Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here is the transcript from December 16th and 9th, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for December 16th and 9th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

- Projects of the Week

-  Our project of the week is the Orchard Central Mall Greenwalls built in 2009 in Singapore. Orchard Central Mall is Singapore’s tallest and first vertical pure-retail mall, and has a 160m façade featuring a faceted membrane which functions as a massive media wall, adding visual vibrancy to Orchard Road. The rooftop gardens offer a great spot for dining alfresco, sipping coffee, or enjoying afternoon tea, and feature three large living walls, a balcony rail on the 11th floor, and two lower green walls on the 12th floor roof terrace.

Orchard Central Mall is a winner of the Singapore Institute of Architects and National Parks Board Skyrise Greenery Awards in 2009. The award aims to promote skyrise greenery in Singapore and to recognize the greening efforts in high rise developments by owners/developers, architects, landscape architects/designers, and landscape contract managers. VersiCell sub-soil drainage modules were used in the landscaped areas and planter boxes to facilitate efficient drainage of water and the Elmich Green Wall systems were installed on the 11th and 12th floors of the mall.

-  Our project of the week for last week was The Ramona Apartments, in Portland, OR.  The Ramona Apartments is a new mixed-use, midrise apartment building consisting of six stories of wood-framed construction over a concrete podium. In addition to the ecoroof, the building’s courtyard contains permeable surfaces, plants, gravel and sand that are designed to filter and retain stormwater. Together with the roof, these elements treat one hundred percent of the property’s stormwater. Additional benefits of the ecoroof are the mitigation of the urban heat island effect and providing an environment for native habitat.

-  To learn more about the Orchard Central Mall Greenwalls, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage and for The Ramona Apartments, type in Project ID #1384 in the Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.

“What’s New”

- Our 2012 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ 12 Month Wall Calendar is now available for purchase! The Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ series combines two of our most popular destinations on Greenroofs.com: The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database and Upcoming Events. It’s a great way to highlight fabulous projects and our website Sponsors, our highest level of advertising. Kudos to all the sustainable designers out there as well as the companies and organizations who back us up with ecologically friendly products and services. You can get the perfect holiday gift for your family, friends, staff and clients for only $12.95 which includes shipping within the U.S, and Canada, or a special discount for orders of 10 or more!

- Every week we’ll be uploading a video from our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 to our greenroofsTV page and YouTube channel. Last week we featured our Opening Keynote Address by Charlie Miller, P.E. of Roofmeadow: “A New Place.” And this week we’re highlighting the “2011 Top 10 Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” by Linda Velazquez and Haven Kiers, so be sure to check them out and stay tuned for more!

Advertiser Press Releases:

-  New Green Building Product Announcement: Introducing LiveRoof® Maxx: the Eight-Inch Deep module for the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System.

-  Welcome to our new Greenroof Directory advertiser H. Keith Wagner Partnership out of Burlington VT!

Industry News Update

-  The City Planning Commission unveiled a proposal this week to amend New York City’s zoning code to make it easier for buildings to incorporate environmentally friendly additions such as solar panels, wind turbines and wall insulation. The package of rule changes, dubbed Zone Green, would permit solar panels, greenroofs, storm water detention systems, skylights and other green features on buildings, despite height restrictions, and would allow owners to install wind turbines up to 55 feet above rooftops on waterfront buildings and buildings taller than 100 feet.

-  Joblinks Update

Columbia-Green is looking for a Sales Manager based in the Midwest or East Coast, USA.

The Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) is seeking a Greenroof Research Intern in New York, NY.

-  Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 2: The Hot Top 10 List by Linda Velazquez and Haven Kiers,” “Order Your 2012 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Calendar Now!,” “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 1: Charlie Miller,” and “See all the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Videos on greenroofs.tv!”

- “Upcoming Events”

-  The Water-Harvesting Certification Training program in Phoenix takes place from February 24th to March 4th, 2012 and applications are due December 30th, 2011.

- “In the News”

-  Matt Hickman of Mother Nature Network blogs about “Evergreen homes: Green Roof House.” In his monthly series of spotlighting green residential building projects from his home state of Washington, Hickman talks about the Green Roof House and says, “When building up to accommodate a growing family, the owners of the Green Roof House not only added a second floor to their Seattle bungalow but neighbor-pleasing elements like a green roof and living wall.”

This House was showcased as part of the 2011 Seattle Green Home Tour and includes numerous green amenities like a solar PV system, a living wall, a rainwater catchment system and a greenroof. Working with a growing family who could only build up and not out, the design-build firm Batt + Lear, went up to the roof to see exactly how a 2nd story would impact the neighbors’ view. Not wanting to make any additional living space unfortunate for the neighbors or clash with the existing architecture, they decided to build the 2nd floor addition on the front half of the home and install the beautiful greenroof on the back half. Now when the neighbors look out their windows, instead of black asphalt to look at, they’ll have a lush colorful landscape.

