Greenroofs.comConnecting the Planet + Living Architecture

We are so excited about our 2nd annual  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013!  It’s going to be awesome!

As you surely know by now, this year our Virtual Summit 2013 is presented in association with the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN), and we here at Greenroofs.com are happy to have them on board as a partner.

There is simply not a greener conference model out there.

Plus, here’s your chance to not only see over 30 video presentations from leading experts, but network with them, too!  Participate in the many Social Media options like participating in the live Speaker  Q & A Sessions and live video, audio and text chatting during the entire 30 days of scheduled activities.

People:

• Creative innovators and trailblazers sharing organic green infrastructure ideas and lessons learned.
• Friendly and knowledgeable exhibitors on hand live at the Expo.

Keynotes – thinkers, designers, trend setters, leaders, eco-luminaries:

“¢ Dusty Gedge, President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations and Co-Founder of Livingroofs.org
“¢ Steven Peck, GRP, Honorary ASLA, Founder and President of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities  and Founding Member of the  World Green Infrastructure Network
“¢ Dr. Aditya Ranade, Senior Analyst on the Lux Research Intelligence team
“¢ Javier Senosiain, Architect, Principal of Arquitectura Orgánica
“¢ Mary Ann Uhlmann, GRP, Environmental Horticulturist and Tremco, Inc. Manager, Vegetated Roof Systems Program Development

Visit the Speakers page to see all of our outstanding presenters!

See the Preliminary Agenda to read about the Keynotes, Individual and Collaborative Presentations, Expert Panel Sessions, and “Inspiration Nook” topics.

Expo Wednesdays:

Visit our fantastic  Sponsors and Exhibitors  at the cool  Expo Pavilions and see all the new products and services in our industry from leading manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers as well as learn about different world organizations on  4 dedicated days!

We’ve lowered the price, too, in case you’re considering getting a booth:  only $600.  This year the live Expo will be held on all 4 Wednesdays during the Virtual Summit – on  February  13, February 20, February 27 & March 6, 2013.  Our Expo Trade Show Wednesdays will each be anchored by a Keynote Presentation and a Panel Discussion from leading authorities.

Our mission embraces information sharing across the globe at extremely affordable pricing.  Registration includes access to the entire virtual environment – all the keynote, speaker and panel session videos, Q & A’s, social media networking, Sponsor Spaces, Prize Center, JobLinks Lounge, and the spectacular Expo Trade Show – for the entire 30 days.

How much?   Regular Price $99

Discounts:

WGIN Members & Greenroofs.com Advertisers $39
If you are an advertiser of ours contact us  for the Discount Code.  Contact your organization if you are a member of one of the following from the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN):

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – Get GRP credits!
AMENA
Association pour le Développement et l’Innovation de la Végétalisation Extensive des Toitures (ADIVET)
Green Roofs Australasia
International Rooftop Landscaping Association (IRLA)
Korea Green Roof & Infrastructure Association
PromoVerde
PRONATUR
WGIN

Associates $59
Available to participating non-WGIN organization members including ASLA, AIA, USGBC, IGRA, SGRI, EFB, NRCA, etc.  Contact each organization for your Promo Code.  Contact us to get your organization listed as an Associate.

Students & Government $29
You do not need a Promo Code.  But your email extension needs to be approved, including: .edu, .gov, upm.es.  If you qualify but have a different extension, contact us.

See our Registration Page and Register Here.

By the way, we’d like to thank  Tremco  for once again committing their greenroof industry leadership through our highest level of  Sponsorship  – the  Rare Earth Sponsor!

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities:
See how you, too, can be a Sponsor or Exhibitor and reach our highly targeted greenroof & greenwall market – contact us  at virtual.greenroofs.com.

Join your internationally recognized peers and industry leaders for our dynamic 30-day Virtual Summit 2013 and explore the world of greenroofs & walls – all from the comfort of your office, home, laptop, tablet, or phone – wherever you are and however you like to connect.

Visit  virtual.greenroofs.com  to stay up to date.

We hope to see you online for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013  on  February 12 through March 13, 2013!

~ Linda V.

As you know if you are a regular visitor to the Internet, the way we interact has been drastically evolving in the last few years – from YouTube to social media to mobile, and if you’re not communicating online, you’re not  taking advantage and  growing as a community or business!

