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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 November 18th, 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 November 18th on  GreenroofsTV.

–  Project of the Week

–   Our project of the week is the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Rooftop Healing Gardens built in 2010 in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. The 90,000 sf LEED-Gold certified facility has other sustainable building elements besides the “wellness” area rooftop garden, including an array of over 200 solar photovoltaic panels that provide the hospital with 45 kilowatts of power and a Connection to the Natural World, Places of Healing and Respite. “Martha’s Vineyard Hospital was able to meet this innovative credit by incorporating many Planetree patient-focused elements into the new facility that enhanced patient healing; including views, natural light, privacy, and access to healing gardens.” Weston Solutions’ Northeast GreenGrid team provided a plant mix including grasses, perennials, and sedums that are proven to be reliable in the Northeast climate and that bloom at various times during the season, creating an always welcoming space for hospital visitors, patients, and staff.

To learn more about the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Rooftop Healing Gardens, click on our project of the week photo on our  homepage.

“What’s New“

–   Our new 2012 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ 12 Month Wall Calendar will be available soon for purchase, so check back and get a fun gift for you, your family, friends, staff and clients!

Industry News Update

–   The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) just released a new report, “Rooftops to Rivers II: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows.” It looks at 14 cities that are choosing to use green infrastructure as a cost-effective means to reduce the flooding and water pollution caused by both extreme and everyday storms.

–   Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: November 4, 2011,” “This Week in Review” for October 28th, 2011 and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

–   November 16th-23rd: Dusty Gedge will have Living Roofs Presentations & Workshops in various locations in New Zealand.

–   November 28th-December 9th: is a Conference of the Parties COP17 2011 Climate Summit in Durban, South Africa.

–   November 30th: is a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Green Roof Professional Exam in Philadelphia, PA.

–   November 30th-December 1st: is the GOVGREEN Conference and Exposition in Washington, DC.

–   November 30th-December 3rd: is the CitiesAlive 2011 9th Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Greenroofs.com will be there – will you?   Linda and Haven Kiers will be presenting their Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design on Friday, December 2, so don’t miss it!

–   And December 1st: is a Green Wall and Roof Forum by Green Living Technologies in Philadelphia, PA.

– “In the News“

–   Gail Johnson of Globe and Mail, talks about how it’s “Easy to be green when your roof saves you money” in Port Coquitlam, Canada. She says, “Thousands of hand-planted sedums and succulents cover the roofs of Walmart and Canadian Tire, anchor tenants at the Onni Group’s Fremont Village shopping centre.” The newly opened outlets abide by the Canadian bylaw that requires buildings of more than 5,000 square meters to use greenroof technology. Mayor Greg Moore realizes that there was some resistance from developers to the city’s new sustainability initiative but the shift to green roofs is a sign of things to come. Developers are now expressing interest in using environmentally sound technology in smaller structures as well. We know that greenroofs help reduce stormwater run off and help offset the urban heat-island effect which they can do through daily dew and evaporation cycles, allowing plants to cool cities during hot weather. Energy savings continue throughout the life of the building, which typically would be twice as long as a traditional roof.

 

–   Craig Welch of The Seattle Times, reports on “Vancouver, BC, works to be greenest of all.” Vancouver has announced its desire to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. Welch says, “The city is moving to reduce solid waste by 50 percent, cut residents’ carbon footprints by a third and dramatically increase public transit, walking and bike use. It is packing citizens in more densely, trying to encourage more locals to grow food and generally urging lighter living on the land.” One example of how the city is striving to be the greenest is in its drive to substantially cut the waste it sends to landfills. Canada is increasingly making industries take responsibility for disposal of the products they sell, which means that citizens can drop unwanted goods off at facilities paid for by their manufacturers. Vancouver has already achieved success as it continues to get attention from around the world for its efforts to be an eco-leader; and it is inspiring a new generation of innovators.

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 November 18th, 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.

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 November 11th, 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 November 11th on  GreenroofsTV.

–  Project of the Week

–   Our project of the week is the Master Builders Association Durban, Westville greenroof built in 2010 in Durban, South Africa. The Master Builders Centre was built in 1982 as a commercial building comprising about 3600 square meters of commercial space. Some of the finishes on the building were becoming old and unsightly, also the exhibition space had lost popularity, so it was time re-look at the utilization of this space and introduce new activities that would not only add beauty to the building, but also add energy savings. The greenroof is mainly comprised of indigenous plants, which require minimal water, are able to propagate themselves, and are less susceptible to pest outbreaks and harsh climates. Also, the green roof increases the vegetation on the property, promotes biodiversity and reduces the rate and volume of stormwater discharge. The roof podium area was planted with two separate systems designed by Green Roof Designs cc, one half using recyclable HDPE green roof modules and the other half using treated softwood timber boxes, which were constructed using both local timber source providers and workers from the area.

To learn more about the Master Builders Association Durban, Westville greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our  homepage.

“What’s New“

–   We’d like to welcome Kawasaki Greenhouses, a supplier of plants and pre-vegetated mats in East Moriches, New York as a new Greenroof Directory advertiser.

Advertiser Press Releases:

–  LiveRoof ® Hybrid Green Roof System Takes Home a Readers’ Choice Award From Greenbuild.

