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 2 and August 26, 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 September 2nd, 2011 as well as for last week, August 26th on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

-  Our project of the week this week is the extremely cool 8 House built in 2010 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  And our project of the week last week was the Duke University Ocean Conservation Center built in 2010 in Beaufort, North Carolina.

-  The 8 House is a 61,000 square meter bowtie-shaped mixed-use building of three different types of residential housing and 10,000 square meters of retail and offices which make up Denmark’s largest private development. It stacks its lively urban neighborhood into horizontal layers of typologies connected by a continuous walking and cycling path up to the 10th floor which creates a three-dimensional urban neighborhood where suburban life meshes with the energy of a big city. Two sloping green roofs totaling 1,700 square meters are strategically placed to reduce the urban heat island effect as well as provide the visual identity to the project and tying it back to the adjacent farmlands towards the south. The architects wanted to design a “long, coherent house with immense differences in height, creating a strong inflow of light and a unique local community with small gardens and pathways that channel your thoughts into mountains in Southern Europe and memories of a childhood home.”

-  The Duke University Ocean Conservation Center houses a lecture hall, teaching laboratory and commons area and uses geothermal pumps for heating and cooling, solar panels for hot water and photovoltaic rooftop panels to convert sunlight into electricity. Local building materials, like yellow southern pine and Atlantic white cedar and recycled wood, are used throughout the 5,600-square-foot center. In 2008, the Ocean Conservation Center was awarded Gold LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and in 2009 was awarded a Green Building Wood Design Award from Woodworks. The extensive green roof was installed in 2010 over the low-slope portion of the Energy Star roof and is a Xero Flor pre-vegetated extensive system, with specialized components to secure the green roof from high wind coastal exposure. Living Roofs worked with Xero Flor America and Frank Harmon Architects to design the green roof system and the irrigation which is supplied by a rainwater catchment system.

To learn more about the 8 House, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage and to learn more about the Duke University Ocean Conservation Center, type in project ID number 1155 in our Projects Database.

“What’s New”

- Industry News

-  We’ve released our agenda, our international speaker line-up and the trailer for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!  Held on September 27th & 28th, we have some simply awesome professionals speaking who are all passionate about what they do!  Check out the press release for all of the highlights for this ground breaking event or head on over to virtual.greenroofs.com and watch our exciting trailer that was really fun putting together, read our agenda, and learn more about our speakers. While there, you can pre-register for the event by September 9th and be eligible to win an Apple iPad2!

-  Make sure to read new columns from three of our contributing editors:  The Green Wall Editor George Irwin’s latest is “Green Wall Deception, Death of a Green Wall…” where he gives personal opinion about the potentials for failure.

-  Energy Editor Chris Wark’s latest is: “Consider the Source.” It’s a very classy response to an inaccurate article about the so-called benefits of greenroofs in the June 2011 issue of the ASHRAE Journal.

-  And enjoy the article “I am excited about the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011” from our Sustainable Business Insights Editor, John Shepley, about reducing your carbon footprint.  He cites our Virtual Summit as just one example of “Awareness.”

-  Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts:  ”Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: August 19th, 2011” and our GPWs (8 House and Duke OCC).

- “Upcoming Events”

-  September 7th-9th: is the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) 2011 International Symposium: Emerging Technologies and Roof System Performance in Washington, D.C.

-  September 9th: the Early Bird Registration and contest period for your chance at winning the first of 2 iPad2s ends for our Virtual Summit 2011.

-  And September 27th & 28th: of course is the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design, held online around the world!

-  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

- “In the News”

-  Tyler Falk of SmartPlanet, reveals “NYC’s urban agriculture potential.” He shares some interesting insights in a new report from the Urban Design Lab at Columbia University’s Earth Institute that explores New York City’s urban agriculture potential. The report showed nearly 5,000 acres of empty land that would be sufficient for farming throughout the five boroughs, and that urban agriculture can have a huge impact on food security in neighborhoods where fresh and healthy produce is needed the most with help from more city farmers. He found some more interesting information in the report like how urban farms equal green infrastructure, and that rooftops are numerous in New York City but are not being utilized enough for urban agriculture and more. Check out the full article for more information and a link to the complete report: “The Potential for Urban Agriculture in New York City.”