-  Robin L. Eschler of WomensRadio.com, talks about “Green Roofs and a 300 Year Old Business: An interview with Ed Snodgrass.” Traditional farming, raising corn, cattle, llamas, Christmas trees and now greenroof plants, Emory Knoll Farms has been around for over 300 years. Ed Snodgrass, current Emory Knolls Farm co-owner, international horticulturalist, author and avid conservationist, and contributing editor here at Greenroofs.com, is carrying on the success of the six-generations-family-owned business in northern Maryland.

Today the majority of Emory Knolls Farm is supporting indigenous trees, native meadow plants, native fauna and over ninety species of birds and the nursery is the only one in North America that is dedicated just to greenroof plants. Emory Knoll Farms is currently involved in over 800 projects and has incorporated as a B-Corporation, or Benefit Corporation, and actively uses the principles of the Natural Step process, a set of four principles developed in Sweden for sustainable manufacturing. You can learn more about Ed and Emory Knoll Farms at GreenRoofPlants.com.

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 green wall info with the world!

- Make sure to keep up with everything Greenroofs.com by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, being a member of our network on LinkedIn, and subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube!

- This has been This Week in Review for December 16th and 9th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez and I’ll see you in a couple weeks with our This Year in Review!

- Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us here at Greenroofs.com!

*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.

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 10/31/11
Cuartel de Ballajá
(Ballajá Infantry Barracks Building)
San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
24,000 sf. Greenroof

Year: 2011
Owner: Oficina de Conservacion Historica
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive & Intensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 24,000 sq. ft.
Slope: 2%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public

Project Description & Details

El Cuartel de Ballajá was constructed by the Spanish army between 1854 and 1864. The structure is one of the most impressive constructed by Spain in the New World and it stands as the last example of monumental military architecture by the Spanish Monarchy in the Americas. Today, the Ballajá Barracks houses several educational and cultural organizations, namely the Museo de Las Américas.

Designed by the architect Edmundo Colon with the help of GRP David Aponte, the green roof was part of several “green intervention” projects done to the Cuartel de Ballajá, including a 151.2 KW PV system with 720 solar panels. The project was built using a 60 mil PVC waterproofing system (Durolast), a 16 oz. protective mat, 2″ of rooflite drain w/ drain channels, filter fabric, 4″ average of rooflite growing medium and 60,000 plants that vary from plugs to 6″ pots. The green roof also has greenwalls and an artificial wetland to manage higher roof storm water amounts, which is used on a needed basis as the supplemental irrigation system.

Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Architect/Designer: Edmundo Colon, ECO Architecture

Additional Info

The Cuartel de Ballajá is situated on the northwestern-most point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico in view of El Morro (1539), or the Fort San Felipe del Morro, also known as the Morro Castle.  In 1961, the United States Army officially retired from El Morro and the fort became a part of the National Park Service to be preserved as museums.  In 1983, El Morro and the city walls were declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.  The photo above by Kamran Saraf shows “a panoramic view of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico from atop Fort San Felipe del Morro.”

Located in the Old San Juan area on a lot of approximately three acres, the Cuartel de Ballajá lies between Morovis, Beneficencia and Norzagaray streets, and occupies six city blocks of the Ballaja community (Barrio Ballaja) that were expropriated and demolished in 1853.

“In 1976 the government of Puerto Rico acquired the Ballajá Infantry Barracks Building (Antiguo Cuartel de Ballajá) from the federal government of the United States of America by way of a transfer with a commitment to restore and use the building for cultural, educational and touristic purposes.

In 1986 the restoration of The Barracks began under the “Plan de Reforma Interior de la Zona Histórica de San Juan” (San Juan Interior Historic Zone Restoration Plan). The restoration work was realized from 1990 to 1993. Previously , in 1992 “El Museo de las Américas” (Museum of the Americas, second floor), was founded, with various exhibitions pertaining to the cultural history of Puerto Rico and the Americas. ” ~ Ballaja.com

Although this important historic resource was built for military purposes, El Cuartel de Ballajá has evolved into a cultural center, rendering tribute to Puerto Rico’s rich cultural heritage.  Major community happenings are hosted here throughout the year including opera, concerts, festivals and artesan fairs.

The greenroof is just one of the numerous renovation projects here with sustainability in mind.  Due to the building’s age and historical status, MFS Consulting Engineers provided the Oficina Estatal de Conservación Histórica with a structural analysis and structural investigation of the rooftop of the Cuartel de Ballajá for the proposed construction of the wetland greenroof.

With its large solar array, the Cuartel de Ballajá was included this year in the Puerto Rico Solar Tour 2011:

David Aponte of PR Design Group says the idea of introducing the wetland and greenwall on the roof came from the design/construction team (General Contractor, Green Roof Contractor and Architect), and the client agreed.  The greenwall measures 6 x 80.  It’s a custom design, following the Patrick Blanc hydroponic greenwall technique of a soil-less system.  The wall has an internal dripline that is supplied with water from the wetland.