–  American Hydrotech promotes Kevin Serena to Garden Roof Technical Sales Coordinator.

–   Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: November 4, 2011,” “This Week in Review” for October 28th, 2011 and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

–  We’d like to say Happy Veterans Day to those of you in the United States and Happy Remembrance Day to our Commonwealth and other friends from across the world!

–   This weekend, November 12th-13th: is Green Festival – A Joint project of Global exchange & Green America in San Francisco, CA.

– November 16th: is Vegetative Roofs – Making Buildings Come Alive Seminar, NCBE Construction Training Center, in Santa Rosa, CA. This educational seminar on vegetative building systems as an effective strategy towards meeting green building requirements is presented by Kevin S. Falkerson and Kerrie Lee Cole of SYMBIOS and our own Design Editor, Haven Kiers.

–   November 16th-18th: is Build Boston 2011, Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA.

–   And November 18th: is Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Integrated Water Management for Buildings and Sites in Toronto, Canada.

– “In the News“

–   Brian Cross of the Windsor Star, says “U of W building to impress.” The $112 million Centre for Engineering Innovation is pretty impressive already with its greenroof and living wall but Phase 2 will add 75 foot long wood beams in the ceiling of a four-story atrium. The first phase was completed in the summer and has faculty and students working in research labs. The second phase has three art lecture halls, innovative heating and cooling systems and a rooftop that will become “an academic oasis.” The 10,300 sq ft green roof will be used as a park where students and faculty could eat lunch or relax between classes, and also some students will be studying how much water the roof will divert from storm sewers. Mark Beaulieu, a principal from the architectural firm overseeing the project, says, “I think this will be the greatest learning tool on campus…the building itself is Construction 101, 102, and 103. Structural, mechanical, electrical, the pneumatics of a building, it’s all going to be there to see.”

–   Julia Flynn Siler of the Wall Street Journal, talks about “The Green Man Whose Gardens Defy Gravity.” Have you ever wanted to learn more about the personal side of Patrick Blanc, the Internationally-known French botanist and inventor of the vertical garden? Well, Siler has written an article all about him: from how he starts his day, “often with a glass of white wine or champagne,” to other daily activities like experimenting with plants and vertical systems in his home and drawing sketches about whatever project he is currently working on. Right now he is involved with a private San Francisco high school garden, which is his largest garden in the United States, using more than 4,500 plants. Drew School, in the lower Pacific Heights area, has only California native plants in its garden and small orange-red blossoms are starting to peep through the foliage. You can read more about this vertical garden, how “The Green Man” grew up with his love and inspiration of nature, and an exclusive Wall Street Video at the full article online.

Of course, if you attended our inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™  Virtual Summit, you had the opportunity to see a rare 30 minute interview with Patrick by Linda Velazquez.

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 November 11th, 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.

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 November 4th, 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 November 4th on  GreenroofsTV.

–  Project of the Week

– Our project of the week is the  Cuartel de Ballajá Greenroof built in 2011 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Ballajá Infantry Barracks Building was constructed by the Spanish army between 1854 and 1864 and is one of the most impressive structures made by Spain in the New World. Used until 1898 as infantry barracks and permanent housing for approximately a thousand soldiers, it consisted of rooms for officers, solders and their families, storage, kitchens, dining rooms, jail cells and stables for horses. Today, the Ballajá Barracks houses several educational and cultural organizations, namely the Museo de Las Américas, on the second floor of the building since 1992.

The extensive  rooflite ® green roof was part of several “green intervention” projects done to the barracks, including a 151.2 KW PV system with 720 solar panels. Completed less than a month ago, the new 24,000 sf green roof was designed by the architect Edmundo Colon with the help of GRP David Aponte. The green roof also has greenwalls and an artificial wetland built to manage higher roof storm water amounts, which is used on a needed basis as the supplemental irrigation system.

– To learn more about the Cuartel de Ballajá, click on our project of the week photo on our  homepage.

“What’s New“

– Over at Sky Gardens, read Linda’s latest posts, “CITYGREEN’s Latest Issue is Available: Parks – Enhancing Liveability in Cities“ and our GPW.

Advertiser Press Releases:

–  Innovations to GreenGrid Green Roof Take Stormwater Retention to a New Level.

– Guernsey Residents Enjoy Alumasc’s ZinCo Green Roof.

– Sika Sarnafil Roof Recycling Program Recognized by Society of Plastics Engineer.

– Nathan Phillips Square Wins 2011 Award of Excellence – LiveRoof ® Hybrid Green Roof System Supports Transformation in Front of Toronto’s City Hall.

Industry News Update

– EPA announced a commitment to using an integrated planning process to help local governments.

– “Upcoming Events“

–  November 5th: is the Fall Garden and Home Festival in El Cajon, California.

– November 8th-9th: is the 3rd Annual Retrofitting & Planning Sustainable Suburbs Summit in Toronto, Canada.

– November 9th-12th: is the Greening Cities Conference in Sydney, Australia.

– Also November 9th-12th: is GREEN CITIES at National League of Cities’ Congress of Cities & Exposition in Phoenix, Arizona.

– And on November 11th: is Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Green Infrastructure: Policies, Performance and Projects in New York, New York.

