to reflect the inclusion of these: The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.
6)Investing in green building and infrastructure makes good economic sense by integrating green building policies into wider economic development goals, and creates a new job market. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has prompted a gigantic increase in federal green spending, providing new money to all levels of government, aimed at stimulating the economy, promoting job growth, and lowering energy costs, providing an unprecedented opportunity for advancing green building and sustainability efforts in the U.S. And last December, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported at least 138 U.S. cities with populations over 50,000 people have green building programs in place (compared to only 92 in 2007). Referring to the economic recession, the AIA said “The downturn has had a devastating effect on construction generally, but sustainable building design continues to maintain and improve its market share.” Read their 2009 in depth study “Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment” to learn more.
American Institute of Architects 2009 Study of Green Building Programs by Cities
U.S. economic stimulus efforts encompass green energy and construction, including greenroofs along with other forms of green building, and just one such example of Recovery Act funds benefit Washington D.C., where the Washington Business Journal says “Nearly $4 million would go toward building more than 100,000 sf of green roofs on city buildings, including libraries, firehouses and a demonstration project atop the parking garage deck at University of the District of Columbia. The stimulus funds would also expand the city’s green roof rebate program to allow residents and small businesses to afford another 20,000 sf of private green roof space.”
And importantly, many green building programs are also creating “green collar” jobs. In late 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Booz Allen Hamilton conducted a study and stated “Green building will support 7.9 million U.S. jobs and pump $554 billion into the American economy – including $396 billion in wages – over the next four years (2009-2013). The study also determined that green construction spending currently supports more than 2 million American jobs and generates more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages…The full report can be downloaded at www.usgbc.org/greeneconomy, where one can also find other research, resources, tools and information about green building and its role in the economic recoveries of professionals, businesses and the nation.” According to an analysis by American Rivers and the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that a $10 billion nationwide initiative to install greenroofs alone would result in almost 200,000 jobs – the Senate is expected to consider its own version of the bill in early 2010.
5)Green Roofs for Healthy Cities launched the Green Roof Professional (GRP) accreditation for North America. The GRP is a measure of knowledge of established best practices and although a voluntary program, with the designation professionals can distinguish themselves in the marketplace. This association milestone was at least four years in the making! Currently with more than 250 GRP’s in 2009, GRHC hopes to add more professionals in 2010. Check their website for future testing dates, and consider attending one of their Green Roof Boot Camps to refresh and get you ready. See my interview with Jeff Bruce, president of Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, Chair of GRHC and the GRHC Training and Accreditation Committee, which developed the Green Roof Professional program, to learn why the organization felt this accreditation was needed, how it evolved, and where it’s heading. For more info on the GRP, see “A Video Introduction to the GRP Program” from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
4)Within the U.S. industry, major contributions were made in the area to develop best practice wind and fire standards for greenroof design. Since 2007, leaders from various organizations have been working hard on prescriptive standards, and in 2009 standards were inserted into the International Building Code from members of GRHC and Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI). Read “Green Roof Wind & Fire Design Guidelines: After Three Years, Half the Battle is Won,” written by one of our Contributing Editors, Kelly Luckett, The Green Roof Guy, to learn about this winding road’s development of RP-14 and VF-1. And stay tuned for updates with his column here on Greenroofs.com.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUe) Wind Tunnel Testing in June, 2009.
3) The global Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database surpassed the 1,000 mark in December! So where are all these greenroofs and greenwalls anyway? Let’s continue to work together to grow, update, and share valuable case studies for our communal benefit, for free. Even in today’s openly transparent society (think Google Earth), some people worry about confidentiality issues, and we only post information that is submitted to us by owners/project principals or that which is openly available through various media channels, and we always list owners as “private” when requested. The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database is now searchable by 24 fields, including specifically for green walls. After our Home Page, the Projects Database is the next visited page on Greenroofs.com – make sure your projects and valuable experiences are included here.
2) My albeitly biased personal favorite, Greenroofs.com inaugurated our first episode of the Sky Gardens ~ Greenroofs of the World™ WebTV series. Premiering at Boston GreenFest in September, our new venture followed on the GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube, and next on our own greenroofs.tv, where you can now see it in its entirety at just under 37 minutes. By the way, you can also view our video offshoot, ”Greenroofs 101 from Greenroofs.com” (4:50) in Greenroofs 101 or directly below, which is a great way to introduce the concept to newcomers. Coming soon is episode 2, highlighting the gorgeous Cook+Fox Architects corporate offices in Manhattan, NY. Our third episode is in the works, and more are being scheduled, so stay tuned!