Along those lines, I’ve been promising you some big news regarding our second annual  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013…here’s our latest Greenroofs.com Press Release:

Building on the success of our inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011, it is with great pleasure to announce our important new international partnership! Greenroofs.com, in association with the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN), is presenting:

The Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design

“Last year’s groundbreaking Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 was an exciting first in our industry. Greenroofs.com is very proud of our state of the art online conference and we’re absolutely delighted to be partnering this year with WGIN, who will bring an even greater international audience to our world stage. 2013’s Virtual Summit alliance with WGIN allows us to optimize resources and promote leading edge information in a multi-lingual format.” ~ Linda S. Velazquez, Founder & Publisher, Greenroofs.com

“The World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) is delighted to be co-organizing the 2nd Virtual Summit, a cutting edge event, giving people worldwide the opportunity to learn about green roofs and walls as well as the opportunity to interact with leading trendsetters. You will without doubt find valuable information regarding green roofs and walls, from public policies, latest investigations to the most innovative projects. Be a part of the next great Virtual Summit!” ~ Tanya Mueller Garcia, Vice President, WGIN

People:
Creative thinkers, innovators, and trailblazers sharing organic green infrastructure ideas.
Friendly and knowledgeable exhibitors on hand live at the Expo.

Projects:
International icons of sustainability demonstrating early successes plus current & visionary case studies of excellence in design.

Design:
Proven standards of diverse green technologies plus dynamic, cutting edge, forward thinking schemes for greening the planet with building integrated greenery. Bioclimatic high design promoting biodiversity, biomimicry & chic sustainability.

When? January 9 through February 8, 2013.

What? World renown speakers and experts are just a click away during a whole month of lively speaker videos, Q & A sessions, panels, social networking, and virtual fun! We’re shining a virtual international spotlight on vegetative roofing & greenwalls integrating technology, multimedia, and the limitless global reach of the Internet.

Mission
To inform, share, and create a global social media experience for imagining, learning & networking via the power of the Internet.

In addition to raising the awareness of our market and industry, the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013 will be an interactive platform for the interchange of ideas through a combination of keynote speakers, expert panel sessions, moderated chat sessions with live q & a, on-demand presentations, plus live video, audio and text chatting at the Sponsor Spaces, Social Media Areas, and the spectacular Expo Pavilions showcasing vendors and organizations from across the world.

Participants: Network and connect with your peers in real time, be inspired by our featured presenters, and learn about new companies, products, and projects on our live Expo dates.

Speakers: Share your project, sustainable vision, and experience on a global platform.

Exhibitors: Enhance your live trade show experience by spotlighting your company to an international audience of a thousand+, increase your exhibiting ROI’s, and reduce your carbon footprint in our eco-friendly environment.

Registration, Agenda, and Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunity Information will be available soon.

Thank You Again to Our Rare Earth Sponsor: Tremco!

Event Platform Provider
In 2013 the Virtual Summit will be powered by INXPO.

“With its proven virtual event technology, we selected INXPO because of what they bring to the table for a successful digital event. Simplicity and power are the keys to an even richer online experience for our worldwide greenroof and wall community.” ~ Aramis M. Velazquez, CEO,  Greenroofs.com

Why Virtual?
As important as physical conferences are, the proliferation of international events makes it impossible to exhibit and attend them all in terms of time and money. At a fraction of the cost of a physical conference, you have an incredible opportunity to meet and greet awesome experts and practitioners in our field – without leaving your office. Every day, the new ubiquity of architectural greening gains new advocates, designers, and specifiers – be cutting edge by connecting and participating!

Stay tuned!

###

About Greenroofs.com
Since 1999, Greenroofs.com has been the international greenroof industry’s resource and online information portal. We inform, promote and inspire through the interchange of ideas, projects, news, videos, events, research, people, company and community updates and marketing opportunities; exclusives include the Sky Gardens ~ where cool green meets lofty blue Blog, Contributing Editor Columns, and Guest Features. Greenroofs.com is the publisher of the International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database, The Greenroof Directory, greenroofs.tv, Greenroofs of the World™ 12-Month Wall Calendar, the “This Week in Review” video, and the Sky Gardens ~ Greenroofs of the World™ WebTV series. Visit us at www.greenroofs.com.