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

– Joe Eaton of theSF Gate  says “California Academy of Sciences’ roof is thriving.” The academy’s roof is planted with beach strawberry, bush monkeyflower, and many other species of herbs, shrubs, annuals, perennials, grasses, succulents, and ferns. One “success story” was self-heal, prunella, a purple-flowered mint herb, Frank Almeda, California Academy of Science’s senior curator, said “bumblebees just love it.” Also loving the roof are butterflies, they are really happy with the tall yellow-blossomed Hooker’s evening primrose.

Part of the roof’s message is that a plant and animal partnership is very important. Almeda said, “it’s important to learn that plants don’t just make it on their own…they have a long evolutionary partnership with pollinators.” The roof attracts insects and other creatures like bumblebees and honeybees, white and West Coast lady butterflies, and even a red-tailed hawk. Human visitors love the roof, too – and you can learn more when you take a tour.

– Emma Dutton and Bethany Leggett of Medill Reports: Chicago, report on “Indoor harvest of fresh produce part of new green arrivals at O’Hare.” They say “the latest modernization at O’Hare International Airport includes an aeroponic vegetable, herb and edible flower garden.” Some of the restaurants are using lettuce, cilantro and basil grown from the 26 vertical columns inside the airport.

Tim Blank, founder and president of Orlando-based Future Growing, designed the aeroponic garden for O’Hare and said, “in this particular case, we’re growing all this food crop right here from farm to table. So we’re bypassing the transportation and the chilling and all those components that create a huge carbon footprint to the plant. Water is one of the number one issues that we’re dealing with in this country. There is a water crisis, especially out West where most of this food is grown.” The indoor garden is one of the latest green initiatives by the Chicago Department of Aviation to increase the sustainability of Chicago airports, showcased at the fourth annual Airports Going Green Conference.

By the way, the O’Hare Aeroponic Garden is featured in the Greenroofs.com 2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design.  If you missed our inaugural Virtual Summit, the next time you can see Linda and Haven’s Top 10 presentation will be next month in Philadelphia for the 9th annual Cities Alive Green Roof & Wall Conference!

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 November 4th, 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.

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 October 28th  and 21st, 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 October 28th, 2011 as well as last week, October 21st  on GreenroofsTV.

–  Projects of the Week

–   Our project of the week is the PECO Main Office Building built in 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The rooftop garden, on the top of an eight-story section of the building, holds growing media up to 8 inches thick, and the vegetative covering will reduce rainwater runoff by up to 70 percent and provide better insulation. With an anticipated investment of $15.3 million, the initiative also includes the opening of PECO’s first green building in West Chester, replacement of the landmark Crown Lights messaging system atop the company’s Center City headquarters, energy efficiency upgrades at many of the company’s offices and service centers across the region to comply with LEED certification, as well as community and customer support for energy efficiency and environmental benefits. Mayor Michael Nutter has recognized the roof as a step forward in his quest to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America. In the effort to encourage a critical mass of enlightened Philadelphians to support the development of urban roof top landscapes, the PECO green roof is proving to be a key player. Roofmeadow and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society closely track the native plants to identify those that are best able to endure the harsh conditions of a windy, riverside rooftop.

– To learn more about the PECO Main Office Building  greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

– Our project of the week last week was the Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Vertical Extensive Green Wall Testing Facility built in 2009 in Singapore. The Landscape Design and Horticulture programme from the School of Life Sciences and Chemical Technology at the college embarked to develop simpler green walls for high rise buildings where 90% of residences are dwellers. Then they evaluated shallow rooted plant species for their growth habit, disease susceptibility, nutrient deficiencies and maintenance requirements. The 2-year research on sustainable plant species for the green wall involved 40 students from the Landscape Design and Horticulture programme and the outcome was a 12m x 2.5m vertical extensive green system uniquely designed for the climate in Singapore.

– And to learn more about the Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Vertical Extensive Green Wall Testing Facility, search project id number “1330” in our Projects Database and/or check out Linda’s blog post about it at Sky Gardens.

“What’s New“

– Industry News Update

-The next round of ecoroof incentives is now open & the City of Portland is again offering FREE technical workshops.

– Green Roofs for Healthy Cities’ Awards of Excellence Winners Announced – congratulations to all the great projects and winners, in particular to one of our Contributing Editors, Patrick Carey of hadj Design as the Green Roof Designer, who won in the Green Roof Extensive Residential category for the Hood Canal Project, a private residence in Quilcene, WA.  The greenroof on this coastal residence is a perfect example of a small-scale project with an even smaller development impact.

– The EPA asked ASLA to collect case studies on projects that successfully and sustainably manage stormwater. ASLA members responded with 479 case studies from 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada – by the way, one of the projects where Linda was the greenroof design consultant is included – Rock Mill Park in Alpharetta, Georgia.

– The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection reached a draft agreement to reduce combined sewer overflows into area water bodies. The agreement modifies New York City’s approach to improving harbor water quality, under which the city will invest an estimated $187 million in green infrastructure projects by 2015, part of a planned $2.4 billion public and private investment over the next 20 years.

– Guest Feature

Read “Welcome to the 9th Annual CitiesAlive Green Roof and Wall Conference: Restoring Urban Water: Philadelphia Takes the Lead“ by Steven Peck.