1) 2009 saw some serious support for greenroofs, championed by professional organizations and governmental bodies alike. Global industry support has grown over the years, and many advocates continue to actively promote them worldwide. For example, the City of Chicago, certainly the U.S. leader in greenroofs, now has over 7 million square feet of vegetated roofs completed or under development. New support in 2009 includes:
North America: In addition to offering eco-incentives for greenroofs, currently Toronto has the most progressive policy in North America – last May Toronto became the first city here to adopt a bylaw to require and govern the construction of greenroofs. The new bylaw will be required on all new development above 2,000 m² (about 21,530 sf) of gross floor area and have a graduated coverage requirement ranging from 20-60%. Working with a program budget of $800,000/year, owners of industrial and commercial buildings can apply for grants worth up to $100,000 (Canadian) to build a greenroof. Mayor David Miller predicts the rules and incentives will create 50 to 60 green-roofed buildings per year, in addition to their current 135 vegetated roofs. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities supported the by-law against pressure from developers opposed to the policy. See more details under Industry Support and at the City of Toronto website.
Here in the U.S., in late 2009 ASLA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, worked with Congress to include the Green Act into the House-passed climate change legislation. The Act would require the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to employ greenroofs, tree canopy coverage, and other site planning techniques to help reduce heating and cooling costs in certain HUD facilities. Still pending before the Senate Finance Committee, last January Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) introduced the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 (S.320), legislation geared toward creating high-wage green-collar jobs and revitalizing the economy through clean energy investments. ASLA worked with Senator Cantwell’s office to ensure that a section of the bill was dedicated to green roof tax incentives, and GRHC provided technical support. Under section 506 of the bill, residential and commercial property owners will receive a 30% tax credit for qualified greenroof expenditures.
As you may recall, Congress enacted Section 438 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) to require federal agencies to reduce stormwater runoff from federal development projects to protect water resources and in October of 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 on “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance” calling upon all federal agencies to lead by example and address a wide range of environmental issues, including stormwater runoff. Federal agencies can comply with Section 438 by using a variety of green infrastructure / low impact development techniques including living roofs. Prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in coordination with other federal agencies, the “Technical Guidance on Implementing the Stormwater Runoff Requirements for Federal Projects under Section 438 of the Energy Independence and Security Act” PDF is highly detailed and instructive.
State and municipal governments also provided policy support: Former Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine signed three bills promoting incentives in 2009: HB 1975 and SB 1058 authorize localities to grant regulatory flexibility and incentives to promote the construction of vegetative roofs on private homes and businesses. The incentives or regulatory flexibility could include a reduction in permit fees, a streamlined process for the approval of building permits, or a reduction in any gross receipts tax on greenroof contractors as defined by the local ordinance. The third bill, HB 1828, allows water authorities to offer rate incentives for vegetative roof construction, based on the percentage of stormwater runoff reduction. In late fall, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC), and the Office of Environmental Quality created a Green Roof Loan Program utilizing money from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund. OEPA has made $5,000,000 available for linked deposit, below market rate loans to install green vegetative roofs within the service area of MSDGC on residential, commercial and/or industrial buildings.
Already a city offering several greenroof incentives, in October Portland’s city commission approved a Climate Action Plan which calls for a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050. According to the Portland Business Journal, “The Plan calls for the city and county to take 93 actions over the next three years. City bureaus must immediately begin implementing 15 of the new climate-related initiatives, such as establishing a tax credit for businesses that install ecoroofs and solar panels together.” And last month, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District invited governments, organizations, school districts, and businesses within the 28 communities it serves to participate in their 2010 Regional Green Roof Initiative Program. Among other prerequisites, proposed projects must minimize impervious roof area and maximize the reduction in the rate and/or volume of stormwater runoff.
