Everyone knows Paul as the trend setting ecological designer, native plant guru, and fearless leader of Rana Creek in Monterey, CA, and he has been a great colleague and supporter of both living roofs and Greenroofs.com over the years.  His many years of cutting edge design in the living architecture field has made him world famous and very much in vogue for projects around North America and beyond.  He’s been involved in some major iconic projects and we were very excited to have him as one of our esteemed Virtual Summit speakers!

Paul Kephart is the President of Rana Creek and is a renowned expert in ecological consulting and vegetated systems design.  The firm specializes in environmental planning, landscape architecture, habitat restoration, and native plant propagation.  Paul’s approach is to carefully consider each project’s site and to design for a whole ecosystem and the increased health of the land over time along with the desires of his clients.  Paul is best known for his pioneering efforts in Living Architecture on groundbreaking projects such as the California Academy of Sciences, Gap Headquarters, and the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Paul says that design can mimic natural processes integrating them into site and structure.  The resulting spaces efficiently utilize ecosystem services enhancing habitat, infrastructure, and user experience within a context of integrated biological systems.  Vegetated systems foster and promote biological treatment of water and air.

Treatment occurs through biological, physical and mechanical processes, all of which can be integrated into buildings systems.  Paul Kephart will discuss large-scale applications of living architecture including the Transbay Transit Center, CPMC Cathedral Hill Hospital, and the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Naturalism: Large-Scale Applications of Living Architecture” 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:

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 24th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for May 11th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, DHS St. Elizabeths Campus, currently in the construction process in Washington, D.C.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consolidating its headquarters in the National Capital Region at St. Elizabeths Campus to provide a more unified and secure campus that brings together its executive leadership and operational management.  Phase 1 is scheduled to deliver in 2013, Phase 2 in 2014, and Phase 3 has a projected completion date of Q4 2016.

The Phase 1 U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters will feature several construction and operating measures in accordance with its proposed LEED Gold certification, including: over 400,000 square feet of green roof used for stormwater management consisting of wet ponds, bio-swales and step pools, and energy efficiency, enhanced commissioning of all building systems, use of green housekeeping measures after completion and occupancy, and use of low-emitting construction materials and furnishings.  Due to the variety of plants ranging from shrubs to grasses to Sedum mats from Sempergreen, there are four different soil blends on the project.  Rooflite® growing media was specified, with Roofmeadow® as the growing media consultant.  In all, 18 roofs, nine courtyards, and two parking garages will be covered with living roofs.

What’s New

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 22: “Sustainability at a Small Business: Emory Knoll Farms” by John Shepley, one of our contributing editors – the Green Business Editor.

And find the rest of the videos in this series on our GreenroofsTV page and/or our greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

- Sky Gardens Blog

- Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 22: Sustainability at a Small Business: Emory Knoll Farms,” “Early Bird Registration Ends on May 15 for the 10th Annual CitiesAlive in Chicago!,” and “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: May 4, 2012.”

- “Upcoming Events”

- May 11th-13th: is EPIC – The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. @EPIC_Expo

- May 12th-15th: is Resilient Cities 2012 – World Congress on Cities & Adaptation to Climate Change, in Bonn, Germany. @ICLEI_ResCities

- May 13th-16th: is Green Building Design & Interiors Arabia 2012, in Saudi Arabia.

- May 15th: is the deadline for the Early Bird Registration date for CitiesAlive 2012.

- May 16th-18th: is Greening the Heartland 2012 – Building Community Conference, in Indianapolis, Indiana. @GTH2012 #GTH2012

- May 17th-19th: is the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition, in Washington, D.C. @AIANational #aia2012

- And May 18th: is the Portland Ecoroof Symposium – The Bottom Line on Portland Green Rooftops, in Portland, Oregon.

- “In the News”

- Alistair Guthrie of The Guardian UK, asks “Carbon emissions: can buildings be elegant and efficient?”  He says some buildings have been able to integrate art and science, an important combination of being sustainable and aesthetic.  Over 70% of a typical city’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings and the construction industry itself consumes more than 12% of the world’s water.  It’s now more important than ever that engineers and designers work together to achieve emissions targets and meet needs for future inhabitants of our planet.