-Contributing Editor

– Also, read Christine Thuring‘s latest article “GREEN ROOFS ON THE CURVE Virtual Conferencing: WOW it’s NOW!“

Advertiser Press Release:

– LiveRoof ® Hybrid Green Roof System Selected for Five New Green Roof Projects in North Carolina.

– Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Vote for Colombian Greenroofs in “˜Innovadores de America’ – Innovators of America by November 7!,” “GreenRoofs in Australasia’s Greening Cities Conference 2011 in Sydney,” “Are You Going to the International Green Technology Symposium in India?,” “Fall 2011 Portland Ecoroof Opportunities,” “GREEN ROOFS ON THE CURVE 2011,” “Watch the Highlights Video of the ,” “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: October 14th, 2011,” and our GPWs  for the  PECO Main Office Building and  Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Vertical Extensive Green Wall Testing Facility.

– “Upcoming Events“

– Today is the last day to participate in our Archived Mode of the  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011, so be sure to watch whatever video you haven’t watched yet or you’d like to watch again as well as download info from our sponsors Tremco and American Hydrotech and all of the exhibitors and associates!

– October 26th-29th: is the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association Conference Rosemont, Illinois.

– October 28th-30th: is a Green Living Technologies – Green Roof/Green Wall Installer and Maintenance Technician Certification Training in Penfield, New York.

– October 29th-30th: is a Green Roofs Course, Brighton Permaculture Trust in Brighton, United Kingdom.

– October 30th-November 2nd: is the ASLA 2011 Annual Meeting & EXPO in San Diego, California.

– October 31st-November 2nd: is WGIN’s International Green Technology Symposium 2011 in Indore, India.

– November 3rd-6th: is a GRHC Green Roof Boot Camp in San Francisco, California and on the 4th, there’s a GRHC Advanced Green Roof Maintenance in Chicago, Illinois.

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

– Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announces that the “Tamachi Building Co. Invites Kindergarten Children to Potato Dig At Company’s Rooftop Garden.” They are offering a fun learning opportunity about the environment as a corporate social responsibility activity. They say, “Within the rooftop garden, a 21.5 square meter vegetable garden has been used for potato cultivation. Sweet potato was selected for planting because during the summer season it offers a high green coverage ratio, thereby providing excellent heat insulation; also, sweet potatoes offer good opportunities for children to dig and taste. The remainder of the garden is being utilized primarily for planting grass, flowers and evergreens.”

–  AnnMarie Costella of the Queens Chronicle, reports on “Queens gets a bit cooler with another green roof.” She says the “Jamaica Wastewater Treatment Plant is [the] latest location [to] be outfitted.” A variety of large and small flowering plants have been planted on this 6,000 square foot building, which will be able to absorb up to 13,000 gallons of rainwater and lessen the amount that gets dumped into the sewer system that leads to the Jamaica Bay. This green roof is part of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan, which calls for $2.4 billion worth of green projects over the next 20 years in order to reduce combined sewer overflows and increase buildings’ absorption of ultraviolet light. Green roofs also improve insulation, interior cooling and energy efficiency.

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 October 28th and 21st, 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.

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 October 14th, 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 October 14th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

–  Project of the Week

– Our project of the week is the Glendale Country Club built in 2010 in Bellevue, Washington. The spectacular 18-hole championship golf course is situated on 148 acres and “was one of the first Washington courses to complete the rigorous Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses in 1998 and has maintained certification ever since.” The country club needed repairs due to water damage at structural beams and posts and installed the colorful 4,000-square-foot green roof over the pro shop and a high-performing metal roof replaced the worn shingles on the clubhouse. Both roofs are low maintenance and offer heating and cooling energy savings. The flowers change with the flow of the seasons and with some gardening, the green roof looks good all year long.

– To learn more about the Glendale Country Club greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New“

Our  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Highlights Video is out!  So, check out a glimpse of what you would see in our virtual environment and sign-up today.  You can still register, all the way up until October 28th, and have access to the expo and our amazing speakers!

Advertiser Press Releases:

–  Foodlink/Freshwise Farms partner with Green Living Technologies International for certification program.

– Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: October 7, 2011“ and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

– October 17th-18th: is the Green California Community Colleges Summit & Green California Schools Summit in Pasadena, CA.

– October 17th-21st: is Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas, TX.

– And October 20th: is the Green Roof Market Development Symposium in Cincinnati, OH.

– Until October 28th: All of the content from our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design is still very much live, so you can access it all on demand and tell your friends and colleagues to continue to register!  You can even continue to chat live while in the virtual environment via video, audio, or text through October 28!

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–  Shannon Wells of the Portland Tribune reports on “Another Oregon first: eco-friendly gas station.”  Bob Barman has remolded his Highland Chevron Station and Extra Mile at Murray and Allen boulevards to include a green roof, geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, LED lights and a free charging station for electric vehicles.  Barman says that he’d “learned that all the runoff from streets and parking lots would run into Oswego Lake, causing algae growth and all kinds of environmental problems,” and also that he had thought about greening for over a decade.  “Financially it makes sense, but it’s also the right thing to do,” he says. Barman is sure that his green investments will pay off and in return, be reflected in his gasoline prices.  Barman’s electric bill was zero dollars in his first two weeks of going green.  Everyone should get their gas at his station, he’ll always have the best prices if he never has an energy bill!