The World:Singapore is targeting 50 hectares of skyrise greenery by 2030 and its Urban Redevelopment Authority launched the LUSH Programme (Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises) in April of 2009. Offering financial and planning incentives to developers to provide greenery at the upper levels of high rise buildings, their goal is to make 80% of all buildings in Singapore green by 2030. Quezon City, Phillipines has a new law requiring private and government-owned buildings to green part of their rooftops. New commercial/residential buildings, under the Green Roof Ordinance (Ordinance 1940) signed into law by Mayor Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. last September, should allocate at least 30% of their roof area for plants and trees. In Australia, the Queensland Government signed a “Memorandum Of Understanding” with the Singapore National Parks Board late last year to trial vertical gardens and greenroofs in various cities in an effort to benefit from Singapore’s experience with skyrise greenery.
Dubai Municipality launched a greenroof initiative in line with a Dubai law on green building specifications. The Municipality’s strategic goal is to raise per capita green area to 23.4 square meters by the end of 2011, with the green building project coming under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirate Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. A public awareness campaign for greenroofs was announced last month, committed to the “development of laws and regulations to keep pace with international standards in the field of sustainable development by planting green roofs and facades in the Emirate of Dubai.” Traveling display models and educational publications will circulate residential neighborhoods and shopping centers and markets for a 12-month period. Read more on the Dubai Municipality Portal. One spectacular greening project currently on the boards in Dubai is the self-sustained system “Food City” below, designed by Green Concepts Landscape Architects (GCLA):
The proposed Dubai Food City, conceptualized by landscape architecture firm GCLA.
So here we are at the start of a whole new year – we hope you’re excited and optimistic about it, just as we are! Whatever 2009 offered you, we hope you embraced new friends and opportunities and experienced great personal and professional growth, and we thank you for your readership. What’s in store for our new decade? We’ll see, but as the green building industry continues with positive signs of sustained growth, let’s also continue to collaborate and create a more sustainable world with eco-architecture embracing greenroofs and greenwalls as part of the overall green living architecture strategy.
“I woke up one day to the fact that the earth’s surface was made for living plants, not industrial plants.” ~ Malcolm Wells
Here’s a gentle toast to continued health, love, and prosperity for you, your families, and all of our greenroof associates in 2010!
In all the hustle and bustle of editing feature articles, posting news stories, upcoming events, industry news and project profiles, amid other publisher duties, I sometimes forget to acknowledge the outside accomplishments (from Greenroofs.com) of our contributing editors… This oversight will be addressed as one of my upcoming New Year’s resolutions, but for now let’s start with George Irwin, our Green Wall Editor:
George Irwin, C.E.O. of Green Living Technologies, discusses the design of an A-frame planter his company makes.
George was recently interviewed for the “Business of Green” article by Ken Belson titled “The Rooftop Garden Climbs Down a Wall” that appeared in the Energy & Environment section on nytimes.com of November 18 and the New York Times print version on November 19, 2009. One of his Green Living Technologies‘ living wall products was featured when NYC architect Brad Zizmor had an edible wall installed on the backyard deck of his first-floor Manhattan apartment.
The article really delves into the “Business of Green” – costs are included and Barthelmes Manufacturing Company, the sheet metal fabricator, was also highlighted as well as Kari Elwell Katzander, a landscape designer who designed the 3-panel green wall. Although the author points out that these small greening solutions can be costly, he refers to another of George’s collaborations, the Urban Farming Food Chain green wall project in Los Angeles, and says:
“Mr. Irwin has shown that edible walls can work on a larger scale. At four locations in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, there are walls with more than 4,000 plants growing: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach, leeks, even baby watermelon. At one location, a homeless shelter, residents tend to a six-foot-high, 30-foot-long wall, eating some food they harvest and selling the rest.
The project, urban farming advocates say, is just the start of something larger.”
Make sure to also click on the slide show “Edible Walls of Green” – there are 12 awesome photos of the Zizmor wall, a living wall at the College of Applied Sciences and Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology, and cool manufacturing shots, with just a few below:
Oh yeah, while I’m am it, I should tell you that George Irwin won the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Award of Excellence in the Green Walls category this year. Presented on June 5, 2009 at the 7th Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards, and Trade Show at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, he won for his involvement and contribution to the Urban Farming Food Chain green walls, truly a dedicated community affair of residents, manufacturers, students, professors, activists, and designers. We were very proud of him, of course, and I should have blogged about this very prestigious accomplishment after the conference, but somehow didn’t.