A beautifully strong example of the art-science combo needed is the living roof at the California Academy of Sciences, one of the most eco-friendly buildings in the world.  The academy’s 2.5-acre green roof blends into the surrounding Golden Gate Park and meets exceptional LEED Platinum standards.  It has reduced its water usage by 76.9% through grey water reuse, low-flow WCs, kitchen sinks and showers.  The building has saved 34% in energy by locating its photovoltaic cells around the edge of the green roof.  Other recognizable landmarks that combine beauty and sustainability include London’s Shard building and the Eden Project in Cornwall, where part of the James Bond film, Die Another Day, was filmed.

- The Daily Mail offers you “New York’s secret skyline: Amazing aerial shots give rare glimpse of city’s hidden rooftop world.”  This incredible collection of aerial photographs taken above New York, include lush gardens, restaurants, swimming pools and tennis courts.  Thanks in part to Mayor Bloomberg’s eco-friendly roofscaping initiatives, the tops of dozens of buildings have been transformed into amazing outdoor living spaces and models for green-city living.  Pilot and photographer Alex MacLean took these stunning images for his new book, Up on The Roof: New York’s Hidden Skyline Spaces.

In the book’s introduction, architecture critic Robert Campbell writes, “Rooftops will be the lungs of the denser city of the future.  As the world urbanizes, the rooftops will connect us with nature, with wind and sun and rain and snow, with the natural processes of growth and decay.”  Over the years, MacLean has clocked up more than 6,000 flying hours and has published ten books of his aerial photography.  His new book contains 184 beautifully detailed photographs and is available on Amazon.  Check out the full article for more amazing photos!

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

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall 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 May 11, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez 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.

At the beginning of May, FORBES’ tech team (edited By Tomio Geron) compiled their annual list of the most successful venture capitalists of the last 12 months – The Midas List – of which five were female (read The Five Most Powerful Female Venture Capitalists by Meghan Casserly).

They also rightly point out that venture capitalists could not exist without companies to invest in.

As a result of Meghan’s article, FORBES contributor Kate Brodock wrote 5 Women-led Tech Companies To Invest In – enter Vanessa Keitges, CEO of Columbia Green (again).

This is what she wrote about Columbia Green:

“After having purchased the green roofing company in 2009, Vanessa Keitges has led Columbia Green through a tremendous period of growth – last year they partnered with roofing giant Firestone to install an ecoroof for Wal-Mart and just opened an east coast headquarters – and they’ve just closed on an oversubscribed Series B round of funding at $1.2m.” ~ FORBES, May 3, 2012

How awesome is that – congratulations, again, Vanessa!

~ Linda V.

John has been a colleague for several years now and last year he became an editorial contributor to Greenroofs.com as the Green Business Editor where he writes his column “Sustainable Business Insights.”  As co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms, we had known him for a long time but finally got to meet him and his lovely wife, Trish, in Baltimore for the 6th annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference (now called CitiesAlive).  We found out first hand what a wonderful human being he is and what a great outlook on life he and his family have.

John Shepley has worked as an engineer, technical manager, business manager, and management consultant.  He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University, 1984.  Since then he has lived and worked in Baltimore and surrounding areas, with a couple of years in Copenhagen Denmark building a new metro system there.

In 2004, John co-founded Emory Knoll Farms, Inc. in Harford County.  Emory Knoll Farms grows plants exclusively for green roofs, and in addition to serving the green building industry, they operate a socially just and sustainable business.  John is a founding board member of the Baltimore Biodiesel Cooperative (2004-2009), and has served on the board of the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance since 2006, where he has been chairman since 2009.  John is passionate about renewable energy, sustainable living and business, and promoting a living local economy.  He drives a vegetable-powered truck, and has an electric Mazda RX-7.  John is also a contributing editor on Greenroofs.com (2011): the Green Business Editor (2011) and contributes Sustainable Business Insights.  Currently, John is living and working near Milan, Italy with his wife Trish.

In ”Sustainability at a Small Business: Emory Knoll Farms” John says that even when a business owner has a clear intention of operating sustainably, when faced with limited resources there are many choices and compromises to be made.

John Shepley walks with you down the path towards sustainability that he and Ed Snodgrass have taken at Emory Knoll Farms; from the initial concept of operating a sustainable business to the realities of social and environmental responsibility, and making a living at the same time.  This case study includes opportunities that were realized and a discussion of why some are yet to be.