About the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN)
The objectives of World Green Infrastructure Network are to be a globally-important motivator of the use of green infrastructure in cities; expand opportunities for member organizations to learn about green roof infrastructure science, technology, practice, economics and environmental and social benefits; promote education in green infrastructure benefits particularly at university levels and trade school levels, to provide skills for the green roof industry that can be expected to develop more widely; promote green infrastructure research and extension in soundly-based green infrastructure development; provide sound networking and conference study opportunities for member organizations; and to publicize the global environmental and cost-saving advantages of green infrastructure, especially those related to reducing climate change problems.

On October 22-26, 2012 the 3rd Annual WGIN World Green Roof Conference 2012 will be held in Hangzhou, China.

For more information:

Aramis M. Velázquez, CEO
Greenroofs.com, LLC.
(888) 477-1326
media@greenroofs.com

Manfred Köhler, President
World Green Infrastructure Network
koehler@hs-nb.de

We’re very excited about our new partnership, and Greenroofs.com and WGIN are putting together a spectacular line up of design and research professionals – we’ll keep you posted.

See our Greenroofs.com Announces Strategic Partnership with the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) for the Second Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013!  press release online, or download it as a PDF.

So make plans to expand your social horizons and extend your reach in 2013! Vanish distances and connect people by bringing your company, school or office into the virtual world.

Join us next year in January and February at the  The Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2013 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air Dr. Clayton Rugh’s “One Decade of Ultralight Green Roof Proof-of-Concept on Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant” video presentation from our inaugural  2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

We’ve known Clayton for years, and his company, Xero Flor America, has been a Sponsor advertiser of ours from the beginning.  Clayton is one of the coolest, funniest, and most laid back professor/researcher/greenroof expert types you’ll ever meet!  Maybe it’s the pony tail, I’m not sure, but we love him.

Below are Clayton, left, and Aramis, right, at the 2010 CitiesAlive  Conference  in Vancouver, B.C. at the Awards Lunch:

I was the one who suggested he talk about the Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge Plant since I felt it was a great, ground breaking project which had received mixed reviews lately, and I wanted to offer him the opportunity to set the record straight.  In fact, we highlighted this 454,000 sf extensive greenroof for the month of June, 2008 in our inaugural  Greenroofs of the World™  12-Month Calendar.

And, we felt he did a great job on his video for the 2011 Virtual Summit – yet he was a bit unhappy with it, so he decided to re-shoot it for the release on   GreenroofsTV  and posterity – and it’s awesome!  The updated video presentation was recently (in early June 2012) re-filmed atop  Ford’s beautiful River Rouge Truck Plant and shows how thriving the very low greenroof profile is.

More info:

Clayton Rugh, PhD is Manager & Technical Director of Xero Flor America.  Dr. Rugh received his BS in Botany and Genetics and MS in Plant biology, both from The Ohio State University; and PhD from the University of Georgia.  Xero Flor America, LLC. (XFA) was formed concurrently with the 10.4 acre green roof installation on Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant.  XFA was borne out of 30 years of technical development by its parent organization, Xero Flor International GmbH, and extensive German and U.S. university R&D to develop various green roof systems tailored to individual project design goals and regional North American climates.

Xero Flor pre-grown vegetated mats are installed on custom designed base layers as “instant” green roof systems, which are independent laboratory certified against weed encroachment, wind uplift, spread of fire, or surface erosion.  These features and more on the Dearborn Truck Plant and an additional 400+ Xero Flor green roof installations throughout North America since the initiation of the Ford – XFA – Michigan State University collaborative green roof research trials in 2001.

In 2001, the Ford Motor Company, Xero Flor America, LLC., and Michigan State University began collaborative green roof research trials resulting in the installation of the massive 10.4 acre green roof on Ford’s River Rouge Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan.

The Ford project held the record of “The World’s Largest Green Roof” for several years and has matured into a thriving, healthy, low profile vegetated roof which is being continually evaluated.

By the way, as testament to Clayton’s sense of “humor,” when I asked him to send me a photo of himself for the Virtual Summit Speakers page, this is what he sent me, at left:

So, although I was temped to use this lovely photo from 2011’s Durham, NC Zombie Crawl, I found another online (above) that I felt may have been just a tad more appropriate.

