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.

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.

Greenroofs.com is once again a Media Sponsor for the 2010 World Green Roof Congress in London on September 15 and 16, 2010, and we’re excited about the impressive line-up of renowned, international speakers set to deliver an outstanding program addressing Green Roofs for a Changing Climate. 

Aramis and I made it to the inaugural Congress in 2008, but unfortunately, a heavy travelling schedule this year didn’t make it possible for us to attend.  Although we won’t have a booth at this year’s Congress, two of our Contributing Editors, Ed Snodgrass and Christine Thuring, will be in attendance.  Please find them to say hello; it’s great to meet face-to-face!

Ed Snodgrass will be speaking at 11:25 on Wednesday, September 15 when he’ll present “Green Roofs and Ecosystem Services – How plant and media choices can change our urban environment for the better.”

Keynote speakers include:
- Tom Liptan, City of Portland, Oregon, USA
- Ed Snodgrass, Green Roof Plants, USA
- Dusty Gedge, Livingroofs.org, UK
- Stephen Brenneisen, Zurich University of Applied Science, Switzerland
- Nigel Dunnett, University of Sheffield, UK

Be sure also to check out our latest guest feature article, Green Roofs for a Changing Climate – The 2nd London World Green Roof Congress, by Dusty Gedge, Director of Livingroofs.org.

Read more from the 2010 World Green Roof Congress organizers, our colleagues at CIRIA and Livingroofs.org.

Happy Greening in London and beyond!

~ Linda V.

Before the second day of Ecoroof Portland’s Vendor Fair and program sessions, Tom Liptan co-led an ecoroof tour starting at 8:30 a.m.  Along with Jason King of TERRA.fluxus, on March 13 the group was comfortably and efficiently transported by ecoShuttle around northeast Portland to see a variety of roofs, below.

The five sites visited on Saturday morning were the Metro Regional Headquarters Ecoroof and Yakuza Restaurant (above), K-4 Condominiums (left), and the O’Brien and Omey residences (below).

I’m sorry to say we just couldn’t make ourselves get up early enough to join in!  But our trusty friends Casey Cunningham at the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and Jason shared these photos with us (I hope to add/update these profiles soon to The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database) – by the way, Jason King is a very talented landscape architect here and has been involved with many ecoroof projects, including the Multnomah County Multnomah Building, top photo above.

After the 10:30 Intro to Portland Ecoroof session, Commissioner Dan Saltzman welcomed everyone and spoke about the City’s vision for a sustainable future and some of their ongoing projects.  Then I was introduced as the keynote speaker, sharing my presentation “Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design.”  A compilation of my favorites from the past three years of Haven Kiers, our Design Editor, and my Top 10 List of Hot Design Trends in Greenroof Design, I also added some outstanding projects that will make our Top 10 for 2010 (under construction), including this one below, the $90 million Oregon Sustainability Center, designed by Portland firms SERA Architects and GBD Architects:

Saturday’s first afternoon session was all about case studies – small and large, public and private.  Kevin Falkerson, AIA, and Kerrie Lee Cole, GRP, of SYMBIOS shared their experience of design-based solutions with the Salmon Creek School living roof, from concept through construction and follow-up.  The LEED Platinum Sonoma County, California environmental center has many eco-friendly features, offering the students of this K-8 grade school numerous opportunities for place-based learning – about the ecology of the natural site and the greenroof itself.

The semi-intensive roof sports a diverse palette of non-native and native sedums and succulents, accented with beautiful detail plantings including boulders and rocks.  See a photo gallery here.

Next up was the energetic Walt Quade, a general contractor with Cully Construction Co. (and Green Home Oregon), who built his own energy-conscious, partially underground home with a custom-designed 1,490 sf greenroof in north Portland.  He also started from research to conception through several design options, before deciding on the one that would best suit his family’s needs and desires.  Walt not only described the construction process step-by-step, he also provided insights on lessons learned.  His message was clear:  ecoroofs do not need to be a high cost item if you are knowledgeable about products, and they are not that difficult to execute – but you do need to know your limitations and hire professionals when necessary.  See his photo gallery here.

Karl Schultz from the Port of Portland followed with the new sustainable headquarters facility for the Port of Portland at PDX, Portland International Airport.  Situated in front of the terminal which is connected to the parking garage, the 10-floor LEED Gold-designed facility has extensive daylighting, high performance glazing, radiant heating and cooling ceiling, reflective membrane, and a Living Machine – an organic wastewater treatment system that treats wastewater onsite to be used in the building for non-potable uses.

The structure also features an intensive built in place greenroof on the 8th floor and the larger 10,000 sf LiveRoof modular greenroof on top of the 9th floor on the north side installed for rainwater treatment  – both incorporate “adaptive plant Micromist irrigation.”

The final session was the very interesting, informal, and lively ”The Ecoroof Doctors are IN” panel with Tom Liptan, Ed Snodgrass, Patrick Carey, Dave Elkin, and Alice Meyers from the BES Ecoroof Incentive Program.  They offered advice and fielded many questions from architects, homeowners, and designers about a ton of subjects – from which are the best plants to benefits of modular vs. built in place systems to construction details.