Since Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants had an exhibitor booth in the North American Expo Pavilion, participants of the Virtual Summit were able to visit with John during the two live days to further discuss some of the challenges faced by us all in our quest to operate a sustainable business.

By the way, last year John and Ed were included in Businessweek.com’s yearly profile of 25 ventures of America’s most promising social entrepreneurs selected from reader suggestions.  Read my blog post, Ed Snodgrass & John Shepley Voted Two of America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs 2011, to learn more.

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Sustainability at a Small Business: Emory Knoll Farms” 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:

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 23rd installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has many exciting plans to celebrate the return to the site of the inaugural conference and trade show – The Windy City.  You know you want to be part of it, so why not take advantage now of the extended the Early Bird Registration?  Register before May 15, 2012!!!

“For this milestone 10th Anniversary occasion, CitiesAlive 2012 will look back to celebrate the spectacular growth experienced by the green roof and wall industry over the last ten years, and look forward to showcase the most leading-edge design, policy, and research work in the green roof and wall industry.

Building a Legacy of Outstanding Performance is the primary theme for this year’s CitiesAlive program.  A living example of legacy urban planning, Chicago has the most green roof coverage in North America.  This would have been impossible without maintenance measures and performance evaluations to protect investments in green infrastructure and to build exceptional progress.  The development of performance standards is integral to the growth of any industry.” ~ Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

CitiesAlive 2012 is being held at the historic Congress Plaza hotel in downtown Chicago. See the short welcome video “Chicago Invites YOU to CitiesAlive 2012″ hosted by Karen Weigert, Chief Sustainability Officer on the CitiesAlive website, courtesy of the City of Chicago below:

Programming will showcase dozens of expert speaker sessions, a trade show featuring the leaders of the greenroof and wall industry, the 2012 Awards of Excellence, interesting and informative tours, numerous networking opportunities, and much more!  Also, you can take advantage of many exciting sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities.

They say that “Early birds can save $239″ – sounds like a deal to me!

Visit CitiesAlive.org to learn more.

Happy greening,

~ Linda V.

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for May 4, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the Fichtebunker built in 2009, in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany.  This 56 meter in diameter, nineteenth-century gasometer was made into an air-raid shelter in World War II and was then used as a shelter for the homeless refugees.  In 2006, the State of Berlin’s Real Property Fund sold the building to developers and two-story luxury condos were planned on top along with townhomes and a five-story apartment building on the land around the building.  Beginning in October 2007, 13 pie shaped family residences were built with curved walls and private gardens offering beautiful views over the city

The individual apartments are accessible through a landscaped community courtyard with a fountain, bamboo troughs, and an extensive greenroof.  Each house has its own roof garden with a size of 70 to 100 square meters.  The ZinCo System build-up “Heather with Lavender,” with the Floradrain® FD 40 drainage element as a base, provides a permanently functioning lawn with planting areas and hard surfaces.  Also, the roof of the new flats received an extensive greenroof as well as the underground parking and the roof of the new building with 12 apartments next door.

What’s New

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 21: “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World,” by Jörg Breuning.

And find the rest of the videos in this series on our GreenroofsTV page and/or our greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

- Guest Feature Article

And read our latest guest feature article, “You’re Invited to Hangzhou, China for the 2012 World Green Roof Congress,” by Xianmin Wang, Secretary-general of the 2012 Hangzhou China World Green Roof Conference.

- The Greenroofs.com eNewsletter

- If you haven’t checked it out already, our April 2012 eNewsletter is now available!  So get caught up with everything that happened here at Greenroofs.com last month.  Sign up on the Homepage.

- Advertiser Press Releases:

- Alumasc Chosen for Kidbrooke Regeneration.

- Eco-Roofs Helps Butler University Students Complete First Campus Green Roof Installation Atop Pharmacy College Building.

- Tremco Headquarters Renovation Receives Ohio Chemistry Technology Council Award.

- Joblinks

- Xero Flor America Green Roofs is currently hiring 3 Sales Professionals in regional US markets.

- Sika Sarnafil USA is looking for an Inside Sales Representative in Canton, Massachusetts.