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “One Decade of Ultralight Green Roof Proof-of-Concept on Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant” 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  28th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – our next to the last!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air the panel presentation “Biodiversity and Greenroofs” with Christine Thuring, Nathalie Baumann, Gary Grant, and Dusty Gedge from our inaugural  2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on  greenroofs.tv and our  GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

This is truly a panel of experts (and an exceptionally great bunch of people) on the subject of greenroofing and biodiversity issues!  We’ve known Dusty the longest, first corresponding with him in 2002 when he was the lead for the Black Redstart Action Plan with the London Biodiversity Partnership – read about it in his December 2003 Guest Feature Article “Wild Roofs:  Current research into green roofs and biodiversity in London.”

We finally met this outspoken, friendly, fast-talking Brit in 2003 in Chicago, for the first Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference & Trade Show (now CitiesAlive), and became fast friends.  I visited this former clown/punk rocker, now  ornithologist, eco-activist, living roof consultant/promoter and “tweeter extraordinaire” in London in 2003, and he took me out for a fast-paced day of greenroof hopping that I’ll never forget – read my January 2004 “Sky Gardens ~ Travels in Landscape Architecture” (the previous incarnation of this blog).

Since then, we’ve seen him at numerous conferences, and Dusty has also contributed “Green Roofs for a Changing Climate – The 2nd London World Green Roof Congress” from August 2010 and “Livingroofs.org ~ A New Independent Green Roof Organisation for the UK” from November 2004.

He was also our very gracious host when Aramis and I attended the first World Green Roof Congress in London, presented by CIRIA in partnership with Livingroofs.org,  which  I blogged about in my  November 10, 2008 “An Awesome World Green Roof Congress in London! Day 1” (unfortunately, I never got around to blogging about the second day nor the awesome greenroof tour that followed!).  Dusty Gedge is simply a wonderful human being.

The always lovely Christine, above left with me, has been a long standing  editorial contributor to Greenroofs.com as The Student Editor (2004-present) where she writes a biannual newsletter “Green roofs on the curve” and answers student inquiries.  She is also a collaborator on many exclusives here on Greenroof.com over the years, collectively known as “Christine’s Ramblings.”

She is very sharp, yet is a sweetheart of a person and also  a great friend of ours. We’ve had the pleasure of witnessing her growth and contributions to the greenroof world from a MSc. Horticulture student at the “Centre for Green Roof Research“ at Penn State (2005) to her current role as a PhD candidate at the University of Sheffield and various endeavors in between.  She is quite the world  traveler  and has reported for us about her visits to Paris, Germany, and India, and  London, among others.  Read my “The Swiss-Canadian Green Roof Gal: An Interview with Christine Thüring” of May 24, 2009 to learn a little more about her earlier years.

The Swiss  Nathalie Baumann, below right, is also very bright and  passionate  about her long time work with biodiversity, especially ground nesting birds on greenroofs, around the Basel area.  An research student and associate of Dr. Stephan Brenneisen from the  Zurich Applied University,  we first met her in September 2005 when we attended  The World Green Roof Congress (where I presented my paper “An International Call for The Greenroof Projects Database“) in Basel.  It was a great conference with lots of wonderful speakers, and afterwords we went on a greenroof tour guided by the soft-spoken and very knowledgeable Nathalie.

Over the years, Nathalie has always been very helpful about sharing her thoughts and experience with us, and so we knew she’d make a great addition to this panel.

Although we knew him the least, we were also thrilled to have another Brit, Gary Grant, on our panel.  We’ve known him as a great environmentalist and ecologist in the UK and Asia for years, and met him in London in 2008 at the  first World Green Roof Congress where he spoke about his work when he was with EDAW, UK.

Currently a director with the Green Roof Consultancy along with Dusty, Gary is also very personable and friendly, and loves to share his ideas and wealth of expertise with others.

Read more:

Christine Thuring has been working with green roofs since 2001 in various capacities, including installation, advocacy, research, consulting, design, and education.  Prior to green roofs, she worked as a field botanist and restoration ecologist.  With a BSc in Environmental Resource Science & Biology (Trent University) and MSc Horticulture (The Pennsylvania State University), Christine is currently doing her PhD in Landscape Ecology (University of Sheffield).  She co-founded Green Roof Safari, and offers consulting and technical translation through Chlorophyllocity.  She is a contributing editor on Greenroofs.com; she is the Student Editor and also writes Christine’s Ramblings.