-  Stephen Totilo of Kotaku, talks about “The Coolest Things in Nintendo’s American Headquarters (And One Uncool Thing).” Well the only “uncool thing” he says about the headquarters is that they don’t “let visitors take pictures of the best parts of the building.” When you walk into the headquarters of Nintendo of America in Redmond, Washington, you have to sign an electronic waiver promising you won’t bring firearms, will keep any Nintendo secrets you hear to yourself and won’t take any unauthorized pictures. There are a few spots you can take some photos, which he did, so be sure to read the full article check to them out. The Nintendo headquarters was awarded Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in May of 2010. Among other eco-friendly additions, they have bamboo floors on each level, daylight sensors near the windows that dim or brighten interior lights based on the natural light in the room, heat and motion sensors in the many conference rooms, and there’s a 75,000 square foot Sedum living room to top it all off.

- 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?  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 2nd and August 26th, 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.

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.

Patrick Carey, hadj design principal, member of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, greenroof designer and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities trainer extraordinaire – and Architecture Editor here on Greenroofs.com – is featured in the July 27, 2011 KING5.com Evening Magazine video “Go Green with Greenroofs.”  Click below:

Host Jim Dever describes how a green revolution is sprouting up, so to speak!

Patrick is interviewed extensively with Seattle City Hall in the background and on location at several area homes, including the Mazurek Art Studio and Jon Alexander’s Garage.

I was lucky to have visited them all and more along with Patrick Carey in August 2004 – read about it in my previous column (and inspiration for this blog), “Sky Gardens ~ Travels in Landscape Architecture” here.

“I think that green roofs are the greenest thing you can do in construction except not build at all!”  ~ Patrick Carey

Way to go, Patrick!

By the way, Patrick Carey will be leading one of our panels sessions at our upcoming Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 on August 23 and 24, 2011:  Join him along with Dr. Robert Berghage, Charlie Miller and Ed Snodgrass as they examine “Greenroofs Without the Hype.”

Knowing those four, it should be pretty interesting!  Happy Greening,

~ 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.

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 22, 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 22nd, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the San Francisco Residential Living Wall built in 2010 in California.  A newly remodeled modern house sits on a bottom of a hillside in Pacific Heights with a notable retaining wall at the back of the property.  The backyard is sunken into the hill edged with three large, tall concrete walls surrounded by greenery.  The owner/designer’s mission was to create a striking display of vertical gardens that would take advantage of the walls to their greatest potential.  The goal was to show a living wall that brings biodiversity, beauty and enjoyment to the owner’s lifestyle.  This planting display is modeled after a natural vertical garden similar to a woodland cliff on a north facing hill in California.  The vision of a mixture of subtropical plants with northwestern ferns and fern-allies gives the wall its lush looking state.  The framework of the wall uses Tournesol Siteworks modules and bracket systems and had been in planning for six months prior to the installation of the 96 VGM modules with 1,536 plants used to cover the back yard.  The planting was based on a planting plan developed from a sketch drawn by the homeowner and designer Michelle Bond of Thumbellina Gardens; and the plan has over 75 varieties of shade loving plants which were appropriate for the north facing hillside of the site.

- To learn more about the San Francisco Residential Living Wall, 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 will be held on August 23rd & 24th of this year! 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!

- Advertiser Press Releases:

- VGM green wall modules by Elmich Australia have been installed at Fujitsu headquarters in Melbourne to create an internal north facing green wall.

- Plug Plant Sale Now on at Sedum Master!

- LiveRoof is the First Green Roof System to be FM Approved fulfilling the highest standards for performance, safety and quality.

- Joblinks:

- The University of Sheffield is looking for a Marie Curie Experienced Researcher in Green Roof Stormwater Management in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

- Over at the Sky Gardens Blog, check out Linda’s latest posts about “The Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011 from Greenroofs.com!,” and how to Win an iPad2 by Pre-Registering by August 10, “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: July 15th, 2011” and our GPW.