- Industry News

- Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is pleased to announce the results of its 2012 Annual Industry Survey of Corporate Members.  President of GRHC and GRP, Steven Peck said, “The green roof industry grew by 115% over the course of 2011, up significantly from 28.5% growth in 2010.  This great news comes on the eve of the launch of: 10th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference.”

- Speaking of CitiesAlive 2012, this year it will be held once again in Chicago, the site of their first Green Roof and Wall Conference.  Hurry to register for the Early Bird Discount rate by May 15! Visit http://citiesalive.org/ for more info.

- Sky Gardens Blog

- Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 21: Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World,” and “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: April 27, 2012.”

- “Upcoming Events”

- May 9th-10th: is the Greenbuild EXPO Sustainable Refurbishment & Building Event, in Manchester, United Kingdom.  (@GreenbuildExpo #greenbuildexpo)

- May 9th-11th: is Greenbuilding – International Exhibition & Conference on Energy Efficiency & Sustainable Architecture, in Verona, Italy.  (@GreenbuildingIT)

- And May 9th-12th: is The New World – The 20th Congress for the New Urbanism, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

- “In the News”

- Wayne Roberts of NOW Magazine, talks about “Hitting the green roof.”  He says a “crucial vote will decide if the city is serious about its greenroof policy.”  Toronto’s Green Roof Bylaw was passed in 2009, and requires green roofs on new commercial, institutional and residential developments with a minimum gross floor area of 2,000 square meters.  The issue is whether schools can be exempted from this bylaw.

The city’s chief planner recommended that the Planning and Growth Management Committee exempt public and Catholic school boards from the bylaw, saying that painting them white would reduce the heat stored on roofs and that those schools could store rainwater and offer green space on other parts of their property.  Another member of the Planning Committee opposed the school board’s attempt to sidestep their eco responsibility saying, “We expect them to be built smarter than before, and they shouldn’t get a pass on this.”  The city will save money in the long term, since greenroofs manage stormwater, reduce roof maintenance, lower energy bills, and help the environment among other benefits.  Schools also have the added advantage of turning their greenroofs into outdoor classrooms and teaching future generations about green infrastructure and how it enhances our lives.

- Mireya Navarro of the New York Times Blog has a “Q&A: [about] Greening the City’s Zoning Rules.”  She says, “Changes in New York City’s zoning code are expected to encourage the installation of rooftop gardens.”  This week the New York City Council unanimously approved a package of zoning changes that make it easier for property owners to undertake energy efficiency upgrades and even produce their own solar and wind power; and developers will also have more freedom to incorporate green elements into their building designs.  She asks questions like how many owners of the city’s million or so existing buildings are willing to foot the upfront costs to save energy in the longer term?  And how will things change for architects and developers once the zoning rules are relaxed?

For answers to these and other questions, she asked Howard Slatkin, director of sustainability for New York’s Department of City Planning, and Paul Freitag, the director of development in New York for the Jonathan Rose Companies.  Mr. Slatkin said they worked closely with architects, engineers, developers and other experts to identify the zoning obstacles to building or retrofitting green buildings.  Mr. Freitag says that one green element that seems to be growing in popularity is the use of greenroofs.  People in the industry are recognizing the many benefits of green roofs, like improved insulation, reduction of the heat island effect, stormwater management and food production; not to mention that green roofs are basically gardens with fantastic views.  You can go to the full article to read of all their answers to the New York Times’ questions.

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

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall 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 May 4, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez 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.

Originally from Germany, Jörg has been living in the U.S. since the later 1990’s, starting his business Green Roof Service (now Green Roof Technology) along with former business partner Peter Philippi.  His company has greened or consulted on many award-winning greenroofs here in the U.S. and in Germany.  We’ve known him for almost a decade and his warm smile matches his expertise and workmanship pertaining to greenroofs.

Back in the summer of 2008 he told me about the first cruise ship that Celebrity Cruises had greened – the Solstice - and we were happy to publish his Guest Feature Article about this unique experience, “Modern Green Roof Technology Literally Shipped from Germany!,” in November, 2008.  It was such as novel idea that Haven Kiers and I featured it in our 2008 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof Design.