If you’re in San Juan, you must visit the historic El Morro, one of Puerto Rico’s most popular tourist attractions.  Then it’s a quick stop over to visit the beautiful Cuartel de Ballajá and its wetland rooftop garden with greenwalls.

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!  Click here to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.  See how you can submit yours here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.

Our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 is less than two weeks away!

Last week I told you about our seven fantastic panel sessions who you’ll be watching followed by a live Question and Answer session, including:  ”Biodiversity and Green Roofs,” Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx,” “The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon,” “Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Walls & Roofs to Table,” “Wind. Water. Heat. Grow. Greenroofs.,” “Greenroofs: Wind & Fire,” and “Green Roofs Without the Hype.”

In addition to our four awesome Keynote Speakers whom we’ve already profiled - Andrew Grant, Charlie Miller, Ed Snodgrass and Ralph Velasquez – and other luminaries previously highlighted, here are more brilliant speakers you will enjoy hearing:

Roland Appl, Germany:  The Technical Director of ZinCo and President of the International Green Roof Association (IGRA) will present “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics.”

Jörg Breuning, USA and Germany:  The principal of Green Roof Technology (Previously Green Roof Service) and co-founder of Green Roof Safari will present “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World.”

Ignacio Espoz, Chile:  The founder of LatinGreen, Director of the World Green Roof infrastructure Network (WGIN), and Director of the Chilean Association of Green Infrastructure will present “Green Infrastructure in Chile and Innovative Living Walls for Environmental Restoration in Mining of the Atacama Desert.”

Tanya Müller Garcia, Mexico:  The founder of AMENA – Asociación Mexicana para la Naturación de Azoteas – (National Mexican Greenroof Association), Vice-President of WGIN, and Director of Urban Reforestation and Bikeways for the City of Mexico will present “Development of Greenroofs and Walls in Mexico and Latin America.”

Richard Hayden, RLA, ASLA, CLARB, USA:  The landscape architect and Garden Roof Department Manager at American Hydrotech, Inc. will present “Sloped and Complex Green Roofs.”

Haven Kiers, LEED AP, GRP, USA:  The founding partner of GreenSwell Design and Planning, trainer with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will co-present the “2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” with Linda Velazquez.

Terry McGlade, Canada:  The horticulturalist, landscape designer, and founder and President of Gardens in the Sky will present “Constructing Gardens in the Sky.”

Chris Wark, MSME, LEED AP, USA:  The engineer, Senior Energy Analyst for Viridian Energy & Environmental, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will present “E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction.”

Imagine a world of green:
What are we doing to create organic architecture?

Next week I’ll highlight the rest of our stellar cast of greenroof and greenwall professionals and enthusiasts!

See the GGW Virtual Summit Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or the panel sessions.

You’ve got to admit that you can’t beat the super low registration fee of $99 for September 27 and 28 plus the 30 days archived on demand through October 28 to hear from all of these excellent speakers…

… but we want everyone to qualify for the even lower Associate Rate of only $49 (just type in the name of the non-profit/organization/constituency that you belong when prompted) or the Students/Faculty/Government Professionals Rate of only $25 (state the school/university or government).

And, you’ll be automatically entered for the chance at winning our second Apple iPad2 drawing, announced on September 30, 2011.

Pre-register or learn more by visiting:  virtual.greenroofs.com.

We hope you join us for this very interactive virtual experience – think film festival meets 2-day webinar and online expo extravaganza!

Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO (Rare Earth) and American Hydrotech (Emerald) and our Exhibitors, Associates, and Media Partners – make sure to visit them at the Expo Pavilions.

See you online on September 27 & 28, 2011!

~ Linda V.

Last week I told you about our Keynote Speakers for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 - Andrew Grant, Charlie Miller, Ed Snodgrass and Ralph Velasquez –  awesome thinkers, designers, trend setters, eco-luminaries all of them!  And among others, we have French botanist and modern green wall pioneer Patrick Blanc, whom I’m interviewing this afternoon in Chicago…

See the GGW Virtual Summit Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or the panel sessions.

Speaking of our panel sessions, we have seven very distinct, innovative, and important collaborations that you are sure to enjoy and learn from personal experiences of movers and shakers in their respective fields from international non-profit, private and university level to U.S state, city, and borough level to professional association, private enterprise, and corporate experiences.

Click on the photos or titles to learn more about each scheduled time slot on the Agenda and each individual - they all have live Question & Answer sessions afterwards, so don’t miss them to pick their brains on how they are succeeding in greening our roofs and walls:

“Biodiversity and Greenroofs” above left to right: Christine Thuring (Moderator), Nathalie Baumann, Dusty Gedge, and Gary Grant discuss original research and unique experiences, from field work upwards to bigger picture perspectives, as well as corresponding experiences with legislation on urban nature conservation.