- “Upcoming Events”

- July 25th: is the Skyrise Greenery Awards 2011 Deadline!

- July 26th: is a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Advanced Green Roof Maintenance Course in Toronto, Canada.

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

- “In the News”

- Ana Lisa Alperovich of the Inhabitat Blog, talks about “RIBA Award-Winning Dental Practice Rises From The Lush British Countryside.” Going to the dentist can be a stressful and unsettling experience for some, maybe most, people and the sterilized white dental surgery rooms don’t seem to help the situation. David Sheppard Architects wanted to change that and created Brown’s Dental Practice, a relaxing woodland double-height dental practice that incorporates local materials like stone, wood and glass, while blending in with the lovely Ivybridge countryside. The dental surgery center also features a sloping green sedum roof and a range of photovoltaic panels which produce renewable energy used throughout the building. Also, this project was recently awarded this year’s Royal Institute of British Architects Award.

- Lisa Law of Americus Times-Recorder, reports on “Medical center to feature ‘green’ rooftop.” The new Phoebe Sumter Medical Center’s anticipated opening date is December 17th, later this year and with its opening, patients will enjoy the largest green rooftop in the southeastern United States. The director of marketing and public relations, Marcus Johnson, says “the roof is 26,000 square feet and the primary goal of the roof is to provide not only beautiful scenery, but provide a holistic environment for patients as well as visitors.” He also says it’s been proven that patients heal better when surrounded by plants, and the greenroof is eco-friendly offering other benefits like, providing thermal insulation, cutting down on dust, along with reducing energy costs. The greenroof will feature sedum and delosperma in a vast variety of colors of reds and yellows; and will serve as a sanctuary for butterflies, wild bees, beetles and more.

- 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 22nd, 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.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  After a summer vacation, here’s the transcript from June 24 which also covers the weeks of June 17 & 10, 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, June 24th 2011, as well as for the past two weeks since I was gone for a little summer break, on GreenroofsTV.

- Projects of the Week

-  Our project of the week is the Hotel Ushuaïa Low-Tech Vertical Garden built in 2011 in Ibiza, Spain.  Situated in the Hotel Ushuaïa de Ibiza, the four panel eco.bin greenwall acts as a sound barrier between the open air disco, which is located in between the hotel’s central courtyard and the surrounding guest rooms.  The garden wall consists of rows of ceramic terra cotta containers whose circular openings are individually filled with growing medium and planted. Each interconnected planted ceramic has its own substrate and vegetation, and works together to create this sound-absorbent garden space.  This is the first such type of greenwall garden system in the world.  Also, the designers have selected a variety of native plants which can adapt and thrive in these Mediterranean conditions; and as you can see, they provide a multitude of colors during the year.

-  Our project of the week last week was the NYC Parks Five Borough Administrative Building built in 2007 in Randall’s Island, New York, New York. In response to Mayor Bloomberg’s visionary 2007 PlaNYC initiative, the Five Borough Technical Services division began a program of installing green roofs of various designs, realizing that they could contribute significantly to the city’s sustainability effort.  To date, the division, together with Parks’ Green Apple Corps and others, has installed 24 systems covering over 29,000 square feet of roof on the west wing of the building including Green Paks, GreenGrid, BioTrays, Bioroof, Xero Flor, and many custom designs. Five Borough’s is the only known green roof in the U.S. to feature such a vast array of distinct systems side-by-side, which vary by types of growing medium, depth of growing medium, and plant selection.  And there are also other non-traditional green roof systems here including a green wall, container systems, a “walkable” atrium system, as well as planters on top of parapet walls.  By the way, look for a very in-depth look at this roof as our Guest Feature Article coming very soon!