Christine moderated the panel on “Biodiversity and Green Roofs” where she also spoke about her research on plant community development and ecological processes on extensive green roofs with time.

Nathalie Baumann (BioGeograph/Social Anthropologist) accomplished her Master’s of Sciences degree at the University of Basel, Switzerland.  Afterwards she worked on different projects of NGO’s like WWF Switzerland in the context of River Ecology, Biodiversity Assessment, Urban Ecology and Ecology of ground nesting birds.  Since 2005 she has been the Research Associate of Dr. Stephan Brenneisen at the Competence Centre of the Institute Environment and Natural Resources of the Zurich Applied University in Wädenswil, Switzerland.  One of her main topics is the research project: Ecological Compensation of Roofs: Vegetation and Ground Nesting Birds (e.g. investigating on the success of broods, improving therefore green roof design, etc.).

Nathalie spoke about “Green Roofs / Natural Roofs = Biodiverse Habitats and Ecological Compensation in Urban Space: 15 Years of Experience in Switzerland.”

Dusty Gedge is a green roof campaigner and designer, who has actively promoted green roofs in the UK since 1997.  He has designed a number of seminal roofs and help develop the London Green Roof Policy.  He is also the current President of the established three PhD studies on green roof research and has a particular interest in biodiversity on green roofs.  He is also a writer, blogger and sometimes TV presenter.  Dusty is co-author of Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living, 2011 and DIY Guide to Green & Living Roofs, among other publications.  In 2004 Dusty co-founded Livingroofs.org, a non-profit organisation established to promote, advise upon and seek research into green roofs and similar structures within the context of urban and rural regeneration.

Dusty spoke about “Designing and Working for Biodiversity on Green Roofs for Over 10 Years.”

Gary Grant is an independent ecologist with 30 years of experience of ecological survey and assessment, habitat creation and restoration, green infrastructure planning and site design and management.  He works closely with built-environment professionals encouraging them to use the ecosystem services approach.  Gary began work with the London Wildlife Trust in the 1980s and moved into consultancy in 1989, designing his first green roof in 1992.  He wrote Green roofs and façades, 2006.  Until 2009, he was a Director at AECOM Design + Planning working on large scale planning projects like the London 2012 Olympic Park, amongst others.  Gary’s current emphasis is on green infrastructure planning and climate change adaptation projects, as well as the design of building-integrated vegetation (green roofs and living walls).

Gary spoke about “My First Biodiverse Green Roof in 1992, Considerations for Planning and Design and Some Thoughts on the Future.”

In the  “Biodiversity and Greenroofs”  Panel Presentation,  original research and unique experiences were discussed, from field work upwards to bigger picture perspectives, as well as corresponding experiences with legislation on urban nature conservation.

Nathalie Baumann speaks to her six years working on ground-nesting birds in Switzerland and the ecological compensation value that green roofs offer in this regard.  Christine Thuring speaks to her current work on plant community development and soil formation on old extensive green roofs in Germany.  Gary Grant speaks about lessons learned from his first green roof in 1992, which happened to be designed for biodiversity, and offers insight into planning and designing green roofs, thoughts on the future and commentary on potentials and limitations.  Dusty Gedge speaks to his 10 years’ work towards conservation of invertebrate and avifauna in London, and of transferring the scientific results into legislation.

As with all the other panel presentations, a concurrent live Q & A accompanied the panel session during the actual  2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit presentation with Christine Thuring, Nathalie Baumann, Gary Grant, and Dusty Gedge.  The commentary is no longer available for you to see – one reason to attend the upcoming Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit – so you can participate and put your two cents worth in!

Note: Due to technical and other difficulties from the second party vendor who filmed our illustrious panel of four, this video does not have our standard  2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit branding, including the shots from Google Earth.  We are, however, planning on adding it soon to the four affected presentations so that they may be effectively identified for posterity.  Also, in this particular video the  second party vendor used the incorrect banner with the wrong date – our event was held on September 27 and 28, 2011, not in August.