I should also probably mention that because of his work with this project, George has also been on Good Morning America and invited to the White House, too. I am a forgetful editor, indeed! George writes about this exciting, worthy, and humbling experience in his upcoming Green Walls column, which should be up very soon. Kudos, George!
For anyone in tune with the cycles of nature in your geographic area, whether noting the appearance of your favourite spring wildflowers, observing the migratory timing of birds and/ or butterflies, or cheering on the fluffiness of wild baby animals in your neighbourhood forest, the opportunity listed below could benefit from your help!
The USA-National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), a consortium of government, academic and citizen-scientists is launching a new national program built on volunteer observations of flowering, fruiting and other seasonal events.
Scientists and resource managers will use these observations to track effects of climate change on the Earth’s life-support systems.
If you are interested in participating in climate change science, instead of just reading about it, follow the U.S. Geological Survey link for more information: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2151.
I love Inhabitat and think that their postings are always fresh and pertinent, examing what’s new and on the cutting edge of design. But I just have to comment on the post from yesterday, February 19, 2009 -“A Green Roofed Dog House for Obama’s New Puppy!“ A gift for the Obama family from Sustainable Pet Design (makers of Greenrrroof Animal Homes), the Obama Dog Home – Summa Canum (Latin for “Top Dog”) – was “created not only to provide an appropriately sustainable and stylish home for the new leader of the free canine world, but to introduce eco-friendly practices and materials to the American people. ” A fantastic concept, and we’d all like to see the White House itself eventually greenroofed, right? So why not start with a green dog house as a demonstration for all? But as such, shouldn’t it be an example of a feasible option available to the average American, too?
My comments aren’t about Inhabitat, but geared to the company highlighted, the allusion of its name and specifically to their pricing structure. Actually, my commentary is a long time coming, something I have to get off my chest…just give me a minute to rant and then let’s discuss the learning opportunities! I remember first reading about this new landscape designer about a year and a half ago in NovoMetro. We highly regard all things eco-chic and always celebrate ecological design whether boutique or on a grand scale and enjoyed reading about her spunk and youth, and appreciated the modern designs with vegetated roofs for dog and bird houses – see the article in NewsLinks. But the concept of ultra-expensive boutique green architecture being referred to as sustainable irked me then, and even more when I saw so many news sources picking up on this “sustainable” dog house phenomenon…
I’m no one to diss marketing schemes and press coverage – in fact, that’s good old capitalism at its best. And I certainly applaud entrepreneurship, especially when it goes hand-in-hand with ecological design, but doesn’t the term “sustainability” also imply some level of long term economic responsibility? In all consciousness, although the materials may be green, how can these prices be considered sustainable:
Greenrrrooff Animal Homes, Dog Houses:
Extra Small: $1000
Small: $1250
Medium: $1500
Large: $2000
Extra Large: $3000 Couture Homes, Extra Large: $6000
These are obviously specialty items only for the rich – maybe for Paris Hilton, but not for the rest of us. I’m not saying that this company shouldn’t offer these artistic, custom designs to a niche market for the affluent; I am saying we’re not doing ourselves any favors by touting these structures as completely sustainable and the media should be cognizant of this. Regarding the Obama dog house, Sustainable Pet Design says, “Our intent is to create an ongoing testing ground for sustainable practices to which all Americans can contribute. Summa Canum can be retrofitted with solar panels, radiant floor heating, a graywater recycling system…” All awesome and noble ideas for promoting sustainable practices, but at what price?
OK, I can hear it now – Linda, you’ve missed the point: this dog house is made from completely donated environmentally-friendly materials from various companies, including Emory Knoll Farms, and it’s a gift. Yes, but we learn by example and our greatest opportunity for example in the United States lies with our President. The rest of us aren’t going to have vendors and designers donate their materials and expertise to us, and most of us certainly cannot afford even the Extra Small dog house at $1,000!
So what’s my suggestion – not to accept this gift? No, but how about we present affordable options as well? Maybe have a competition for the First Dog’s abode or a fundraiser for animal charities from local Washington, D.C. area school kids to design both dog and bird houses? They could team up with university architecture and/or landscape architecture students or even area design professionals. I’m pretty sure we can get vendors to supply or sponsor materials and would end up with quite a wide variety of conventional built-in-place greenroofs as well as modular ones. This could be in honor of Earth Day, perhaps.