– Tara MacIsaac of The Epoch Times says to “Insert Green Space Here.”  An arrow on Garrison Avenue and Barretto Street in the Bronx points to a green roof that was stalled due to lack of funding atop the Point Community Development Corporation building.  Local artist Eve Mosher thought a way to make climate changes simple by designing a big yellow arrow with the big black words “Insert ___ Here” printed across it, so that everyone in the city could fill in the blank with their green solutions.  Arrows suggesting “Insert Clean Air Here,” “Insert Bike Lane Here,” Insert Garden/Compost Site Here,” are popping up all around the city.  Mosher says, “art can translate complex ideas into more simple ideas. It’s looking at a complex issue and highlighting simple solutions.”  For more information or anyone interested in putting up a yellow arrow of their own can go to earth.350.org to get started.

– 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 October 14th,  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.

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 October 7th, 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 October 7th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV. We’ve been so extremely busy with our inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011, that we haven’t been able to have a This Week in Review for a few weeks, so allow me to catch you up with what’s been going on here at Greenroofs.com.

–  Project of the Week

– Our project of the week is Harvard Graduate Student Housing at 29 Garden Street built in 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The former police station from the 1920s was renovated in 2003 with the greenroof installed the following year.  The six-story complex has 75 apartments for the graduate students and “the garden courtyard provides a beautiful outdoor amenity space for residents and has made this housing building one of the most popular places to live on campus.”  The American Hydrotech project profile states, “The once unsightly rooftop is now a 10,000 square foot Garden Roof ® providing pleasing views and helping to add a sense of place and community for the graduate student residents there.  The Garden Roof will significantly increase the life expectancy of the roof and is also helping to control stormwater runoff.”  The rooftop plantings include a mix of succulents, sedums and delosperma, drought tolerant varieties that are perfect for Boston temperatures.

– To learn more about the Harvard Graduate Student Housing at 29 Garden Street, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.  Also, to learn about our projects of the week for the past few weeks, you can go to the Sky Gardens Blog and read Linda’s posts about each one.  Or, go to our Projects Database and search project ID number “825” for the World Expo Zaragoza 2008/Zentro Expo Zaragoza greenroof from ZinCo, project ID number “553” for the Musée du quai Branly green wall by Patrick Blanc, and project ID number “996” for the Casa Feliz Studios greenroof from Tremco.

“What’s New“

Advertiser Press Releases:

–  Industry News

–  According to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the City of Toronto’s award winning Green Roof Bylaw has already resulted in more than 1.2 million square feet of new green space planned on new commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential developments across the City.

– Smart Growth America – Through a grant from the U.S. EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities’ Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, Smart Growth America is pleased to offer free technical assistance to help communities implement smart growth strategies to build stronger economies while protecting human health and the environment.

– American Rivers – Want to create 1.9 million American jobs and add $265 billion to the economy? Upgrade our water infrastructure. That’s the message of Water Works: Rebuilding Infrastructure, Creating Jobs, Greening the Environment, a report by Green For All, in partnership with American Rivers, Pacific Institute, and the Economic Policy Institute. The report looks at an investment of $188.4 billion in water infrastructure””the amount the EPA indicates would be required to manage stormwater and preserve water quality. That investment would inject a quarter of a trillion dollars into the economy, create nearly 1.3 million direct and indirect jobs and result in 568,000 additional jobs from increased spending.

–    Joblinks:  C. M. Hobbs has a job opening for a Grower/Plant Propagator on the west side of Indianapolis, IN, USA.

– Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenbuild and Greenroofs in Toronto!,” our GPWs for the last few weeks, “Thank You to Our Sponsors and the Winner of the 2nd iPad2 at the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 is…,” along with other Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 related posts, “Notre Voyage Fantastique: Chicago & Patrick Blanc“ by Linda and Caroline Menetre, “Remembering and Rebuilding: Ten Years After 9/11,” and “Greenroofs.com’s This Week in Review” on GreenroofsTV: September 9, 2011.”

– “Upcoming Events“

– Until October 28th: All of the content from our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design is still very much live, so you can access it all on demand and tell your friends and colleagues to continue to register!  You can even continue to chat live while in the virtual environment via video, audio, or text through October 28!

– October 1st-23rd: Leverage – Strengthening Neighborhoods through Design Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA.

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–  Roberta Cruger of Treehugger reports on “The 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s Focus on Sustainable Design.” She says “From a green roof to locally harvested trees, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum opens on the 10th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center with a dedication and much media coverage of every angle, including Steven Spielberg’s The Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero.” A grove of more than 400 swamp white oak trees, all harvested from within a 500-mile radius of the World Trade Center, on the Plaza act as a beautiful green roof for the 9/11 Memorial museum, the train station and other facilities 70-feet below street level. These trees are meant to represent the renewal of life in their natural cycles. The irrigation system includes stormwater capture in underground storage tanks to save energy and resources and the site is seeking LEED gold certification.

– The San Francisco Chronicle announces that “Academy of Sciences [is] honored with another green building award.” The say “everyone’s favorite combination of aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum has received a second Platinum rating from the council’s LEED program.” And this one’s for operations and maintenance. The extensive vegetation on the living roof consists almost entirely of natural species and the glass walls allow views from 98% of occupied spaces. Also, they use 100% recycled paper in all its printers and they are all Energy Star-rated.

