Today we have the pleasure to air the panel presentation “The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon” from our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit with Tom Liptan, Matt Burlin, Amy Chomowicz, Casey Cunningham, and Alice Meyers on greenroofs.tv and our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.

All of you should know who Tom Liptan is, as he is one of the earliest champions of greenroofing here in the United States, in particular the Portland, Oregon area, where greenroofs are more commonly referred to as ecoroofs.  Tom is a landscape architect and the Ecoroof Technical Manager in the Sustainable Stormwater Division with the City of Portland, and his early experimentations with his own garage ecoroof (1996) spawned the greenroof movement in Portland.

Along with Charlie Miller and Katrin Scholz-Barth, I always credit Tom Liptan for my early encouragement and further study into greenroofs in the late 1990’s – the three of them were extremely gracious with their time and expertise with me when I was at UGA.

Matt, Amy, Casey, and Alice are wonderful people, too, all very dedicated and extremely enthusiastic about their work.  Everyone at the City of Portland, OR, Bureau of Environmental Services and the leadership of the City of Portland is to be commended for being such forward-thinking promoters of greenroof construction and incentives in the U.S.  Read more about this city program and the wonderful group of individuals below:

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.

Tom Liptan is a registered landscape architect (Oregon) and works as an environmental specialist with the City of Portland, OR, Bureau of Environmental Services.  He has researched and developed numerous vegetated approaches for rain/stormwater management and has designed, monitored and maintained many projects, including several ecoroofs.  His work has been recognized internationally and he has presented papers at conferences and Universities in the USA, Canada, England, New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden.  A book titled Rain Gardens by Dunnett and Clayton, 2007, has a dedication to his efforts.  He is co-author of the chapter “Stormwater Gardens” in Handbook of Water Sensitive Planning and Design, 2002, and a section in Green Roofs, Ecological Design and Construction, 2005.  His garage ecoroof, the first specifically built (1996) to test rain management in the USA, is included in the new book Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living, 2011.

Matt Burlin is the Outreach Coordinator for the Sustainable Stormwater Division and Portland Ecoroof Program with the City of Portland.

 

 

Amy Chomowicz is the Program Administrator for the Sustainable Stormwater Division and Portland Ecoroof Program with the City of Portland.  Amy has worked in the water quality and watershed restoration fields for 19 years and worked on her first ecoroof project in 1997.  Prior to that, Amy worked in energy conservation and renewable energy.

Casey Cunningham is a landscape architect with the City of Portland’s Sustainable Stormwater Division.  He designs green streets and other low-impact, vegetated systems that manage stormwater and improve urban wildlife habitat.  Casey monitors ecoroofs for their value to birds and insects, and enjoys sagebrush, communicating through music and blueberries on summer days.

Alice Meyers is an Environmental Specialist with the Sustainable Stormwater Division and coordinates the Incentive in the Portland Ecoroof Program with the City of Portland.

Enjoy! Visit greenroofs.tv to see “The Portland Ecoroof Program: A Cross-section of the Green Roof Movement in Portland, Oregon” or click below:

Watch earlier videos on our exclusive Virtual Summit greenroofs.tv play list, or see the following Virtual Summit videos now available on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:

Episode #7:  ”Constructing Gardens in the Sky“ by Terry McGlade
Episode #6: “Sky Meadows – Integrating People and Nature: Sustainable Green Roofs and Roof Gardens” by Dr. Nigel Dunnett
Episode #5: “Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx” Panel Session with New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Robert Bieder, Jon Beuttler, Jess Dannhauser, Javier Lopez and Steve Ritz
Episode #4: Keynote Address “CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility – The Who, What, Where, When and How” by Ralph Velasquez
Episode #3: “CDA Leads the Way for Incorporating Green Roof Space in an Airport Environment” by Rosemarie Andolino
Episode #2: “2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” by Haven Kiers and me
Episode #1: Opening Keynote Address “A New Place” by Charlie Miller

Check back next week on GreenroofsTV for our 9th installment from the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!

~ Linda V.

By Matt Burlin

I wanted to let everyone know about some recent opportunities within the City of Portland Ecoroof Program:

New Round of the Ecoroof Incentive

The next round of ecoroof incentives is now open, and the deadline for applications is December 1, 2011.  Nearly all roofs in Portland are eligible to receive up to $5 / per square foot for an ecoroof.  This is the seventh round of funding the incentive, and since 2008 the program has funded close to 150 projects across the City.  If you have a roof that might be a good candidate, please submit an application or contact us to discuss.

You can also visit our website, where we have amassed technical resources to help you, project reports from past incentives, and our ecoroof blog to keep you updated.  Learn more and download an application at www.portlandonline.com/bes/ecoroofincentives.