Our readers weren’t the only ones impressed with this gorgeous sea-faring greenroof – in 2009, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities awarded the Celebrity Solstice Cruise Ship – Lawn Club a Special Recognition Award for its many green features and corporate leadership.  Since then, Celebrity Cruises has more ships with greenroofs – hence the topic of Jörg’s presentation!

Jörg Breuning is the principal of Green Roof Technology (previously Green Roof Service) which offers a full range of design services to meet green roof, green wall, and natural swimming pool/bio-filtration pool needs.  Jörg began working with green roofs in 1980 and brought the first modern green roof technology to the U.S. in 1999 with the Chicago City Hall project.

His expertise is known by universities, architects, manufacturers and installers across the U.S. and in Europe.  He is especially recognized for his ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice offering the most efficient green roof solutions.  Also, he co-founded Green Roof Safari.

In “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World” Jörg points out that playing golf, croquet or bocce in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean may sound like a far fetched dream.  However, Green Roof Service LLC in Bel Air, Maryland made this dream come true for Royal Caribbean and their half a million guests.

In this seminar Jörg Breuning explains the engineering and installation of live grass on Cruise Ships that face some of the most extreme environmental challenges.  Nice, green, and beautiful, it is the ultimate green roof experience.

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World” 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:

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 22nd installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for April 27, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

- Our project of the week is the Nathan Phillips Square Toronto City Hall Podium Green Roof built in 2009 in Toronto, Canada.  The public square surrounding Toronto City Hall was designed with the original architectural structure in mind.  The landscaped gardens, courtyards, terraces, furniture and walkways provide unique views of downtown from this urban oasis in the heart of the city.  This 3,400 square meter green roof is the largest in Toronto and the recipient of a 2011 Canadian Society of Landscaped Architects Regional Honour Award, a 2011 Design Exchange Award Silver Award for Landscape Architecture – Public, and the 2011 Green Roofs for Healthy Cities 2011 Award of Excellence in the Extensive Institutional Category.

The green roof consists of three formal conditions: a sedum mosaic, a paved courtyard that frames the curved chamber and a deck café that occupies the prow.  The perimeter garden is treated as a field in purple, pink, yellow/orange and green sedums.  This ground cover is planted in a pre-vegetated tray system with shade tolerant species concentrated in the shadows of the City Hall’s towers.  The Nathan Phillips Square green roof was constructed with the LiveRoof hybrid modular green roof system.  It contains a combination of 6 inch deep and 4 inch deep LiveRoof Standard Modules; and the project was grown at the LiveRoof Ontario nursery during the summer of 2009, and installation started on September 1st, 2009.

- To learn more about the Nathan Phillips Square Toronto City Hall Podium Green Roof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

-  Speaking of the Nathan Phillips Square Toronto City Hall Podium Green Roof, congratulations to our 2012 “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest winner, Patrick Biller!  Patrick submitted the Toronto City Hall entry and we featured that project as our Project of the Week this week, in honor of Earth Day and his submission.  He’ll also be receiving $100 for his entry.  Congrats!

- The Greenroofs.com eNewsletter

- Look for our April 2012 eNewsletter in your inbox or our homepage.  If you’re not subscribed, you can click on the mail icon by our social media links on our homepage, enter your e-mail address and you’ll get our monthly eNewsletter to let you know what’s been going on that month here at Greenroofs.com!

- Contributing Editor

-  Read Ed Snodgrass’ “A Green Roof Day in New York” (with The Martha Stewart Show) Blog post.

- Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

- Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 20: “The Current Situation and Future of Green Roofs in China” by Wang Xianmin.

And find the rest of the videos in this series on our GreenroofsTV page and/or our greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

- Advertiser Press Releases:

- LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System Selected for Chattanooga City Council Project.

- Joblinks

- Compost Supply is now hiring a Green Sales Hero in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

- Evergreen Environments is looking for a Green Roof Specialist in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.

- Industry News

- Illinois EPA Interim Director John Kim announced the award of nearly $5 million in Green Infrastructure Grants designed to reduce the amount of pollution running into Illinois waterways from stormwater sources.  Applicants applied for grant awards in three categories: Combined Sewer Overflow Rehabilitation; Stormwater Retention and Infiltration; and Green Infrastructure Small Projects.  The $5 million in grants will result jobs for installation of green structures by construction workers and the trades, as well as to create work for professional engineers and public works staff designing Best Management Practices and developing and submitting permits, and construction oversight.