Christine is moderating the panel on “Biodiversity and Green Roofs” where she also speaks about her research on plant community development and ecological processes on extensive green roofs with time.  Nathalie speaks about “Green Roofs / Natural Roofs = Biodiverse Habitats and Ecological Compensation in Urban Space: 15 Years of Experience in Switzerland.”  Dusty speaks about “Designing and Working for Biodiversity on Green Roofs for Over 10 Years.”  And Gary speaks about “My First Biodiverse Green Roof in 1992, Considerations for Planning and Design and Some Thoughts on the Future.”

“Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx” above left to right: Robert Bieder (Moderator), Jon Beuttler, Jess Dannhauser, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Javier Lopez, New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, and Steve Ritz.  Fueled by a passionate and committed Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., it is common knowledge that the Bronx is leading NYC in embracing green technologies and the green economy. To wit, the policies and educational initiatives underway in and of the Bronx are making dramatic strides in the quality of life and opportunities for all residents with concentric benefits and ripples felt citywide, statewide and nationally.

This panel featuring: a State Senator, noted business leader, NYC project manager, health care manager, social service providers and a dedicated educator speaks to triple bottom line benefits, impacts and the uses of green roofs, green walls, and urban agriculture as highly replicable, critical components to creating and leveraging social equity and economic and educational opportunities in challenging times.

“The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon” above left to right: Tom Liptan, Matt Burlin, Amy Chomowicz, Casey Cunningham, and Alice Meyers.  The Portland Ecoroof Program started in 1996 when a city employee constructed an experimental ecoroof on his garage.  From this small start, the program has grown and as of July 2011 there are over 420 green roofs of varying sizes, on all types of buildings, from multi-story apartment complexes and commercial buildings to humble sheds, kiosks, and garages.  These green roofs cover nearly 30 acres of Portland rooftops (extensive and intensive roofs).

The Portland Ecoroof Program consists of technical support, incentives, education, policies, and research.  The program is incentive-based rather than regulatory, and the city’s policies reflect this approach.  This presentation provides an overview of how these program elements work with the private sector and general public to sustain the green roof movement in Portland.

“Vertical Agriculture: A Global Movement Starts Locally, from Walls & Roofs to Table” above  left to right: George Irwin (Moderator), U.S. Congressman Tom Reed, and Tom Ferraro.  Urban agriculture is on the rise globally – up the walls and on rooftops.  Fresh, local crops benefit the entire community for many reasons.

U.S. Congressman Tom Reed from the 29th district of New York, Tom Ferraro, CEO of Foodlink – a national network of 200 food banks – and George Irwin, CEO of Green Living Technologies International (GLTi), provide interactive conversation and commentary concerning the impact of education, economics and opportunity around local food production with green walls and roofs.  Rochester-based GLTi started in New York City and has since grown nationally and internationally through education and collaborative hands-on projects with local youth, the underprivileged and disadvantaged in New York and Los Angeles and with business partnerships in Santiago, Dubai, and beyond to include their Food Factory and more.

“Wind. Water. Heat. Grow. Greenroofs.” above left to right: Dr. Bill Retzlaff, David Aponte, Kevin Songer, and Joe Webb.  Greenroofs are impacted by wind, water and heat on an unrelenting basis.  Through wind trials and real hurricane survival stories in Houston, TX, Jacksonville, FL, Edwardsville, IL, and Puerto Rico, we have met those challenges and will discuss various projects’ responses and successes to Hurricanes Ike and (any others?).  Drought, hot winds, and unseasonable 100° days can also quickly desiccate or kill greenroof plants.

Dr. Bill Retzlaff moderates discussing wind studies and plant trials for greenroofs at SIUE. Joe Webb talks about his project which endured 110 to 120 mph winds and 11” of rain in 24 hours and shares water mapping and Living Building Challenge Water requirements.  Kevin Songer talks about the Outdoor Turbine Hurricane Simulator at the University of Florida, water conservation through ‘nature-based irrigation design,’ and the importance of biodiversity.  David Aponte speaks to his experience of engineering and designing greenroofs with the correct growing media and plants in hurricane-prone, sub-tropical Puerto Rico.

“Greenroofs: Wind & Fire” Panel above  left to right: Kelly Luckett, Mike Ennis, and Jim Kirby.  No longer can the green roof be deleted from a project due to failure to comply with the fire code.  After three years in the making from members of Single Ply Roofing Industry in cooperation with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), we now have a green roof design guide for minimizing the risk of fire on green roofs.  The securing of a place in mainstream construction through the International Code Council (ICC) has resulted in a milestone for the North American green roof movement. Fire concerns are only half of the code story as the wind design guide is still progressing through the ANSI process – we must overcome both the wind and the fire obstacle.

Kelly Luckett, President of Green Roof Blocks, moderates and shares his experiences representing GRHC with the consensus based ANSI/SPRI VF-1 and RP-14 standards.  Jim Kirby, NRCA’s AED, Technical Communications, provides NRCA commentary about building codes, vegetative roofs and RP-14.  Mike Ennis, Technical Director for SPRI, speaks to SPRI’s leadership leadership in the development of fire and wind standards and experience in the building code arena.