-  Our project of the week for June 10th was the Ruthven Garage built in 2010 in Tacoma, Washington.  In 2010, Jenny Ruthven was a horticulture student at Oregon State University, and after graduating found employment within the green roofing industry and wanted to design and install her own greenroof, and her parents’ garage was the perfect spot.  With the help of family and friends, they had to first add some additional structural support to the garage and replace the 29+ year old shingles. Then, they used a custom made blend of soil which ended up consisting of about 52% inorganic and 48% organic.  Inorganic was all pumice, with a bit of perlite thrown in. Half of the organic component was cedar grove compost, and the rest was coconut fiber, peat moss, mushroom compost, chicken compost, and steer compost. They planted 432 plants, with about 60 different species and varieties total.  Looking back now, Mom Sandra says that she figured that she’d really like her greenroof, but had never  anticipated how much.

-  To learn more about the Ruthven Garage greenroof, type in project ID #1150 in our Projects Database, the NYC Parks Five Borough Administrative Building greenroof, project ID #787 and as always for our current project of the week, this week being the Hotel Ushüaia Low-Tech Vertical Garden, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.  And, you can also always go to our Sky Gardens Blog and read Linda’s expanded post about our project of the week every week!

“What’s New”

-  Advertiser Press Releases:

-  LiveRoof® Adds an Architectural Specialist, Michael R. Selleck, in Chicago to Support Sales of the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System.

-  Tremco Headquarters Completes Comprehensive Green Renovation, Becomes a Showcase of Sustainable Construction Technology.

- Registration is now open in Ottawa, Canada – for a Green Living Technologies International (GLTi) Green Wall Seminar.

-  Skyland USA is pleased to announce the launch of a new rooflite® certified growing media website.

-  Joblinks:

The University of Sheffield is looking for a Hydrologist or Urban Drainage Marie Curie More Experienced Researcher in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

-  You can go to greenroofs.com/joblinks.htm more information on this job and other Green Roof Job postings.

-  Make sure to check out our latest Guest Feature Articles and Blog Posts:

-  Christine Thuring gives us her latest report on the 1st International Green Roof Students Conference in Sheffield, UK.

-  And Steven Peck fills us in on a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities’ 2011 CitiesAlive Conference update.

-  Over at the Sky Gardens Blog, catch up on all of Linda’s other posts about Chris Wark’s 2011 7-part Green Roof Energy Series is now available on PDF, and the Greenroofs.com’s “TWIR” on GreenroofsTV for June 3rd, 2011.

- Industry News

-  Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway announced the 15 winners of Department of Environmental Protection’s 2011 Green Infrastructure Grant Program. Selected from a total of 52 applications, the 15 winners will share approximately $3.8 million of funds to build green infrastructure projects that will reduce combined sewer overflows and improve water quality in the New York Harbor.

-  Green Roofs for Healthy Cities announces co-host agreements with the City of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for its 9th Annual CitiesAlive Green Roof and Wall Conference November 30th – December 3rd, 2011.

-  The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) has selected 13 educational and cultural facilities for this year’s CAE Educational Facility Design Awards.

-  “Upcoming Events”

-  June 21st-25th: is the 2011 APGA Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

-  June 27th-29th: is the 48th International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) World Congress in Zurich, Switzerland.

-  And on June 29th-30th: is Greenbuild EXPO Exhibition & Conference of Sustainable Building in Manchester, United Kingdom.

- For more Upcoming Events visit our homepage.

-  “In the News”

-  Julia Johnson of the Ottawa Citizen reports on “Old film treasure preserved in federal news archives building.”  Earlier this week, Library and Archives Canada unveiled its new $14.7-million preservation facility for nitrate film on the government’s Shirleys Bay campus.  The new building now houses 5,575 reels of nitrate film dating back to 1912.  Archivist and librarian of Canada, Daniel Caron says that the new facility was also designed to be environmentally friendly, including efficient mechanical systems, insulated walls and a greenroof.  And Mario Gasperetti, the archives’ manager of strategic accommodation adds that the greenroof helps with keeping the vault cool by reducing heat exchange and instead of using manicured grass on the roof, it is designed to look exactly like the meadow landscape surrounding the building.