For example, the Augustenborg Botanical Roof Garden in Malmö, Sweden has held very successful greenroofed bird house competitions where school children learn about green design and construction; all the bird houses are put on display for a while for public viewing and the winner gets a place of honor on the roof garden. Our U.S. version could hold the judging and/or auction on the lawn of the White House, and have non-winning entries donated to local animal shelters, schools, etc., with some of the greenroofed bird houses set within the gardens. What a great way to introduce the greenroof concept to many and encourage future generations to embrace ecological design!
Here are a couple of more affordable, and just as fashion-conscious dog house favorites of mine - first is Finn and Cooper’s Dog House from Dr. Bradley Rowe, Associate Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Horticulture (see Michigan State Green Roof Research). Brad estimates the cost at ”probably a couple hundred dollars. Most of the cost was in the wood to build the doghouse, not the green roof part. I harvested sedum cuttings off of some of our research plots, bought a few plants, and some were donated by Ed Snodgrass.” The photo at left shows it newly constructed in 2003, and more fully grown in and still being enjoyed at right in July, 2006.
Austin-based Chelsea Bandy of Chelsea+Remy Design and her boyfriend created the following design for the Fall 2007 Barkitecture competition, where local designers, builders and architects were asked to build dog houses with all of the proceeds going to support various local animal rescue groups. Chelsea estimates that the total cost (if nothing were donated and everything was purchased outright) would have been about $500. By the way, that’s Remy on the right!
Aside from the plants, other green materials used included:
-Crushed recycled glass (from local nursery Gardenville) bottles which add some fun sparkle and color to the roof while taking advantage of the “green” factor
-EcoResin 3Form Panels with Capiz shells, donated by 3 Form. (www.3-Form.com) We used these as windows.
-Concrete floor tiles.
-Reclaimed Low VOC faux paint.
-All scrap materials were donated to another building project so that waste was minimal.
Neither of these dog house costs include designer or transportation fees, something to keep in mind (act locally, remember?). The biggest drawback we have right now within the green building industry at large is higher up front costs to implement these new, albeit innovative green materials and services, but we know these will continue to come down as both supply and demand increase. Designing sustainably shouldn’t be an exclusive option only for a few, but inclusive of many. There will always be a market for one-of-a-kind art pieces, but sustainable design as a global concept is important, and completely possible with continued ingenuity. How about some eco-friendly design options for our wallets, too?
Happy Greening ~ Linda V. next to my own neo-classical style greenroof bird feeder, a gift designed by fellow University of Georgia School of Environmental Design (now College of Environment and Design) graduate (now assistant professor) Shelley Cannady, in 2002 for about $50 using recycled materials and yes, donated succulents from Saul Nurseries (it’s good to have some connections!).
March 13, 2009 Summa Canum Update: As of March 12, the eco-friendly doghouse is en route to the White House. The Sustainable Pet Design press release says, “Green companies across the country have donated materials and services, including rock legend Neil Young, who is driving it to the White House this month, in his super-efficient hybrid 1959 Lincoln Continental to promote environmentally responsible vehicles; Summa Canum will be riding along in the convoy and delivered to the White House. The dog home generated enough enthusiasm among members of the green community that almost all of the materials were donated.
“Summa Canum is more than a doghouse—it is an effort to promote and introduce sustainable materials to the American public through an accessible object. Sustainable Pet Design and the sponsors of Summa Canum hope to create excitement through the idea that green is cool and patriotic. The interest this generates will provide an opportunity to present greenroofs and eco-friendly materials as concrete ways to decrease climate change and waste, lower health concerns, and provide green jobs.”
Although I have reservations about the pricing of the doghouses for sale on SPD, I do wish you continued success, and offer you kudos for all of your hard work
~ Linda V.
In addition to connecting people back to nature, greenroofs and walls help filter and cleanse both airborne and stormwater toxins and pollutants. So doesn’t it make sense that increasing green spaces at all planes - ground, rooftop, and wall - and at all scales, from pocket parks to mega developments, can reduce many of our physical and emotional health problems?
Promote urban planning for healthy behaviours and safety [pdf 513kb]