Enjoy!  Visit  greenroofs.tv to see the “Biodiversity and Greenroofs” Panel Presentation 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 26th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air Christopher Wark’s video presentation “E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction” from our inaugural  2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

Chris has been an  editorial contributor to Greenroofs.com as The Energy Editor since 2010.  In April 2011 he completed his seven-part series entitled “Cooler Than Cool Roofs: How Heat Doesn’t Move Through a Green Roof.”   He and his wife, Wendy, have been  great friends of ours since we met them in 2003 in Chicago, at the first Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards & Trade Show.  Here they are on the Highline when we visited in New York City back in May, 2010:

Christopher Wark has 23 years of multidisciplinary engineering experience providing mechanical, analytical, and electronics support and services to manufacturers, universities and national labs.  For the past 10 years, he has focused his efforts on the development and promotion of technical solutions in architecture and construction.  Chris is currently an Associate with WSP Flack + Kurtz, managing their building analysis group.

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.

In 2002, Chris established SHADE Consulting/Green Roof Innovations with his wife Wendy.  With SHADE/GRI, Chris developed and marketed several innovative modular eco-roof systems, a roof system heat transfer and cost computer program, and conducted green roof system heat transfer analyses for 5 major cities and organizations.  In 2010, he developed a modular planting system in partnership with Guiyang Chuangjia High-Tech Accelerator Co. LTD in Guiyang, China.

Chris has also been involved in other thermodynamic related work, including advanced engine research and fuel cell system development at Caterpillar Inc. and laser development at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and 2 private research laser development companies.  He has presented at numerous conferences, has several articles published on a wide variety of engineering topics, and has had the privilege of working directly with several universities, including Stanford’s Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE) program.  Chris holds Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering (with a minor in Materials Science) from Washington State University.  His graduate work focused on thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and combustion.

In Chris’ video he discusses how the amount of energy savings from a green roof is determined by a combination of its mission:  How the building spaces are used; climate:  Where in the world, where in the neighborhood; and construction:  Building size, shape, and internal design.  Best and worst candidates are examined.  During the Virtual Summit, Chris’ video presentation was followed by a live  15-Minute Live Q & A; the transcript was available archived for 30 days for participants of the Virtual Summit – unfortunately, we do not have it available now – one of the reasons to participate in this year’s Virtual Summit!

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction”  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 16th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air  João Manuel Linck Feijó’s “The Work of ATVBrasil”  from our inaugural  2011 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

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.

Principal of Ecotelhado, João  Manuel Linck Feijó’s firm offers green infrastructure solutions through the manufacture of green roof and green wall systems and consulting services.  He is also the Director of ATVBrasil, a non-profit organization working to promote green infrastructure in Brazil, which has been disseminating green roof and wall information in many cities and proposing projects of law for green roofs all across the country since 2005.  João is a World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) board member.

ATV Brasil is a non profit association whose objectives are to promote the construction of green roofs and vegetated walls in Brazil whose mission is to supply background information for legislation, to incentivize research, and to show the impacts of vegetated roofs in urban ecology.

I’m sure you’ll love the scenery and energy in this lively video of lovely Brazil!

Enjoy!  Visit greenroofs.tv to see “The Work of ATVBrasil” 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 15th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

Today we have the pleasure to air  Terry McGlade’s video presentation titled  “Constructing Gardens in the Sky”  from our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

Terry is a powerhouse of unending energy, creativity and expertise within the greenroofing industry.  We’ve known him for almost 10 years when he wrote me about the similarity of the names between my then column “Sky Gardens ~ Travels in Landscape Architecture” here on Greenroofs.com (which ran from 2003-2006) and his company Gardens in the Sky – a  greenroof  design/build, contractor, and installation expert.  He’s a great guy with a deadpan sense of humor whom we respect and enjoy:

Terry McGlade is one of Canada’s best known greenroof experts. Terry is a creative, dynamic forward thinking horticulturalist and landscape designer with 30 years of experience and has been designing and building gardens in the Toronto area since 1982.  He created his first roof garden in 1985, and installed his first green roof in 1999.  Terry is the founder and President of Gardens in the Sky which has built over 50 greenroofs and numerous roof gardens and received many awards.  Now part of Flynn Canada Ltd., Gardens in the Sky has the advantage of being part of Canada’s leading building envelope trade contractor.  They deliver outstanding green roofs & roof gardens for commercial, institutional, & industrial projects.  Terry has been involved in the design and execution of some of Canada’s largest and most complex green roofing projects in the commercial, institutional and residential market areas.