– Caroline McMillan of the Charlotte Observer talks about “Green roof sprouts up in the suburbs.” LEED-accredited architect, Rebecca Fant and her mechanical engineer husband, John Alday, have recently installed their very own greenroof. Their porch roof was in need of restoration, so they decided to go green with the help of LiveRoof ® vegetation. They aren’t reaping the full benefits of greenroofs like managing stormwater runoff, keeping their house warm in the winter and cool in the summer yet because their greenroof is just over their porch but Fant says, “it’s a little teaser for what we’re trying to do inside the house, as we renovate and improve the energy efficiency and other environmental features.”

– 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 October 7th,  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.

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 September 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 this week, September 9th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–   Our project of the week is the Haworth Corporate Headquarters built in 2007 in Holland, Michigan.  The 300,000 square foot sedum greenroof at One Haworth Center is a “living laboratory of innovative organic workspace solutions.”  The headquarters is also LEED-NC gold certified and has modified modules for increased sub-drainage and three elevated steel barriers to help regulate flow for its sloped roofs.  Along with 5,000 square feet of reflective white pavers, this roof was waterproofed with Firestone ISO 95+ and ballasted EPDM and planted with Hortech/LiveRoof recycled interlocking modular units, the LiveRoof Modular Green Roof System.  The roof has performed well during at least two 100-year storms since its installation.

To learn more about the Haworth Corporate Headquarters, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New“

–  Industry News

–   Watch our exciting trailer for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!  It’s quick and fun – under 3 minutes – and wets your appetite for what and who you’ll see at our virtual conference and expo that is like no other! It’s playing on our homepage, on our Virtual Summit page and on our YouTube channel, so check it out!

–   Also, today’s the last day to Pre-Register for this groundbreaking event.  Make sure to do go online and pre-register for our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 by midnight so you can be eligible to win an Apple iPad2! Click on the banner on our homepage or just go to virtual.greenroofs.com for everything about our event and to pre-register to see and interact with our amazing speakers!

–   Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “GGWVS 2011: Don’t Miss 7 Expert Panels!“, “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: August 26 & September 2, 2011“ and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

–   September 12th: is the Application Deadline for applying for a Greening Western Queens Fund Grant.

–   September 13th-16th: is CONSTRUCT2011 and the CSI Annual Convention, in Chicago, Illinois.

–   September 14th-16th: is the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

–   And September 27th & 28th: is our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design.

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–   Yi Chen, of PSFK.com, talks about “Rooftop Gardening Workshops At Your Local Grocery Store.” The Big Carrot, a grocery store in Toronto, Canada, that specializes in organic, GMO-free and environmentally safe products has transformed its rooftop. They’ve made a gardening workshop on their roof to teach urban dwellers how to winter-proof their urban gardens and about the benefits of using non-toxic household products. If you live in the Toronto, join them and along with the how to’s of urban gardening in winter climates, they’ll also teach you about vertical gardening and growing tomatoes in concrete parking lots.

–   Michael Bamesberger of the Omaha World-Herald says “Energy savings start at the top.” In June, the Whittier Research Center at the University Nebraska-Lincoln was renovated and became even greener than it already was by being the first building on the campus with a greenroof. The 700 square feet sedum roof allows researchers and landscapers to see first hand how to maintain a greenroof and test out all its benefits like stormwater retention, added insulation and preservation of the roof membrane. More buildings with greenroofs are popping up in Omaha, and people are realizing the energy savings greenroofs provide. Emily Casper of UNL Landscape Service, who planted the roof, said that “the U.S. … is moving towards more sustainable green building practices, and green roofs are a natural part of that movement.”

– 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 September 9th,  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.

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 September 2 and August 26, 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 September 2nd, 2011 as well as for last week, August 26th on  GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–  Our project of the week this week is the  extremely cool 8 House built in 2010 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  And our project of the week last week was the Duke University Ocean Conservation Center built in 2010 in Beaufort, North Carolina.

–   The 8 House is a 61,000 square meter bowtie-shaped mixed-use building of three different types of residential housing and 10,000 square meters of retail and offices which make up Denmark’s largest private development. It stacks its lively urban neighborhood into horizontal layers of typologies connected by a continuous walking and cycling path up to the 10th floor which creates a three-dimensional urban neighborhood where suburban life meshes with the energy of a big city. Two sloping green roofs totaling 1,700 square meters are strategically placed to reduce the urban heat island effect as well as provide the visual identity to the project and tying it back to the adjacent farmlands towards the south. The architects wanted to design a “long, coherent house with immense differences in height, creating a strong inflow of light and a unique local community with small gardens and pathways that channel your thoughts into mountains in Southern Europe and memories of a childhood home.”

–   The Duke University Ocean Conservation Center houses a lecture hall, teaching laboratory and commons area and uses geothermal pumps for heating and cooling, solar panels for hot water and photovoltaic rooftop panels to convert sunlight into electricity. Local building materials, like yellow southern pine and Atlantic white cedar and recycled wood, are used throughout the 5,600-square-foot center. In 2008, the Ocean Conservation Center was awarded Gold LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and in 2009 was awarded a Green Building Wood Design Award from Woodworks. The extensive green roof was installed in 2010 over the low-slope portion of the Energy Star roof and is a Xero Flor pre-vegetated extensive system, with specialized components to secure the green roof from high wind coastal exposure. Living Roofs worked with Xero Flor America and Frank Harmon Architects to design the green roof system and the irrigation which is supplied by a rainwater catchment system.