2011 Ecoroof Seminars

The City of Portland is again offering FREE technical workshops for anyone interested in learning more about ecoroofs in Portland.  There will be two separate one-day seminars: one for Professionals on December 6th and one for Property Owners on December 10th. Learn more and register here.

Please forward these opportunities to anyone that might be interested.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.

Thanks,

Matt Burlin
Outreach Coordinator
Sustainable Stormwater Management
City of Portland Environmental Services
1120 SW 5th Avenue, Suite 1000
Portland, Oregon 97204
voice: 503-823-7863
fax: 503-823-5344
matt.burlin@portlandoregon.gov
www.portlandonline.com/bes/ecoroof

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.

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 May 27, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli - click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for May 27th, 2011, on  GreenroofsTV.

- Project of the Week

-  Our project of the week is the Unilever Corporate Headquarters designed by HDR, Inc,  built in 2009 located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.  The greenroof project is a 16,000 sq ft membrane roof retrofit over a 4-story office building, and the existing roofs needed to be replaced because they were leaking and showing signs of deterioration. Unilever desired a roofing system with an enjoyable appearance, considering its high level of visibility from the next door conference room space.  A new ‘Hydrotech’ monolithic membrane system with an extensive ‘LiveRoof’ pre-vegetated tray system was used.  A large variety of 15 types of Sedum and one Delosperma was planted.  To learn more about the Unilever Corporate Headquarters greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New”

-  Joblinks:  Robert Ebl Inc is looking for a part-time Intern in the western suburbs of Chicago, IL.

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

-  Advertiser Press Release:  Thanks partly to Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, Local School and Students of The Kenton County School District in Kentucky have benefited from the state’s Largest Solar Electric Installation.

- LiveRoof and GreenFeathers, Inc. Announce Jenny Ruthven as the New Regional Sales Representative in the Pacific Northwest for the LiveRoof Hybrid Green Roof System.

-  Manufactured by VAST Enterprises, Firestone SkyPaver™ Composite Roof Pavers were Selected for Projects in Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio.

- Alumasc Provides ZinCo Green Roof for Pioneering Eco-Spa.

-  Make sure to read George Irwin’s latest article “The Next Add-On Service for Green Roofs and Green Walls” where you can read about his “take on the latest profitable service for landscape contractors, roof garden and green wall professionals and garden lovers alike.

-  Over at the Sky Gardens Blog, check out our new Guest Blog post by Matt Burlin, the Outreach Coordinator for Sustainable Stormwater Management with the City of Portland Environmental Services. He reminds us that June 1 is the deadline of the sixth round of the Ecoroof Incentive. Also see Linda’s latest posts for our GPW, the Unilever Corporate Headquarters, and last week’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV.

-  “Upcoming Events”

-  May 1st – July 31st: is the Integrated Habitat Design Competition (IHDC) 2011 in London, United Kingdom.

-  May 27th – 29th: is ROOF INDIA 2011 in Mumbai, India.

-  May 28th: is ARCSA’s 100-Level Workshop, Introduction to Rainwater Harvesting in Atlanta, Georgia.

-  Also May 28th: is the Call for Papers Deadline for the WGIN’s Internationals Green Technology Symposium 2011 in Indore, India.

-  May 28th – 30th: is Resilient Cities 2011 – World Congress on Cities & Adaptation to Climate Change in Bonn, Germany.

-  June 1st: is the Application deadline to submit projects to the City of Portland Green Roof Incentive program.

-  June 1st – 4th: is Growing Local – 19th Annual Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) in Madison, Wisconsin.

And also June 1st – 4th: is the Green Roof for Heathy Cities – Green Roof Boot Camp in Chicago, Illinois.

- For more Upcoming Events visit our homepage.

-  “In the News”

-  Lorna Thorpe of The Guardian talks about “British Land – offering urban shelter and habitats for insects and rare birds.” She says, “British Land won over the judges for its contribution to local biodiversity – urban habitats that provide shelter and foraging for insects, rare birds and plants in the heart of London.”   In one of the most effective ways to enhance biodiversity, British Land is setting the standard for biodiverse green roofs at many of its buildings; and over the past few years they have installed green roofs on all of its most recent office developments in central London, along with retrofitting them to some existing buildings.

-  Andrew Michler of Inhabitat.com says that “Green-Roofed Minneapolis Central Library is a Civic Lesson on Eco Design.” Minneapolis has one of the greenest libraries and the third largest library collection per capita in the US. The Minneapolis Central Library by Pelli Clark Pelli hosts a huge atrium that splits the building into layers of light-filled spaces to help encourage visitors to find a nice book and stay awhile. A series of greenroofs, advanced cooling and heating systems, and low-energy lights cuts the library’s energy use by nearly a third, teaching everyone by example exactly how deep green design benefits everyone.

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

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

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

-  This has been This Week in Review for May 27,  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.