In “Constructing Gardens in the Sky” Terry says that each greenroof has its own design.  Sites that appear similar are not, given wind patterns, sun patterns, slope and drainage issues.

This presentation delves into case studies of three different greenroofs both from an installation perspective and a lessons learned perspective.  Biodiversity of each roof is discussed along with growth habits of the installed greenroofs.  Assumptions in the original design concepts are re-evaluated vis-à-vis the existent greenroof.

Enjoy! Visit greenroofs.tv to see “Constructing Gardens in the Sky”  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 8th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

The Mexican Association for Green Roofing (AMENA by its acronym in Spanish), the Government of Mexico City’s Environment Secretary and the World Green Infrastructure Network  (WGIN) are presenting the World Green Roof Congress 2010 in Mexico City, Mexico on October 7-9, and we’ll be there.   I’ll be presenting our “2010 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” here and hope to connect with colleagues I’ve only known via email and make new connections with professionals from across the globe, and specifically Latin America.

Did you know this is the first time a major greenroof conference is being held in Latin America?   Green architecture is not new here, and greenroofs and greenwalls are sprouting up throughout the  Spanish speaking (and Portuguese – we can’t forget Brazil!) populations of Mexico, Chile, Brazil,  Argentina, Costa Rica, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Peru, and more.   In fact, in terms of greenroof development, Mexico is one of the leading Latin American countries in square meters greened,  and Mexico City is the first city in Latin America to adopt a technical standard for the installation of greenroofs: the environmental standard NADF-013- RNAT.   Created by the Government of Mexico City’s Environment Secretary, this standard provides technical specifications for the installation of greenroofs in the city.

I don’t want to let all of the cats out of my bag yet, but Haven Kiers and my  “2010 Top 10 List” includes “The Greening of Latin America” in the #5 position – look for a press release soon on the rest!   This  Congress  represents an excellent business opportunity – anyone doing business or looking to do business in any of these countries should not miss out on this premier event!

“The Congress is a forum to promote green infrastructure for sustainable urban development. This exciting event will provide a better understanding of the benefits of different facets of green infrastructure. Furthermore, it will encourage the implementation and innovation of both green roofs and walls as well as other aspects of sustainable urban development.” ~ 2010 World Green Roof Congress Mexico City website

Experts from across the globe will be on hand to share experience and insights including Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Canada, the United States, Colombia, Cuba, Greece, Germany, Spain, India, Japan  and Australia,  and will provide a platform for the presentation of case studies, research results and policy initiatives with a particular focus on Latin American experiences.   The Congress will be simultaneously translated in English and Spanish.

Congress organizer Tanya Müller Garcia, President of founding WGIN  member AMENA  (Asociación Mexicana para la Naturación de Azoteas), says the Congress “will promote the implementation of green roofs and walls, offering innovative opportunities for the exchange of experiences and knowledge.”   Topics will include successful urban green infrastructure practices, environmental policy and the implementation of green technologies in large cities, scientific research, and the aesthetics and design of urban green infrastructure.

The Congress will be held at the beautiful five-star  Hilton Hotel Mexico City Reforma.   The hotel is ideally located on the Paseo de la Reforma, just steps away from Mexico City’s historical center, and there are four other area hotels that are offering us discounted rates.   On the third day of the Congress, participants can choose to either take a Course on  “Construction systems and guidelines for green roofs” – available only in Spanish – or take  one of two  Tours.   Each tour will visit six sites, providing the opportunity to visit  cutting-edge greenroof and wall projects in both public and private spaces.   Some of the greenroofs include these projects:

Being half-Latin myself (I’m half-Chilean), I’m very proud of the continuing proliferation of ecologically aware designs in Latin America and am looking forward to spending some time here in the vibrant metropolis of Mexico City.   (By the way, my Velazquez last name comes from my Cuban husband, Aramis!)

The cost for the Congress is a very affordable $250, which includes access to all conference presentations, coffee breaks, trade show, inaugural cocktail, closing cocktail and the guided greenroof and greenwall  tour.   If you are interested in Sponsorship opportunity information, download the brochure here, and for Exhibitor information, click here.   Below is one of the greenwall projects on the tour, the Restaurante Salotto in Mexico City:

Read all about the Congress in English or Spanish, and to register, click here.   For additional information about the World Green Roof Congress 2010 in Mexico City, please contact Luis Feijóo (lfeijoo.amenamex@gmail.com) or Ulrike Grau (ugrau.amenamex@gmail.com) or call AMENA: + 52-55-5676-2619.