To learn more about the 8 House,  click on our project of the week photo on our homepage and to learn more about the Duke University Ocean Conservation Center, type in project ID number 1155 in our Projects Database.

“What’s New“

–  Industry News

–   We’ve released our agenda, our international speaker line-up and the trailer for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011!  Held on September 27th & 28th, we have some simply awesome professionals speaking who are all passionate about what they do!  Check out the press release for all of the highlights for this ground breaking event or head on over to virtual.greenroofs.com and watch our exciting trailer that was really fun putting together, read our agenda, and learn more about our speakers. While there, you can pre-register for the event by September 9th and be eligible to win an Apple iPad2!

–   Make sure to read new columns from three of our contributing editors:   The Green Wall Editor George Irwin’s latest is “Green Wall Deception, Death of a Green Wall”¦“ where he gives personal opinion about the potentials for failure.

–   Energy Editor Chris Wark’s latest is: “Consider the Source.” It’s a very classy response to an inaccurate article about the so-called benefits of greenroofs in the June 2011 issue of the ASHRAE Journal.

–   And enjoy the article “I am excited about the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011“ from our Sustainable Business Insights Editor, John Shepley, about reducing your carbon footprint.   He cites our Virtual Summit as just one example of “Awareness.”

–   Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts:  “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: August 19th, 2011“ and our GPWs (8 House and Duke OCC).

– “Upcoming Events“

–   September 7th-9th: is the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) 2011 International Symposium: Emerging Technologies and Roof System Performance in Washington, D.C.

–   September 9th: the Early Bird Registration and contest period for your chance at winning the first of 2 iPad2s ends for our Virtual Summit 2011.

–   And September 27th & 28th: of course is the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design, held online around the world!

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–   Tyler Falk of SmartPlanet, reveals “NYC’s urban agriculture potential.” He shares some interesting insights in a new report from the Urban Design Lab at Columbia University’s Earth Institute that explores New York City’s urban agriculture potential. The report showed nearly 5,000 acres of empty land that would be sufficient for farming throughout the five boroughs, and that urban agriculture can have a huge impact on food security in neighborhoods where fresh and healthy produce is needed the most with help from more city farmers. He found some more interesting information in the report like how urban farms equal green infrastructure, and that rooftops are numerous in New York City but are not being utilized enough for urban agriculture and more. Check out the full article for more information and a link to the complete report: “The Potential for Urban Agriculture in New York City.”

–   Stephen Totilo of Kotaku, talks about “The Coolest Things in Nintendo’s American Headquarters (And One Uncool Thing).” Well the only “uncool thing” he says about the headquarters is that they don’t “let visitors take pictures of the best parts of the building.” When you walk into the headquarters of Nintendo of America in Redmond, Washington, you have to sign an electronic waiver promising you won’t bring firearms, will keep any Nintendo secrets you hear to yourself and won’t take any unauthorized pictures. There are a few spots you can take some photos, which he did, so be sure to read the full article check to them out. The Nintendo headquarters was awarded Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in May of 2010. Among other eco-friendly additions, they have bamboo floors on each level, daylight sensors near the windows that dim or brighten interior lights based on the natural light in the room, heat and motion sensors in the many conference rooms, and there’s a 75,000 square foot Sedum living room to top it all off.

– 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?  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 September 2nd and August 26th, 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.

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 August 19, 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, August 19th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–  Our project of the week is the NBC Experience Store living wall built in 2010 in New York, NY. The beautiful and lush indoor living wall at Rockefeller Center was developed to be a part of NBC’s “Green is Universal” week 2010. A secondary green initiative included a temporary window display to help educate the public on green farming with vertical living walls and show the portability of the Green Living Technologies International Mobile Edible Wall Unit, used as a teaching tool in classrooms and as part of the GLTi Food Factory. The GLTi certified installers responsible for the project were the youngest certified installers in the world, part of the Discovery High School team of interns on the degree track program getting paid to implement the skills they had learned in class. The living wall units are part of the GLTi curriculum used in the NYC Schools and will be part of the new Hunts Point High School for Sustainable Community Initiatives in the Bronx, making the program the first of its kind providing a degree track with green technologies as the focal point. The unit is bell to bell instruction and can be used to grow everything from food to long-lived perennials.

–  To learn more about the NBC Experience Store living wall, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New“

–  Industry News

–   On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Bloomberg signed into law a bill to exempt rooftop greenhouses from being counted toward a buildings’ height and floor area measurements.   The greenhouses will join structures like roof tanks, air-conditioning equipment and chimneys as apparatus that are not factored into buildings’ official totals, easing limitations on the construction of such structures.   As for greenroofs, new legislation will allow 4 inch depth systems to be submitted to the Department of Buildings without the need for construction plans or permits.

–   The U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) under the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) department has recently updated the “New and Underutilized Technology: Green Roof” webpage to include information which outlines key development considerations for greenroofs within the federal sector.