By Matt Burlin

Portland is preparing for the deadline of the sixth round of the Ecoroof Incentive.  The City offers $5 per square foot of ecoroof (extensive green roofs) on all approved projects, and the next deadline is June 1, 2011.

Since 2008, the ecoroof incentive has been awarded to 125 projects for 8.3 acres.  In total there are close to 300 ecoroofs in Portland covering 14 acres, and 421 green roofs (extensive and intensive) totaling nearly 30 acres.  Here are a couple of Portland ecoroof incentive recipients:

On a smaller scale, the project above is a Portland State University Bike Shelter with a total of 1,120 ft² of ecoroof.

On a considerably larger scale, above you can see The Ramona – Affordable Housing in Northwest Portland with 31,000 ft².

The incentive round follows a successful month of March – designated ‘Ecoroof Month’ by Portland City Council.  One great outcome was the completion of ecoroof test plots designed for habitat and biodiversity, below:

The project evolved from discussions with Stephan Brenneisen during his visit in March, and the test plots were installed with the help of his colleague Raphael Schneider during April.

Finally, the Greenroof Information Think-tank, a network of businesses, organizations, and green roof professionals in the Pacific Northwest, has grown to 270 since 2009.  This past year, the group consulted with Gunderson Manufacturing in the design of a pilot habitat ecoroof on their industrial property in Northwest Portland, seen above.

~ Matt Burlin

Matt Burlin is the Outreach Coordinator for Sustainable Stormwater Management with the City of Portland Environmental Services (BES). Contact Matt at 503.823.7863 or his new email address: matt.burlin@portlandoregon.gov. Visit the City of Portland’s website for complete info. You can also stay up to date by liking their facebook page.

Since the 1990s, Portland, Oregon, has worked hard to earn its reputation as a sustainable building pioneer.  Very socially conscious, it’s also a very young city in terms of energy and spirit.  As the host of Ecoroof Portland 2010, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) does a great service to its citizens with this free yearly event with information and technical assistance about ecoroofs – other sponsors included ReDirect Guide, EcoMetro, KXL radio, KINK radio, Portland Business Journal, Left Bank Annex, and ecoShuttle.

A large number of BES staff was on hand to assist, but Matt ran the show.  Matt Burlin is the Outreach Coordinator, Sustainable Stormwater Management, City of Portland Environmental Services, and did an excellent job of organizing and coordinating everything!  Held at the Left Bank Annex close to the Rose Quarter, Ecoroof Portland was easily accessible by public transportation, and in fact, the city encouraged folks to do just that.  The industrial urban space venue was chock full of environmentally friendly features including great daylighting, recycling bins everywhere, and water conservation features in the restrooms.

The program provided options for all levels of sophistication – beginner, professional, researcher, and those who were ready to put an ecoroof on their own house or commercial structure.  Friday started out at a very civil 10:30, with ”An Introduction to Ecoroofs in Portland” given by Matt and Amy Chomowicz (also offered on Saturday morning).  Attendees heard about general ecoroof information – how they work, why they’re important, and what resources are available in Portland to help you get started on your own project to gain skills and experience in the industry.

 
The Vendor Fair was open at 10:00, and I was surprised to see how full both the intro session and exhibitor area was for a Friday morning.  We skipped the intro and perused the trade show on the main floor, mingling with old friends and meeting new ones.

These regional expos are so important for a variety of reasons, and it also gives us an opportunity to meet with local reps of some of our advertisers, too, and learn about business in their neck of the woods – we connected with “new” folks from Tremco, Tournesol Siteworks, American Hydrotech, Xero Flor America, GreenGrid, ILD, and Etera Green Roof Plants (Northwest Horticulture), below.

I was pleased that there was such a high number of professional firms exhibiting among the manufacturers and suppliers, for example landscape architects Lando & Associates Landscape Architecture(who have worked on many ecoroofs here including The Metro Headquarters Greenroof) and Walker Macy (who worked on the Platinum LEED OHSU CHH building, among others).  Architects, consultants, contractors, structural engineers, and researchers also had booths.

In addition to product and service vendors, non-profit organizations and community organizations were also here including the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities booth, which was manned by Patrick Carey, a trainer for all of the courses needed to get your GRP designation – the 101, 201, 301 and 401.

And it was great to see Ecoroofs Everywhere and meet Greg Haines, above left, after all these years (who used to work at BES, seen with Matt, right).  Greg has been installing ecoroofs in Portland since 2002 when he co-founded Ecoroofs Everywhere as a non-profit organization (since 2007 it has been a for-profit partnership).  Of course, the City of Portland had booths to answer questions about their Ecoroof Grant Program (they gave out beautiful posters) and WorkingGreenPortland.com, a website and tool to educate and motivate people about site specific stormwater management options, and city grants and incentives for each.