-  Julie Young of the Richmond Times-Dispatch talks about “Burnt-out home goes from ashes to awesome.”  She says a few years ago, the 1920s row house on Grove Avenue was an “architectural corpse.  Its skeletal remains consisted of a disfigured facade, broken bones and devastating internal damage.”  Then along came Dr. Susan Miller and her husband Dr. Kenneth Kendler to the rescue.  In 2008, they signed on to breathe life back into this burnt down home.  Over the next two years, “The Phoenix” was reborn and filled with green eco-friendly sustainable features like their own greenroof, the 25 foot tall green wall located in the home between the dining room and great room, thirty photovoltaic  roof panels, solar panels, concrete countertops flecked with reclaimed glass and rocks their now-adult children collected as kids, and much more.  The living wall ecosystem was designed by Scotty Guinn Dilworth of SG Designs and installed by Capitol Greenroofs who also installed the roof-top garden.

-  Ted Kortan of NewsNet5.com announces “Tremco Incorporated headquarters dedicated in Beachwood.”  Tremco Incorporated, a building products and solutions company, and subsidiary of RPM International, dedicated its renovated 40-year-old corporate headquarters last week.  Tremco said the project has resulted in a “high performance” building that is substantially more efficient, cost effective, and sustainable than the previous headquarters, with features like their vegetated roof with almost 1,600 plants and the area’s first solar powered electric car charging station.  Joining with company officials at Tremco’s Green Road campus for the dedication were Ohio Governor John Kasich, U.S. Senator Rob Portman, U.S. Congresswoman Betty Sutton and Beachwood Mayor Merle Gorden.

-  Sandy Bauers of Philly.com says “A tiny step forward for green roofs in Philadelphia” includes “a cheerful puff of plant life atop a bus-stop shelter.”  Tiffany Ledesma Groll, the project’s coordinator said, “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” – which most people never see.  She goes on to say, “We thought it would be fun to bring it down to eye level.”  Last week, workers from Roofmeadow, a Philadelphia green roofs company that did the installation pro bono, were busy topping the shelter with its “mini-oasis.”  They planted a fuzz of pink dianthus, multicolored portulaca, and sedum and Roofmeadow also has committed to maintaining the roof for its first two years.  Charlie Miller, president and founder of Roofmeadow, said the roof “will give people a sense of familiarity…how it contributes to the quality of life.”  His son, Ari, designed the installation so it could be replicated as a “kit” for other bus-stop roofs in the city.

-  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 June 24th, 2011 as well as June 10th and 17th 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.

Businessweek.com profiles 25 ventures selected from reader suggestions in their third annual roundup of America’s most promising social entrepreneurs. Guess who made into this year’s list?  Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants co-owners Ed Snodgrass & John Shepley – also two of our contributing editors!

“…Socially minded entrepreneurs and investors are still building the infrastructure to start and expand companies that exist between the purely for-profit and the purely philanthropic…Investors are beginning to consider social ventures more seriously…” ~ excerpt from Businessweek.com of June 22, 2011

Funny – Ed, our Plant Editor, has been with us the longest (since 2004) and writes the “Ask Ed” column, and John is our newest contributing editor, the Green Business Editor, having just come on board earlier this year with his column “Sustainable Business Insights.”  Corporate sustainable responsibility and has been their motto from their beginning in 2004; in 2010, Emory Knoll Farms became one of the first benefit corporations under a Maryland law that creates a new legal designation for social enterprises.

Businessweek.com is asking us to “read through the profiles of these social ventures—then vote for the most promising before July 12 (the voting page is also available at the end of the slide show).  We’ll announce the top five vote-getters on July 19.” Everyone can vote once for their favorite.

How about we greenroofers unite and let’s all vote for Ed and John, and in the process highlight Emory Knoll Farms and our greenroof & wall industry!  A little self promotion never hurts, you know.

Read “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs 2011” by John Tozzi, and the accompanying article “For-Profits Fixing Social Ills” by Nick Leiber, Joel Stonington, John Tozzi, and Venessa Wong which includes the slide show of 2011’s 25 private, for-profit social enterprises here – and specifically the one about Ed and John here.