- In their recent report, Banking on Green, American Rivers explained the many benefits of using green roofs and other techniques like rain gardens and green streets to save money, reduce energy use and flooding, and keep people healthy and water clean.  Now, working with Goodby Silverstein & Partners they’ve just released Get More Green – an interactive tool that lets you virtually “green” a roof in your own community to find out how much money you’ll save in heating and cooling costs as well as how much dirty water you’ll keep out of your local river!

- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) has selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

The projects will be honored at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C. 2012 Top Ten Award Winners with Green Roofs include the Mercy Corps Global Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, the Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the University of Minnesota Duluth – Bagley Classroom Building in Duluth, Minnesota.

- Sky Gardens Blog

- Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 20: The Current Situation and Future of Green Roofs in China,” “Happy Earth Day! The Winner of the 2012 ‘Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!’ Earth Day Photo Contest is…,” and “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: April 20, 2012.”

- “Upcoming Events”

- April 27th-28th: is Green Living Roofs, a Green Living Technologies International Professional Installer training module at the State University of New York (SUNY) Ulster, in New York, NY.

- April 30th: is the 3rd Annual Massachusetts Sustainable Economy Conference, in Boston, MA.

- April 30th-May 25th: is the WBK International Green Roof Course, ZHAW in Waedenswil (Campus Gruental) with excursions to various regions of Switzerland.

- May 2nd: is the “Making Engineered Green Roof Systems Work For Any Application” Seminar by Architek, The VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre, in Vancouver, Canada.

- May 2nd-3rd: is BuildingsNY/GreenBuildingsNY, in New York, NY.

- And May 2nd-4th: is Living Future – Women Reshaping the World, in Portland, Oregon.

- “In the News”

- Kaid Benfield of the NRDC Switchboard Blog, talks about “Toronto’s leadership for green roofs.”  Since January 2010, Toronto has been paving the way for North American cities with their requirements of having green roofs on new commercial, institutional, and multifamily residential developments across the city; and next week, the requirements will include new industrial development as well.

Toronto’s municipal bylaw indicates that smaller residential and commercial buildings are exempt but the larger the building, the larger the green roof must be.  The largest buildings are required to have 60% of their available roof space to be vegetated.  For industrial buildings, the bylaw will require that 10% of available roof space be covered, unless the building uses cool roofing materials on 100% of the roof space and has stormwater retention to catch at least 50% of the annual rainfall.  Last fall, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities announced that Toronto’s green roof requirements had already resulted in more than 1.2 million square feet of new green space in the city.

- Lorena Galliot of the State of the Planet Blog, says “There’s no one-size-fits-all green roof, studies show.” Researchers are looking at how the types of vegetation used in greenroofs affects their functioning.  Sedum is a popular choice for green roofs because of their hardiness, shallow root systems and low maintenance requirements.  Two new studies are showing that grasses or taller shrubs may actually be more effective than sedums at reducing stormwater runoff.  It all depends on where in the world you are, there is no one-size-fits-all greenroof.

An author of the UK study, Nigel Dunnett, said that previous research on the efficiency of greenroofs had focused on their design and structural components, not on the types of plants used.  He also said, “There is a tendency in the green roof world to imply that all greenroofs are the same, and deliver benefits in the same way,” but that “vegetation choices can, to some extent, also influence green roof performance.”  Co-author of the Italian study, Sergio Andri, agreed and stressed that rooftop vegetation should reflect local growing conditions, and imitate natural ecosystems.  Local grasses can be an effective and a low-maintenance way of covering a greenroof.

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

- Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!

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- This has been This Week in Review for April 27, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez 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.

I got into New York Sunday afternoon and met Andrea Mason who produces the gardening segments of the Martha Stewart Show.  We worked through the afternoon preparing for the next day’s show.  We talked through the green roof mock-up and planted some areas of the roof and left other to plants on the show.  Geoff Rosen, the producer of the show stopped by to talk about the segment and frame some questions and other logistics.  Before we knew it four hours had gone by.  It’s amazing how much work eight minutes of television takes.