And, because the panel sessions weren’t stirring enough, we’ve ended with the “Green Roofs Without the Hype” Panel above left to right: Patrick Carey, Dr. Robert Berghage, Charlie Miller, and Ed Snodgrass.  Here are four people with the knowledge to speak frankly about the current state of affairs in green roofing.  This panel focuses on the designation and evaluation of expertise, appropriate background and training, roadblocks to research and education, design origination and control, chain of custody issues, installation, and the residential market.

We hope you join us for this very interactive virtual experience – think film festival meets 2-day webinar and online expo extravaganza!

Pre-register or learn more by visiting:  virtual.greenroofs.com.  Don’t forget to pre-register by this Friday, September 9 for the discounted Early Bird rate of only $49 ($25 for students/faculty and government professionals).

Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO (Rare Earth) and American Hydrotech (Emerald) and our Exhibitors and Media Partners – make sure to visit them at the Expo Pavilions.

See you online on September 27 & 28, 2011!

~ Linda V.

The ever growing demand for sustainable design continues to grow across the world – especially with living architecture, and Greenroofs.com’s inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit held online on September 27 and 28, 2011 is truly a groundbreaking event you can’t miss!

Join us as we inform, share, and create a global social media experience for learning and networking via the power of the Internet.   It’s a community destination that will allow you to connect with everyone in our growing community!

Over 50 speakers from around the world are joining us in the Virtual Summit including architects, ecologists, landscape architects, engineers, educators, industry CEOs, product manufacturers and suppliers, botanists, non-profit directors, government officials and representatives from the state of New York, cities of Portland, OR; Chicago, IL; and the Bronx.

We’ve just released our very impressive international speaker line-up for the Virtual Summit 2011 – you can now see the Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or panel sessions.

Our Keynote Speakers are thinkers, designers, trend setters, eco-luminaries:

“Imagine a world of green:
What are we doing to create organic architecture?”

• Andrew Grant, Landscape Architect, Principal, Grant Associates, presenting: “Gardens by the Bay, Singapore“
  Charlie Miller, P.E., Principal, Roofmeadow, presenting “A New Place“
  Ed Snodgrass, Farmer, Author, Co-owner, Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants, presenting “Right Plant, Right Place“
  Ralph Velasquez, Executive Director of Sustainability, Tremco, presenting “CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility – The Who, What, Where, When and How“

Here are just a few more of the illustrious speakers we have in store for you:

Rosemarie S. Andolino, USA: The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner will present “CDA Leads the Way for Incorporating Green Roof Space in an Airport Environment.”

Dr. Patrick Blanc, France: The renown botanist and creator of Le Mur Végétal will present “The Vertical Garden – from Nature to Cities” with an exclusive interview by Linda Velazquez.

Dr. Nigel Dunnett, UK: The Director of the Green Roof Centre and University of Sheffield Professor will present “Sky Meadows: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Diverse Green Roof Plantings.”

Paul Kephart, USA: The President of Rana Creek and ecological designer will present “Large-Scale Applications of Living Architecture.”

Xianmin Wang, China: The Deputy Chief of the Vertical Greening Academic Group of China Green Building Council; Vice Chairman of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association will present “The Current Situation and Future of Green Roofs in China.”

We’re treating our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 as a production, and now you can see the trailer – it’s fast, fun, and informative and gives you a glimpse of presentations to come.  Watch just a few highlights from our stellar cast of greenroof and greenwall professionals below:

Don’t forget to pre-register by September 9 for the discounted Early Bird rate of only $49 ($25 for students/faculty and government professionals) for access on both September 27 and 28 and 30 days archived on demand through October 28!  Plus, you’ll be automatically entered for the chance to win the first of two Apple iPad2s that we’re giving away.

One random winner will be chosen from the Early Bird Pre-Registrations and one from attendees who have been the most active using the Social Collaboration Network, including all your online chatting and visiting our very important sponsor and exhibitor booths at the Expo Pavilions!

Pre-register or learn more by visiting:  virtual.greenroofs.com

Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO and American Hydrotech and our Exhibitors and Media Partners:

See our Press Release here.  Join us for the sharing, networking and fun event of the year!

~ Linda V.

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

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

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

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

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

Way to go, Patrick!

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

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

~ Linda V.

Hopefully you’ve heard by now that on August 23 and 24 Greenroofs.com is hosting the first:

PEOPLE: Creative thinkers, innovators, and trailblazers sharing project-focused organic “vegitecture”

PROJECTS: International icons of sustainability:  early successes + current & visionary profiles of excellence in design

DESIGN: Proven standards of diverse green technologies + dynamic and cutting edge designs for greening the planet with building integrated greenery:  bioclimatic, biodiversity, biomimicry & chic sustainability

We are so excited so be venturing into the virtual arena!  This is the first virtual conference and expo experience specifically designed for the greenroof and greenwall industry … and really, who better than Greenroofs.com – the greenroof industry resource portal?  With all the domestic and international travelling that we do, we always have a blast seeing our friends and colleagues and listening to amazing people sharing stories and experiences about important and equally astounding projects.

