Guest Editor Columns

About the Contributing Editors:

Ed Snodgrass is the Plant Editor. He writes an occasional Q & A column entitled "Ask Ed" where he answers your plant and horticulture questions, and also contributes an occasional Plant Feature, which highlights a particularly interesting and useful greenroof plant.

Ed is a Horticultural Consultant and co-owns and operates Emory Knoll Farms, a perennial nursery specializing in green roof plants, currently stocking over 100 varieties and providing over 2 million sf of planted roofs. Ed, along with Lucie Snodgrass, is co-author of Green Roof Plants, A Planting and Resource Guide, published by Timber Press, 2006. Located in Street, Maryland, Ed lives as lightly on the Earth as he can with his wife.

Christine Thuring is the Student Editor and wants to improve The Students page and get students more active on The Student Forum! Sign up for her Student Forum Ramblings Newsletter entitled "Students on Green Roofs" and read her inaugural June 2004 Student Guest Feature.

Christine graduated in Spring 2005 with a MSc from Penn State's Department of Horticulture's Centre for Green Roof Research. Her project studied the effect of different medium depths on plant performance, seeking a balance between depth and effective green roof function (stormwater retention, persistent plant community). Christine is a citizen of the world.

Kelly Luckett, LEED AP, is “The Green Roof Guy.” He fine-tuned his editorial focus and inaugurated his new column of the same name in April, 2008. Formerly “The Roving Exhibitor,” he wrote about his experiences at green building conferences as president of Green Roof Blocks and St. Louis Metalworks Company. They manufacture various modular green roof products and accessories. As president of both, he still is a frequent trade show exhibitor at greenroof and green building conferences, workshops & seminars - but Kelly also roves around the country attending ASTM, GRHC and other roofing and greenroof related organization meetings, and has become a central figure here.

Look for this column about his experiences and impressions within the greenroof industry as just a regular (green)roofing guy from St. Louis, Missouri, where Kelly lives with his wife, son and daughter. So read his column to stay up to date within the greenroof industry!

Ralph Velasquez is the Sustainable Roofing Technologies Editor. He changed his editorial focus and inaugurated his new column "Sustainable Roofing" in April, 2008. Previously, you knew him as the ASTM Editor. He wrote a quarterly "ASTM Update" as a member of the American Society for the Testing of Materials Green Roof Task Force (E.06.71.07), part of the sub-committee for Sustainability (E.06.71), which in turn is part of the committee for Performance of Buildings (E.06).

Ralph is Director, Sustainable Technologies Group with Tremco Inc., heading up their new program for sustainable roofing, waterproofing and building envelope solutions, including green roofs, photovoltaics (incl. BIPV), cool roofing and bio-based materials. Ralph lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife.

PKC of hadj design & the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

Patrick Carey is the Architecture Editor. He writes an occasional architectural column entitled "A View from the Sky Trenches," where he selects and discusses pertinent greenroof industry topics.

Patrick has a degree in architecture and lives in Seattle, WA, principal of hadj design, a green roof design-build company. Patrick is also director of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild's Green Roof Project. PKC is also a trainer for the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Green Roof 101, 201, & 301 Courses.

Haven Kiers is the Design Editor. She writes an occasional column entitled "Chic Sustainability," and co-writes and co-presents the "Top Ten List of Hot Trends in Greenroof Design" series. She feels the "Greenroof challenge lies in finding the right balance between idealistic principles and cutting edge design."

Haven is a new Mom and lives and works as a landscape architect in CA, with Mono County with her husband and baby girl. Haven designs and presents nationally about greenroofs, and is also a trainer for the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Green Roof 101 & 201 Courses.

Dr. Bill Retzlaff is the G.R.E.E.N. Editor. He writes a bi-annual column entitled "The G.R.E.E.N. Research Report." Dr. Retzlaff is the research coordinator of the St. Louis metropolitan area research collaboration G.R.E.E.N. - Green Roof Environmental Evaluation Network - between Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUe), Green Roof Blocks, Jost Greenhouses, Midwest Trading and Horticultural Supplies, Inc., Midwest Groundcovers, JDR Enterprises, Emory Knoll Farms, Garick, The Gaia Institute, and Greenroofs.com.

Bill Retzlaff, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences Program at SIUe, and lives in Edwardsville, Illinois with his wife.

George Irwin

George Irwin is the Green Wall Editor. George is President and CEO of Green Living Technologies, LLC, a company that manufactures and designs Green Living™ Walls & Green Living™ Roofs in addition to other Green Living™ Accessories. He is also a trainer for the GRHC Green Walls 101 and contributes to the GRHC Green Wall Committee. George also is the moderator for the Greenroofs.com Green Walls Forum & oversees additional green wall research with various higher educational facilities in the U.S.

George lives in Rochester, New York with his wife, son and daughter. In his spare time he is still an avid gardener he also enjoys travel and lecturing.

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