At noon, Environmental Services Director Dean Marriott welcomed everyone, gave us a quick update on the Ecoroof Grant program and introduced the keynote speaker, Ed Snodgrass.  Ed, in his usual laid back and affable way, presented “Ecosystem Services: How Ecoroofs Contribute to Sustainable Cities” sharing his thoughts on how greenroofs add benefits to our highly sealed urban areas by mimicking natural processes within the bigger picture.  He showed multiple examples of how the natural technologies of plants and soil protect the environment, economy, and equity in cities through connecting living roofs, rain gardens, porous paving/vegetated parking lots and other systems, while providing stormwater management, energy reduction, cooling properties, treatment of graywater and sewage, wildlife habitat and more – for example the corporate campus of Mercedes-Benz, below, a model of sustainability.

Next came current research and monitoring efforts specific to the area. Portland State University (PSU) graduate student Debbie Beck gave a presentation on “Greenroof Soil and Water Quality – Changes in Runoff Water Quality When Biochar is Mixed into a Greenroof Soil.”  Growing media needs to be designed to ensure low concentrations of nutrients in stormwater runoff; biochar is a soil amendment made from the pyrolysis of waste products, ranging from biomass to tires in a carbon-net-negative process.  It was evaluated for its ability to retain nutrients in greenroof soils, and Debbie also presented findings on its cleansing properties.

Tim Kurtz, PE, from the City of Portland BES talked about ”Stormwater Monitoring of Three Ecoroofs in Portland, Oregon” explaining that although ecoroofs have become a primary option for reducing roof runoff into sewers and streams, at present they’re all treated the same, regardless of growing media depth or composition.  Data was presented from the Hamilton Apartments, the Multnomah County Multnomah Building, and the Portland Building, above, to determine which greenroof design and maintenance variables are most important to maximize stormwater retention.

 And featured speaker Dr. David Sailor from PSU presented “Energy Performance of Ecoroofs – the Role of the Roof in Affecting Building Energy and the Urban Atmospheric Environment” – enlightening us how energy analysis of ecoroof performance requires sophisticated techniques and that complex energy balances on vegetative roofs vary from time of day and season to season.  Dr. Sailor concluded with his initial results of studies involving both greenroofs and photovoltaics, with a focus on potential system interactions and synergies.  His findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the two technologies working together – the plants fare better with some shading from the harsh sun and the panels perform better from a cooler rooftop.

“Portland’s Shift to a Sustainable Future: The Role of Ecoroofs” took over the late Friday afternoon session with an interactive panel featuring Dan Vizzini of City of Portland Environmental Services, Tom Puttman of David Evans and Associates, and Tom Liptan, ASLA, Ecoroof Technical Program Manager with BES.  Fourteen years after ecoroof guru Liptan installed his own atop his garage, the City continues to boost implementation of green infrastructure practices, including a target of 43 acres of ecoroofs by 2013. The panelists discussed their evolution from “grey to green” and how these changes will influence the fabric of their city.

At 6:00 pm the Vendor Fair was closed to the public, and the City provided a lovely reception for the exhibitors and speakers.  This casual gathering and networking opportunity was a great time just to relax a bit.  Matt and Linda Dobson (she manages BES’s Stormwater Team) welcomed Portland Mayor Sam Adams and it was easy to understand the city’s success with their ecoroof initiatives – you could feel the Mayor’s pride, commitment and passion for their projects and staff.  He extended an open invitation to all to embrace sustainable business practices and sustainable design, and let us know that the City was looking into funding low interest loans.  He also informed us that he was talking up the challenge to green his own garage roof, à la Tom Liptan!

Tom Liptan then introduced me in such a nice way, reminiscing about my student days at UGA and how I called him back in 1998 wanting to know all about his garage greenroof and what could we do to promote these earth-friendly roof covers.  I presented a short demo of The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database – how it began with my 1999 research study when I initially had about 30 case studies, to how it’s grown to 1,023 at the moment; why I felt the industry needed an open, free resource for compiling and maintaining a clearing house of sorts.

Ed was up next and Tom also shared his funny recollections of meeting him several years ago.  Ed showed some very unique and interesting” Greenroofs from Around the World” with a fast-paced show of his highlight reel.

Afterwards we were off to the richly decorated Alu Wine Bar for a glass of a spectacular local pinot noir (2007 Arterberry Maresh from Dundee Hills, OR) with a bevy of BES people.  From there Aramis, Ed and I met Patrick and Brian Heather, GRP, from SolTerra for dinner at the very funky and famous Cajun Montage – quite a noisy and fun local favorite!  Patrick and Brian have been collaborating on various projects in Portland and Seattle, and we topped the evening off with a visit to the mixed-use SolTerra offices to see some of their innovative handiwork.  SolTerra provides a variety of services and products for the solar, ecoroof, and living wall markets, and what we saw looked very impressive!

Tomorrow I’ll wrap up our visit and experiences at Ecoroof Portland 2010 ~ Linda V.