Hope to see you there!   Espero verlos en el Congreso! ~ Linda V.

The first ever CitiesAlive! World Green Roof Infrastructure Congress will be held in Toronto in a couple of weeks and Greenroofs.com will be there.   In partnership with the City of Toronto, the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGRIN), and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities  (GRHC),  CitiesAlive! is expecting a great turnout with over 1,000 participants.   Addressing the theme “Green roof infrastructure as a global solution to climate change,” the congress will host over 60 internationally renowned speaker presentations and expert roundtable discussions in greenroof design, policy, research and emerging trends in green infrastructure, and an industry trade show.

We’ve had multiple questions from readers about this conference, in terms of comparing it to the annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, which also  offers all  of the above.   GRHC is a founding member of WGRIN, who has been planning this congress for some time now, and since Toronto is at the forefront of greenroof policy in North America – plus it’s their home –  it’s only natural the inaugural  congress should be held in this beautiful international city.   But some people are asking me why it would be beneficial to attend in Toronto, especially if they had just come to Atlanta in June.   They’ve asked me about the focus of CitiesAlive! since we’ve always had global views and speakers at the seven Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conferences so far.

I recently asked Steven Peck, President, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, these questions on the differences between the two events, and he shared his views with me:

“There are a number of important differences. The main ones are that the focus of CitiesAlive! is on how vegetative technologies, including urban forests, can help us mitigate climate change and adapt cities to the negative consequences like heat waves and severe storms. We have invited various experts from around the world to give presentations. It is much more focused than our annual conference which includes a wider range of topics. Another major difference is that WGRIN is the co-host of this event, which is scheduled to be held in Mexico City next year. This event will have a greater international flavour and we are having a Mexican fiesta and international showcase of projects on Wednesday, October 21 at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

“We are also not having North American industry programs like the Awards of Excellence but a Student Design Contest instead – where 22 groups of students from around the world are redesigning a city block with multiple forms of green infrastructure for maximum sustainability benefits.

“We are also celebrating and acknowledging the policy and program leadership of the City of Toronto, which passed the first green roof construction standard and mandatory by-law for new buildings in North America.”

And Steven concluded, “So, CitiesAlive! is a different program with a broader scope of green technologies but more of a focus on positive climate change impacts. Cities Alive! is going to be a really unique, one-time event.”

OK, so we can expect greater green infrastructure beyond greenroofs and green walls,  encompassing broader living architecture technologies, with greater international focus and flavor – got it!   I love the inclusion of the  international student design competition, “Transforming the Face of Buildings“ – it sounds very promising, where students were asked to rethink the connection between built and biotic landscapes.   It will be very interesting to see the entries.   Also of note, the Congress is offering courses, many sustainable project tours, CitiesAlive! delegates can learn more about the new Toronto Green Roof Bylaw, and the Canadian Green Roof Professional (GRP) Accreditation launch will be held on October 19, 2009.  

Speaker highlights include Paul Kephart (Executive Director, Rana Creek, USA); Dusty Gedge (President, European Federation of Green Roof Associations and livingroofs.org, England); Sadhu Johnson (Chief Environmental Officer, City of Chicago, USA); David Yocca (President, Conservation Design Forum, USA); Don Delaney (Environmental Solutions Manager, Flynn Canada); Sable (Director Marketing & Education, Green Screen, USA); and Jeffrey L. Bruce (Principal, Jeffrey Bruce & Co., USA).     Download the Agenda here.

The CitiesAlive! 2009 International Green Infrastructure Congress will be held from October 19 – 21 2009 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Downtown, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON, Canada.   Visit www.citiesalive.org for more information and to register.

It’s great to see the international greenroof community coming together again, and we’re very happy to be attending the CitiesAlive! World Green Roof Infrastructure Congress, too.  We  hope to see many of you there, including our Student Editor, Christine Thuring, the Green Wall Editor, George Irwin, and the Architecture Editor, Patrick Carey.   Aramis and I look forward to  taking  the Toronto Sustainable Roof Bus Tour,  sponsored by Tremco and Bioroof, and enjoying the sights and sounds of awesome downtown Toronto with friends and colleagues.

~ Linda V.