So why not offer a similar experience that’s available to the whole world on a grand, yet affordable, scale?  You have to admit, the Internet is the great equalizer, and the 6Connex platform we selected is huge on the Social Collaboration Network (SCN) component, so you can participate live in many ways at the comfort of your computer/laptop/iPad.

Interact in real time by:

* Watching highlighted presentations and join in for live Q & A sessions;
* Visiting exhibitor booth reps in both the International Pavilion and the North American Pavilion using video/audio and/or text;
* Chatting with friends using the SCN – choose a private one on one chat or have up to four people on video, or join a public chat;
* Meeting new colleagues using the SCN – just introduce yourself and invite a new colleague to start a new chat!
* Swapping your Virtual Badge at any time to request additional information from a vendor!

We’ve lined up some awesome keynotes, at right, and favorite expert speakers doing individual presentations as well as several panel sessions – and look for all of Greenroofs.com’s Contributing Editors here, too!

Another cool aspect is that in addition to your admission on both August 23 and 24, you can continue coming back as often as you want for the next 30 days, when all the presentations, panel sessions, and Expo Pavilion booths will be available archived on demand!  You certainly can’t beat that for the very low prices below – make sure to get your discount:

Registration fee is $99 for the 2 live days plus 30 days of archived content, with the following discounts:

* $49 equals a 50% discount for Early Bird Registration (which ends on August 10, 2011) and for participating non-profit organizations, professional association members, and government entities;

* $25 for students/faculty and government professionals;

* Free to accredited media.  See details here.

We open up Pre-Registration tonight at midnight, July 20, 2011. Pre-Register by August 10, 2011 and receive the 50% off Early Bird Registration rate AND qualify to win an Apple iPad2!  Actually, we’re giving away two iPad2’s.

See the official Rules & Regulations here, but basically, we’ll choose one random winner from the Early Bird Registrations and one from attendees who have been the most active using the SCN, including visiting our very important sponsor and exhibitor booths at the Expo Pavilions!  Swipe your Virtual Badge at each exhibitor booth you visit to increase your chances.

Speaking of sponsors, we’re very happy to have TREMCO on board as our top dog, the Rare Earth Sponsor!

We’re just starting to encourage sponsor and exhibitor participation, and many opportunities exist at very affordable pricing.  If you’re interested – and if you’re a manufacturer, supplier, or provider of professional services within our industry you should be – just contact Aramis for a Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus at: virtual@greenroofs.com.  Setting up your booth is pretty easy, and we’ll handle everything.

Are you an industry related non-profit, professional association, or government entity promoting greenroofs & walls?  You can exhibit for free in the Expo’s “Associates Pavilion!”  Associates’ booths are not manned live, but are available on demand to inform visitors of everything these very important organizations do.  Find out what they are doing by downloading their videos, PDF’s, website info and more.

AND, as a participating Associate, you can offer your membership/readers/constituents 50% off the $99 Registration Fee, too.  Contact me for an Associates Prospectus at: Linda@greenroofs.com.

Are you a member of the media?  One representative per company can register for free, see all the presentations, visit all the Expo Pavilion booths, and join in the SCN activities in the Media Lounge.  This is specifically for the media to hang out and for exhibitors, speakers and attendees to visit, too.  You can post info about your company, interview/chat with people, and blog away.  Just let me know if you’re interested.

Stay up to date with our social media sites where you can help us get the word out:

Follow us on our Twitter page and we encourage you to tweet to your followers using our event hashtag, #virtualsummit2011.

Visit our LinkedIn Event page and share the event info with your connections and networks.

Like our Facebook page and help us promote it to your fans.

Subscribe to our YouTube GreenroofsTV Channel.

And, feel free to visit our Downloads page with Event Banner Ads for you to post and share, too.

I’ll be blogging a lot in the next few weeks telling you more about our fantastic speakers and the various features of the Virtual Summit, and how you can specifically make the most of your virtual experience here with what to expect, tips, and best practices.  Visit the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 website here.

The virtual platform will never replace the meet and greet or the wonderful tours aspect of physical conferences, but it’s a great, inexpensive, and fun way to connect and interact with far-flung associates from around the world!  And come on, people, video chatting is becoming the way of the world!

See you on August 23rd!

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here’s the transcript from July 1, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli - click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

-  Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for this week, July 1st 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

-  Have you heard the news yet?  It’s our pleasure to announce the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design! An event like no other, this is the first virtual conference & expo experience specifically designed for the Greenroof & Greenwall Industry!  Held online on August 23 & 24, 2011, our mission is  to inform, share, and create a global social media experience for imagining, learning & networking via the power of the Internet.  While it’s not meant to ever displace the physical experience, it’s a greater opportunity to reach more people.  And, it’s extremely affordable – we’re partnering with associations and offering 50% off the $99 Registration Fee, making it just $49 with the special promo code, and only $25 for government and students.  Stay tuned for more information about our most exciting news yet coming soon!