For some background on Ed and Emory Knoll Farms, you can review my 2009 “From Llamas to Greenroofs: An Interview with Ed Snodgrass.”  Visit the Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants website here.

Congratulations, Ed & John – way to go!

~ 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 covering May 20 and May 13, 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 May 20th as well as for May 13th, 2011, on  GreenroofsTV since we took a week off.

- Project of the Week

-  Our project of the week is SeQuential’s Biofueling Retail Station built in 2006 in Eugene, Oregon.  This biofuel station is an example of realistic, feasible, and sustainable technologies demonstrating real world solutions that reduce energy usage and local water quality impacts.  These features include solar panels on the fuel pump canopies, passive solar design of the convenience store, and a vegetated roof that is part of a site-stormwater system including bioswales and a detention pond.  Habitats staff, who were also project managers, designed the fuel station site plan, landscape and stormwater features, and designed, installed and planted the vegetated roof, which contains over 4,800 individual plants in 5 inches of soil.

-  Last week we featured Aqua, the winner of our “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest.  Designed to comply with LEED certification, Aqua is a mixed-use residential skyscraper overlooking Harbor Park on the shores of Lake Michigan and is setting new heights for innovation and beauty among Chicago skyscrapers.  Each floor of the 82-story tower has an architectonic facade of curvaceous white concrete balconies, and the 80,000 sf intensive Greenroof-Roofscapes® System roof garden by Barrett Company caps Aqua’s three-story podium roof, providing a naturalistic, eco-friendly landscape.  And an International Leak Detection (ILD) system was installed to protect against membrane damage as well as other electric field leakage problems.

-  To learn more about SeQuential’s Biofueling Retail Station, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage, and for Aqua, go to the Projects Database landing page and under Keyword > Project ID # > simply type in “1136.”

-  “What’s New”

-  Joblinks:  Apex Green Roofs is looking for an Office Administrator/Manager in Boston area, MA.  You can go to greenroofs.com/joblinks.htm more information on this job and other Green Roof Job postings.

-  Advertiser Press Release:  Bel Air receives its first Green Roof donated by local green roof design firm Green Roof Service.

- Industry News

-  Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce that it is now accepting submissions for the 2011 Green Roof and Wall Design Awards of Excellence, presented at CitiesAlive: the 9th Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference in Philadelphia, PA November 30th through December 3rd, 2011.

- Make sure to check out our latest Guest Blog post on the Sky Gardens Blog, “Rainwater Harvesting on Greenroofs?” by Steve Williams.

- And while at Sky Gardens, read Linda’s latest posts about the last two GPW’s for “SeQuential’s Biofueling Retail Station” and “Aqua;” “Dr. Karen Weber Receives NEWIEE Achievement Award;” and “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: May 6th, 2011.”

-  “Upcoming Events”

- -Today and tomorrow, May 21st: is Green Living Technologies International (GLTi) Certification Training in Detroit, MI.

- And on May 22nd: is GLTi Urban Farming & Edible Walls in Detroit, MI.

- May 21st-22nd: is Green Festival – A Joint project of Global exchange & Green America in Seattle, WA.

- May 23rd-29th: is the 3rd Annual High-Performance Building Week, in Washington, DC.

- May 23rd: is ARCSA’s 100-Level Workshop, Introduction to Rainwater Harvesting in Athens, GA.

- And May 24th-25th: is the 200-Level 2-Day ARCSA Rainwater Harvesting Accreditation Course in Athens, GA with the 300-Level 2-Day ARCSA 2-Day Design & Construction Workshop on May 26th-27th.

- May 24th-28th: is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London.

- For more Upcoming Events visit our homepage.

-  “In the News”

-  Bobby Tanzilo of OnMilwaukee.com reports on “Central Library renews environment via green roof.”  Instead of going for a conventional roof last year when the library needed to replace its 25-year-old roof, a 30,000 sf greenroof was constructed and 132 solar electric panels were added to generate about 36,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.  On the first floor, there is an area dedicated to the greenroof initiative and the library’s public services manager, Christine Arkenberg, says “everyone’s very enthused about it.”