I called my friend Patrick Cullina in Brooklyn to see if he had time to hang out.  Patrick was recently Vice President of Horticulture and Park Operations at the High Line and was formerly Vice President of Horticulture and Science at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Patrick is a great plantsman but also a serious basketball fan as am I.  We talked urban horticulture and hoops over hip food (menus with more adjectives than nouns) in Greenwich Village.

I woke early Monday morning and walked down to the High Line.  I hadn’t seen it since the second phase had been completed and before 8 AM it was already bustling both with people and with plants.  The redbuds were in bloom with foamflower fizzing under them.  It was like spring time in the Smokeys but with a cityscape as a backdrop.

Angie Durhman from Tecta America was in New York by chance – we had talked a couple days earlier and she offered to take me to see the USPS Morgan Processing and Distribution Center roof, some 67,000 sq.ft. of extensive roof.  I jumped at the chance, but I had to be at the Martha Stewart studio by noon so it was a quick visit.

It was well worth it.  In contrast to the High Line, the USPS roof is a simple, easy landscape.  I enjoy the complexity of the High Line but I also enjoy the elegance of a properly maintained extensive green roof.  I saw Columbia University’s weather station up there and thought, these are the kind of roofs we need to measure.

Off to the studio and to very foreign scenes to me like a green room, hair and make-up, a very busy crew of people moving in all directions and finally the stage manager comes to get me and place me on my spot for the segment and then eight minutes of green roof talk with Martha Stewart and then off stage and done.

The people on the show could not have been nicer or more professional and it’s clear there is a real environmental concern at the show from top to bottom.

See the 5:25 The Martha Stewart Show Earth Day Show video clip here.

Happily, I was in car and through the Holland Tunnel before rush hour.  As I merged onto the New Jersey Turnpike, I thought I was happy to have taken the chance to go to New York but happier still to head back to the farm.

~ Ed Snodgrass
ed.snodgrass@greenroofplants.com

The esteemed Wang Xianmin is the Vice Chairman of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association (IRLA) and a board member of the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN).  Aramis and I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Wang and his friendly delegation of Chinese associates including William Wei, Secretary-general of IRLA (whom we saw in Philadelphia last December for the 9th annual CitiesAlive Conference), at the International Skyrise Greenery Conference in tropical Singapore in November where Professor Wang was also a presenter.  I have to say how wonderful it was meeting them all!

Speaking of WGIN, this year’s World Green Infrastructure Network’s World Green Roof Congress will be held in beautiful Hangzhou, China from October 22 to October 26th, 2012.  Aramis and I are going – I’ll be a speaker here – and we are really looking forward to this monumental trip, as we’ve never been to China!

Look for Professor Wang’s Guest Feature Article “You’re Invited to Hangzhou, China for the 2012 World Green Roof Congress” coming up tomorrow.  Learn more about the WGIN 2012 Hangzhou China World Green Roof Conference here.

There is so much green development in China involving greenroofs and walls that for 2011, Haven Kiers and I chose to highlight their greening efforts in our Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design in the #2 spot – The Chinese Connection: Rise of the Green Giant (see our 2011 Top 10 video here).

Wang Xianmin is Deputy Chief of the Vertical Greening Academic Group of China Green Building Council; Vice Chairman of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association; Secretary-general of the 2012 Hangzhou China•World Green Roof Conference; Founder and former Secretary-general of the Beijing Rooftop Greening Association; former Secretary-general of the Great Wall Green Engineering Organizing Committee and Former Deputy Dean of the Asia-Pacific Education Centre of Peking University.

He graduated from Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics.  Xianmin Wang is the author of China 2010 Shanghai World Expo venue three-dimensional Green, 2011 and Roof Garden, 2007.

Wang Xianmin’s presentation is very unique and informative as it is professionally filmed in Chinese with English subtitles.  He gives the participant an overview on China, and says, “Nowadays, China concerns itself more and more about how to make a better life and how to resolve modern city diseases such as environmental pollution, heat island effects, and increased energy consumption.

“Therefore, it began to adopt various skills of vertical planting such as the green roof, living wall, and indoor greening to build an environment encouraging energy savings and low carbon features.  Recently, the construction of green roofs in China has stepped into the lane of fast development with Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu taking the leading roles.”

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “The Current Situation and Future of Green Roofs in China” 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:

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 21st installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.