- Project of the Week

-  Our project of the week is the Breaking Ground Contracting Green Roof & Rooftop Garden built in 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida.  Breaking Ground’s living roof supports wildlife biodiversity, economic development, offers educational opportunities to a broad range of people and provides a healthy, organic food alternative in the Urban Core.  It is also the first green roof in Florida to incorporate native plants, rooftop permaculture and Florida-friendly landscaping.  The living roof is comprised of three main component ecosystems, including native wildflowers, shrubs, small trees and an intense permaculture food and herb garden.  In addition to the green roof, this project also incorporates a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system, a solar thermal system, living walls, a rain garden, low and no VOC interior paints and finishes, extensive reuse of materials from the demolition of the original building, high efficiency HVAC system with individual occupant controls, outside views for all occupants, and lots more.

To learn more about the Breaking Ground Contracting Green Roof and Rooftop Garden greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New”

- Our June 2011 eNewsletter is out, so check it out and read all about our Sky Gardens Blog posts, contributing editor articles, APRs, joblinks and much more!
- Read our latest Guest Feature article by Artie Rollins and John Robilotti: “Various Types of Green Roof Systems Come Together at NYC’s 5-Boro Complex.”  Artie and John go into great depth about their awesome vegetated research rooftop on Randall’s Island, New York.

-  Advertiser Press Releases:

-  Home owner installs Green Roof Paks, designed by Green Roof Blocks, on residential garage roof.

- Over at Sky Gardens, catch up on all of Linda’s latest posts: “Ed Snodgrass & John Shepley Voted Two of America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs 2011” – did you know they were both contributing editors of ours? – Greenroofs.com’s “TWIR” on GreenroofsTV, and as always, our GPW.

-  “Upcoming Events”

- July 5th: Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is hosting a Webinar on Shade Tolerant Green Roof Plants, with Kelven Goodridge, GRP. The Green Infrastructure Webinar Series is free to attend, so reserve your seat now and invite a colleague.

-  “In the News”

-  Benjamin Gottlieb, of CNN International, reports on “Crops out of concrete: Farming Hong Kong’s urban island.” Six months ago, local entrepreneur Osbert Lam started the Eco-Mama rooftop farm; and says “there are a lot of empty, leftover rooftops that could easily be transformed into fields.” Gottlieb says the Eco-Mama farm is one of an estimated 300 urban farming projects in Hong Kong and urban farmers find the activity personally rewarding. But Hong Kong lacks strong support from the government and agriculture only provides less than one tenth of 1% of Hong Kong’s GDP. But even with the challenges facing urban farming there, people like Lam remain optimistic and believe a community of rooftop farmers can prosper in Hong Kong.

- Belinda Lanks, of Co.Design, talks about “JDS Architects Builds A Rolling Rooftop Playground And Park.” Lanks says, “The Copenhagen firm takes the green roof a step further, creating a delightful outdoor playground for both kids and adults.” Copenhagen’s multiethnic district of Nørrebro is densely populated and JDS Architects’ idea was to create a “missing garden” above some of their own designed penthouse apartments for the residents and neighbors to enjoy. The nearly 10,000-square-foot roof includes a grassy hill with curved steps, a wooden deck, a shock-absorbent playground and a suspension bridge, all safely fenced in.

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

-  Have something you think we should know about and post on our website?  You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.

-  Stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Greenroofs.com by subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and being a member of our network on LinkedIn.

-  This has been This Week in Review for July 1st, 2011 on GreenroofsTV. From everyone here at Greenroofs.com, we wish everyone in the U.S. a very happy, fun and safe 4th of July holiday this weekend! I’m Anjuli Velazquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations, Ed & John – way to go!

~ Linda V.

Our daughter, Anjuli, has been writing, filming and editing our “This Week in Review” video since August, 2010 and each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com.  Here’s the transcript for April 1, 2011 - click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

-  Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for April 1st, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

-  Our projects of the week are the Cheyenne I and III (251 & 253 Medical Center Blvd.), greenroofs built in 2007 and 2009 in Webster, Texas.  Developer and General Contractor, Jacob White Construction Company, wanted the buildings to stand apart from all other commercial buildings in the Houston area.  And they did just that when 251 East became the first LEED Gold certified building that side of Austin and 253 West gained LEED-CS Platinum certification in 2009.  The most impressive and ambitious part of these projects are the greenroofs complete with gardens, walking paths, and a lush landscaped area.  On September 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike went across the site as a strong Category 2 hurricane with 120+ mph winds and 11 inches of rain, yet there was no impact on the green roof nor the building.  In both cases, Webb Architects designed a custom system using EnkaRetain & Drain from Colbond with a locally designed growing media mix – the material cost savings alone was in the neighborhood of $250,000 each.  Approximately 73% of all rain water is retained, while the excess is transported to the roof drains that direct it to underground cisterns for storage and that reclaimed water is used for everything from irrigating the grounds to flushing the toilets.

-  To learn more about the Cheyenne I and Cheyenne III greenroofs, click on our project of the week links on our homepage.

