Today we have the pleasure to air Lluís Recasens Pahí’s “Sustainability in Plant Production” from our inaugural 2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.
We first started corresponding with Lluis early last year when he contacted us very enthusiastically about the in depth work he is doing in the Catalan region of Spain. He wanted to submit a Guest Feature Article with us about his plant research and testing yet once we decided on hosting the Virtual Summit, I felt this would make a great topic.
Although Lluis speaks Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian and English, he preferred to present his video in Spanish. So you will find this is our first video presented in another language, Spanish, with English subtitles (translated by me) - Chinese being the second (not translated by me!), coming up soon.
Lluís Recasens Pahí lives in Tarragona, Spain, is a horticultural engineer, and co-founder of the first Escuela de Horticultura y Jardineria de España (Horticulture and Gardening School of Spain), 1982-1988.
Lluis has worked in various high level managerial positions within the fertilizer (controlled and slow release fertilizers) and ornamental horticulture industries for The Scotts Company and Nosterra Ibérica S.A Europa. Presently, Lluís is Profesor de Horticultura (Professor of Horticulture) at the Institut d´Horticultura i Jardineria de Reus (Institute of Horticulture and Gardening of Reus) in Catalonia, Spain, and he also is a consultant on various projects including maintenance of greenroofs and greenwalls.

In Lluís’ very informative video presentation, sustainable crop production is addressed with a focus on greenroofs and walls in the areas of Reus, Ampurias, Guadalajara, Tarragona, and Barcelona, Spain, utilizing plant selections with minimum agronomic requirements (low demands on maintenance, water intake, and disease control) as well as contemplating the use of environmentally friendly and respectful materials. Using these technologies will ensure more sustainable parterres, greenroofs, and greenwalls through their material selection and plant diversity.
He says that by using biodegradable materials and encouraging recycling and biodiversity, we reduce our water requirements and the maintenance program is respectful of the environment and the ecosystems, plus we contribute to the implementation and popularization of these sustainable processes.
Enjoy! Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Sustainability in Plant Production” or click below:
Watch earlier videos on our exclusive Virtual Summit greenroofs.tv play list, or see the following Virtual Summit videos now available on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:
Episode #15: ”E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction” by Christopher Wark.
Episode #14: ”The Work of ATVBrasil” by João Manuel Linck Feijó.
Episode #13: ”Green Roof Policies – An International Review of Current Practices and Future Trends” by Wolfgang Ansel.
Episode #11: ”GreenRoofs in Australasia” by Matthew Dillon.
Episode #10: ”The Vertical Garden – from Nature to Cities: An Interview with Patrick Blanc” by Patrick Blanc and me with an introduction by Caroline Menetre.
Episode #9: ”Sloped and Complex Green Roofs” by Richard Hayden.
Episode #8: ”The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon” with Tom Liptan, Matt Burlin, Amy Chomowicz, Casey Cunningham, and Alice Meyers.
Episode #7: ”Constructing Gardens in the Sky” by Terry McGlade.
Episode #6: ”Sky Meadows – Integrating People and Nature: Sustainable Green Roofs and Roof Gardens” by Dr. Nigel Dunnett.
Episode #5: ”Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx” Panel Session with New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Robert Bieder, Jon Beuttler, Jess Dannhauser, Javier Lopez and Steve Ritz.
Episode #4: Keynote Address “CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility – The Who, What, Where, When and How” by Ralph Velasquez.
Episode #3: ”CDA Leads the Way for Incorporating Green Roof Space in an Airport Environment” by Rosemarie Andolino.
Episode #2: ”2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” by Haven Kiers and me.
Episode #1: Opening Keynote Address “A New Place” by Charlie Miller.
VS2011 Opening Address by Linda Velazquez (me!).
If you’re looking for an overview, make sure to see our 2011 Virtual Summit Highlights video (6:18) and our 2011 Virtual Summit Trailer (2:59).
Check back next week on GreenroofsTV for our 18th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!
~ Linda V.




George Irwin is founder and CEO of
Tom Ferraro is Executive Director of 
































- A News Release from AHS.org says “The American Horticultural Society has announced the winners of its annual book awards.” Each year, the American Horticultural Society recognizes outstanding gardening books published in North America with its annual Book Award. One of those is ”














Same smart energy savings are happening at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, which has ultraviolet lights to extend the life and efficiency of air handlers by preventing bacteria and mold from building up on heater coils. Greenroofs and solar arrays are the most visible ways buildings are saving on energy costs but high-efficiency motors and boilers are also hard working inside buildings to help promote savings. Lehigh Valley Healthcare has installed two 300,000 kilowatt solar arrays at its Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg campuses, with the help of local and state grants, and they’ve already seen savings. Several schools in the area have already had energy efficient replacements and more are scheduled.
Before joining WSP Flack + Kurtz, Chris was a Senior Energy Analyst for Viridian Energy & Environmental. Previous to that, he provided energy analysis and LEED consulting services for several companies, including subsidiaries of the Integral Group, and served as Technical Sales Manager for Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics Inc.), offering energy and air flow analysis solutions for architectural engineers.
An agronomy engineer, João hails from Porto Alegre, Brazil and has been a part of the greenroof scene for quite some time now. We met him in 2006 in Boston at the 3rd Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards & Trade Show (now CitiesAlive). He had an innovative modular greenroof system, Ecotelhado, which since then has blossomed into other products and has done quite well in Brasil and neighboring countries, and is now in Mexico as well. His non-profit work has helped establish greenroofs and walls within Brazil.







David L Aponte, MSCE, GRP has a Master’s of Engineering in Water Resource Engineering and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Engineering with several years experience in green roof design and the construction industry. He is founder of
Kevin Songer’s passion is restoring ‘volumetric green’ to the urban core, designing green roofs for
Joe Douglas Webb, AIA, is the principal of a small Houston based architecture and planning firm, Webb Architects, that specializes in commercial architecture, planning and city design projects. Registered to practice architecture in 14 states, he is currently chair of Blueprint Houston, a past president of AIA Houston, a member of APA, USGBC, ULI and a NCARB Certificate holder.