- The Norman Transcript announces “University of Okla. receives EPA Award.”  The University of Oklahoma was among winners of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awards presented earlier this week at the state Capitol.  The university received the 2010 Performance and Innovation in the State Revolving Fund Creating Environmental Success in EPA Region 6, because of its experimental green roof project that reduces stormwater runoff and blocks solar radiation.

- The Clemson Newsroom releases “Clemson University institute to study ‘vertical farming’ feasibility in Charleston.”  Research elements of the proposed vertical are water and energy self-sufficiency by incorporating elements of alternative energy sources and gray water collection and reuse; greenroof and vertical garden technologies; sustainable production of high-quality organic foods within a reduced urban footprint; enhanced hydroponics; rooftop and vertical wetlands for water quality treatment; and community-based sustainable development education.

- Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune reflects on “A mayor who left his mark on Chicago’s cityscape.”   His (Mayor Richard Daley) record-setting 22 years in office led to an urban legacy and dramatic changes including mega-projects like Millennium Park, former commuter railroad tracks which now arguably houses the world’s largest greenroof.  In total, Chicago now boasts more than 7 million sf — more than any other city in America — of planted roofs.

-  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 May 20th and May 13th,  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.

A dear greenroof colleague of ours, Dr. Karen L. Weber is the Executive Director of the Foundation for a Green Future and Coordinator of Boston GreenFest, now in its 4th year.  Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the Foundation for a Green Future runs programs to educate school children and communities about the importance of bringing nature back into our cities.

“We are a group of dedicated Board members and volunteers who are working hard  to make the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. a driving force for environmental awareness and for bringing nature back into our urban spaces.  Originating from five continents, we span industry, academia, community organizing, energy, and small business.” ~ Foundation for a Green Future, Inc.

Boston GreenFest is their annual festival at Boston City Hall and takes place at the end of August.   The largest multicultural environmental festival in the region, Boston GreenFest 2011 will have various new special features including a GreenSoul Stage, Green Entrepreneurs Small Business Forum, EcoQuest, Eco Salsa Fashion Show and an eco-friendly firework display.  They’ll also launch a GreenKiosk Contest and a Mini GreenPlaza Challenge.  This year Boston GreenFest will be held on August 18-20 – don’t miss it!

I’m delighted to say that early last month, Karen received a prestigious award given by New England Women in Energy and Environment – the NEWIEE Achievement Award.  This was to honor Dr. Weber’s work at the Foundation and Boston GreenFest in educating the public about greening our urban spaces and our lives, particularly with regard to greenroofs and sustainable practices.

“Founded in Boston in 2008 by a group of eminently accomplished women in the sector, NEWIEE harnesses the passion, intelligence and leadership experience of New England women to promote and encourage public interest in the energy and the environment sectors. Comprised of members across the public and private sectors, as well as various age groups, NEWIEE is also a stimulating forum for networking, sharing of expertise and information and mentoring.” ~ New England Women in Energy and Environment

Dr. Weber was introduced by Massport’s Sustainability Officer, Jacki Wilkins, and presented the award by NEWIEE president, Judy Chang.  Dr. Weber’s acceptance speech reminded gala guests that greenroofs are not an option.   Read more here.  Referring to greenroofs, Karen  said:

“They are a way that we can give back to the planet to help cool things down, reduce CO2, improve our hydrologic cycle and stormwater management while making our living spaces more beautiful and building a true green economy.” ~ Karen Weber

Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo was also in attendance, and later in the week, he bestowed another honor upon Karen offered by the City of Boston for her work on Boston GreenFest.

Congratulations!  I also want to send her belated but heartfelt wishes for a great Mother’s Day last Sunday (and to all of us who are lucky to be called Moms).

In addition to everything else she does for her community, the environment, and to promote greenroofs, Karen and her husband, Edwin Salamanca, are the proud parents of triplets!

There should be an award for that, too, I’m sure you’d agree,  Way to go, Karen!

~ Linda V.