-  “What’s New”

-  Advertiser Press Release:  Metro Green Visions introduces MGV GroRoof Hybrid Green Roof System. MGV GroRoof, a new modular green roof system, is poised to make a strong impact in the marketplace, offering the best of both worlds, it installs like a modular tray system but functions and appears like a monolithic extensive green roof.

-  The American Horticultural Society is pleased to announce that Ed Snodgrass is the 2011 recipient of the G.B. Gunlogson Award.  The award is one of 12 Great American Gardeners Awards that the AHS presents annually to individuals, organizations, and businesses that represent the best in American gardening.  Congrats to Ed, co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms and our very own contributing editor of the “Ask Ed” Plant Column here on Greenroofs.com!

- Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce the results of its 2011 Annual Industry Survey of Corporate Members which found that the greenroof industry grew by 28.5% over the course of 2010, which was up significantly from the 16% growth recorded in 2009!  The City of Chicago was #1, with Washington D.C. #2 in the Annual Top Ten U.S. Cities List.

-  Read our latest guest feature contributing editor blog post on Sky Gardens by Christine Thuring, “EcoBuild London (March 2011).”  Christine talks about the world’s largest sustainable construction fair, the biggest EcoBuild yet with over 50,000 visitors, over 1,300 suppliers and more than 130 free seminar sessions feazturing over 600 speakers.

-  (Check out Linda’s latest Sky Gardens Blog post about the “GPW: Cheyenne I and III (251 & 253 Medical Center Blvd.)” which has info on research data for the buildings.

-  Joblinks Update:  ZinCo USA is looking for two Regional Account Managers for Architectural/Contractor Green Roof Sales. One is located in Boston, MA and the other on in Philadelphia, PA.  Go to greenroofs.com/joblinks.htm to apply to these jobs and check out our other Green Roof Jobs postings.  Go to greenroofs.com/joblinks.htm to apply to these jobs and check out our other Green Roof Jobs postings.

-  Industry News: New “Design Guidelines and Maintenance Manual for Green Roofs in the Semi-Arid and Arid West” are released.  The guidelines are a collaboration of the University of Colorado Denver, City and County of Denver, Green Print Denver and the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.

-  “Upcoming Events”

-  April 4th & 5th: is the Rooftop Rainforest TV programme featuring Dusty Gedge, which will be broadcast on Sky 1 HD in the UK.

- April 5th: is a Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition: One Day Training Workshop in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada.

- April 6th – 7th: is Water & Environment 2011, CIWEM’s Annual Conference in London, United Kingdom.

- April 7th & 12th: is Designing with Nature – Compost BMP Design Webinar for Green Infrastructure and LID.

- April 7th – 12th: is RCI – 26th International Convention and Trade Show in Reno, Nevada.

- And on April 8th – 9th: is Green Build Cornwall in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

-  “In the News”

-  Ross Dulmaine of IBTimes reports on “Green roof uberwork: Bjarke Ingels’ M2 House.”  He says “from a distance the M2 house looks like just another little rolling hill.  Approach more closely and you find a modern, subtly camouflaged residence whose roof is covered in beautiful, easy to maintain sedum.”  Located in Denmark, the home was designed to blend into its rural surroundings and one side features huge, light-infusing glass sections which provide plenty of natural light to the living and kitchen areas.  Check out the article on IBTimes for some more beautiful photos.

-  Sandy Hingston of Philly Mag’s The Philly Post invites you to “Build A Green-Roof Birdhouse.”  In Longwood Gardens, she took a birdhouse-making class with the most cutting-edge architectural design: a green roof.  Longwood has been experimenting with bluebird houses in its fields for years hoping to attract more but with local summers heating up, eggs were reaching boiling points inside these birdhouses.  Green roofs create a heat differential that aids airflow and reduces interior temperatures.  The sedums used were specially grown at Ed Snodgrass’ Emory Knoll Farms in Street, Maryland where he focuses on perennial green-roof plants that can stay outdoors year-round.

-  Jeffrey Tomich of stltoday.com asks “Five Questions with green roofer Kelly Luckett.”  He talks about how Kelly Luckett, president of Green Roof Blocks, is taking back one rooftop at a time in St. Louis.  Kelly explains that there are many benefits to green roofs: they soak up about half of the storm water that would otherwise run off into gutters, they keep rooftops cooler, saving energy in the buildings underneath and they provide a habitat for bees, butterflies and birds.  Be sure to visit this article to read Kelly’s answers to questions like how he got into the green roof business, how green roofs are priced and what’s next for Greenroofs.com’s “Green Roof Guy.”

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

-  Have something you think we should know about and post on our website?  You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.

-  Stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Greenroofs.com by subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and being a member of our network on LinkedIn.

-  Coming Soon: Stayed tuned for our latest Sky Gardens – Greenroofs of the World episode, The Cook+Fox Architects Office in Manhattan, New York!

-  This has been This Week in Review for April 1st, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.