Earlier this year, March was declared “Ecoroof Portland” month by Mayor Adams, and the learning and fun didn’t stop with Ecoroof Portland 2010 - here are a few more opportunities to learn what they’re all about from sponsors the Portland Audubon Society, Urban Greenspaces Institute, and the City of Portland (check for space availability):

South Waterfront Ecoroof Tour, March 27th
Green Roofs and Living Walls for Wildlife, March 30th – with one of our perennial favorites, Brit Dusty Gedge of Livingroofs.org 
Downtown Ecoroof Tour, March 31st

We left Portland with a greater understanding of how City employees, from the Mayor to City Commissioners to everyone at BES, view their work.  I felt that the employee buy-in for eco-friendly stormwater management options for a cleaner and greener Portland is just amazing!  It was evident from everyone we met how much they loved their jobs and how strongly they felt that ecoroofs were a real solution.  They really impressed me with their friendliness, professionalism, and dedication – thanks for inviting me!

Oregon is a land of widely different people, places, and ecosystems, and the beautiful City of Roses is always a pleasure to visit.  The City of Portland serves as a shining example to the rest of the U.S. on how municipal government can really work effectively for and with their people to promote healthy, sustainable development.  Ecoroof Portland is a win-win event for everyone here – the citizens, the City employees, and as a result from all the support and financial incentives, the local environment as well.  Stay in touch by visiting the City’s BES website.

~ Linda V.

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.

Known as “The Rose City” for its famous yearly Rose Festival and The Grand Floral Parade in early June, Portland Oregon could also be easily known as “The Eco City” or perhaps even “The Green City” because of their ongoing commitment to preserving their magnificent waterways and forests while promoting sustainable design and development through progressive urban policies and public outreach.  The last time we were there was for the 2nd Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards & Trade Show in 2004.  And we spent some time here in late 2003 when I was compiling info for my Sky Gardens ~ Travels in Landscape Architecture column on the area.  Such a beautiful city!

On March 12-13, the lovely City of Portland will be sponsor and host to their annual free Ecoroof Portland.  What an amazing city for supporting greenroofs – or ecoroofs, as they refer to them here.  Currently with about 200 projects within the city, ecoroofs cover about 10 acres, leading the U.S. in total area greened after Chicago.  And they were one of the first, if not the first, municipality in the nation to offer incentives.  As part of the Grey to Green Initiative, the City of Portland is offering an incentive of up to $5 per square foot for ecoroofs towards a target of 43 additional acres by 2013.  In the past year, the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) awarded the incentive to 50 projects for a total of over 4 acres.  Read more in Industry Support and the City’s Incentive Project Page for more information. You can visit ecoroofs and other sustainable stormwater projects in Portland with these self-guided tours, and the City maintains an Ecoroof Blog, which is very informative, too!

The premier champion there of stormwater mitigation, and ecoroofs in particular, is Tom Liptan, ASLA.  I’ve known Tom for over 12 years, when I first contacted him about greenroofs back when I was a landscape architecture student at UGA a had “discovered” them myself.  Gracious, kind, and accommodating, he nurtured and fueled my passion for this earth-friendly sustainable technology.  And Tom has always put his money where his mouth is – he installed one of the first ecoroofs in Portland atop his garage in 1996.  The now famous Liptan Garage Greenroof served as early a demonstration project and testing grounds for a variety of factors – read more in the profile.

Designed to inform a varied audience of professionals and homeowners, the lineup of speakers will educate and inspire you to consider a greenroof on your next project.  A Vendor Fair with over 60 professionals and organizations will be on-hand both days to share their ecoroof experience, products, and services.  Featured speakers include Dr. David J. Sailor, Ed Snodgrass, and me!  Dr. Sailor is a full professor at the Mechanical and Materials Engineering faculty at Portland State University, Member Faculty of the Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST), and directs Portland State University’s Green Building Research Laboratory.  Ed Snodgrass is co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants, a fifth generation farmer and nurseryman specializing in plants and horticultural consulting for greenroofs.  An accomplished speaker and writer (“Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide”), he’s also our Plant Editor who writes his occasional column “Ask Ed“  – read my “From Llamas to Greenroofs: An Interview with Ed Snodgrass.”  See full profiles here and a complete list of all the speakers and Agenda here.

See Ed on Friday at 12:00 pm at the Welcome and Keynote Address where Environmental Services Director Dean Marriott will welcome attendees and introduce Ed as the Keynote Speaker.  His presentation will focus on the role of ecoroofs in sustainable cities.  On Saturday at noon, Commissioner Dan Saltzman will welcome attendees and introduce me – I will be presenting “Hot Trends in Greenroof Design,” a compilation of my favorite international projects from our Top 10 Lists from the past with a look at some of the new, innovative, leading vanguard and projects for 2010.  On Saturday at 4:00 pm Ed will be part of a panel where you can get some help getting started on your own ecoroof project – “The Ecoroof Doctors are IN,” along with Tom Liptan, David Elkin, and Alice Meyers from BES, and Patrick Carey of hadj design, a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities trainer, and our Architecture Editor.  Patrick writes an occasional architectural column entitled “A View from the Sky Trenches,” where he selects and discusses pertinent greenroof industry topics.

Don’t miss Ecoroof Portland!  It will run on Friday and Saturday, March 12 & 13, 2010 at the Leftbank Annex, located at 101 N. Weidler St in downtown Portland.  It’s very close to the Rose Quarter – you can find directions by clicking the following link.  Learn all about Ecoroof Portland 2010 at the City’s BES website.

If you can attend, please stop by and say hello!  Happy greening,

~ Linda V.