–   Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Boston GreenFest 2011 is Open!“ where you’ll find lots of fun and learning activities for the whole family, plus learn about greenroofs and walls with The Green Wall Editor, George Irwin of Green Living Technologies International, who will complete an 800 sf greenroof on site, “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: August 12th, 2011“ and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

–   Now through August 20^th is Boston GreenFest 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts.

–   August 21st-25th: is StormCon – The North American Surface Water Quality Conference in Anaheim, California.

–   August 24th-26th: is the 6th Annual Georgia Environmental Conference in Savannah, Georgia.

–   August 25th-27th: is the Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon.

–   And August 26th: is a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) – Advanced Green Roof Maintenance course in Toronto, Canada.

–  Check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–   Caitlin Moran of Patch.com says “”˜Rainwater Tour’ Gives Residents Ideas for Better Stormwater Management.” Earlier this week, about 15 residents of Redmond, Washington gathered at Grass Lawn Park for a “Rain Water Community Tour.” Hosted by the City of Redmond, Sustainable Redmond and People for Puget Sound, the walking tour highlighted some of the park’s modern stormwater management features, including a green roof, rain garden and permeable ground surfaces. The environmental features help filter out stormwater pollution before water hits local streams, rivers and the Puget Sound. Maddie Foutch, an intern at People for Puget Sound who helped coordinate the rainwater tour, says that stormwater is the cause of one-third of the pollution in Puget Sound. And Peter Holte, the City of Redmond’s stewardship coordinator said “rain gardens, green roofs and the added use of pervious surfaces also helps slow stormwater flow into the streams, which in turn mitigates stream bank erosion and flooding.”

–   Patricia Culligan of LiveScience.com asks “How Does Your Rooftop Grow?” She says “green roofs, such as those on the Columbia University campus, are rapidly gaining popular attention in the United States, recently becoming a high-profile component of sustainable building construction.” To better understand the benefits of urban green roofs and how they work, a team of Columbia University researchers including Patricia Culligan, Stuart Gaffin and Wade McGillis, are coordinating extensive green roofs throughout New York City, in a partnership with the university’s Office of Environmental Stewardship and the Earth Institute’s Urban Design Lab. The researchers are measuring roof runoff, plant evapo-transpiration, carbon dioxide flux, temperature of the growing medium, moisture gradients, local particle counts, and roof albedo for roofs across the city and the results will provide great information for people of the greenroof industry.

– 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 August 19th,  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.

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 August 12, 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, August 12th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–   Our project of the week is the BCIT Green Roof Research Facility built in 2003 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The British Columbia Institute of Technology designed a dedicated Green Roof Research Facility with the support of regional government, organizations, industry associations and material suppliers to help address the major barriers to market penetration of green roofs in BC. The BCIT Green Roof Research Facility was constructed to evaluate green roof performance for stormwater source control and thermal efficiency.   It has three independent roof surfaces – one reference roof and two green roofs – each with their own weather poles to measure climatic parameters. In addition to researching stormwater source control and thermal performance of green roofs, the BCIT Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology also conducts product performance testing, serves for demonstration, and offers research-based education and training across disciplines. The Centre is a leading sustainable initiative that will help re-define how buildings are designed, and how land and water can be more effectively managed.

–  To learn more about the BCIT Green Roof Research Facility, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New“

–   Due to a series of unexpected events, we have rescheduled our  Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011 to September 27th & 28th. We are very excited about our exceptional line-up of speakers and exhibitors and the extra time will ensure that the event will be a unique experience like no other. The extra time will be well worth it in the end to allow our speakers more time to prepare their presentations, people to be back from vacations, and for all of us to start spreading the word! So, our Early Bird Pre-Registration has also been extended and now you have until September 9th to pre-register and be entered to win an iPad2!

–  Advertiser Press Releases:

–   AIA Credits Available at Boston GreenFest for the GLTi “Green Roof Installations” Lecture with George Irwin.

–   Community College of Philadelphia Selects LiveRoof ® for Two New Green Roofs at its Main Campus.

–  Industry News

–   The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems & treatment plants, at an estimated cost of $4.7 billion over 23 years, to eliminate illegal overflows of untreated raw sewage, including basement backups; and to reduce pollution levels in urban rivers and streams.

 

–   Over at Sky Gardens, read Linda’s latest posts: “Date Change for the Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011,” TWIR for 8.5.11 and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

–   August 16th: there is a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – GRP Exam in Washington, DC.

–   August 16th-18th: is Ag Progress Days, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences in Rock Springs, Pennsylvania.

 

–   And August 18th-20th: is Boston GreenFest 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

–   And check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–   Darah Hansen of The Vancouver Sun talks about “Car dealership buzzing with sweet activity.” In 2007, the 62,000-sq.-ft. Auto West BMW dealership in Richmond opened with more than $1 million in sustainable features, including a 16-meter-tall wind turbine, solar panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and a rooftop garden. Honey bees came two years later, following the rise of alarming news articles on the global collapse of honey bee colonies. The rooftop garden includes more than 3,500 bee-friendly plants, from lavender, wild strawberries and red currant to pink carpet roses, blueberries and apple blossoms. The project is also part of a study led by York University exploring how the urban environment affects the nesting habits of honey bees.

–   The Your News Now, web staff says “Downtown building gets new green roof.” The roof of the Monroe Building in downtown Syracuse now has a new environmentally-friendly roof with stormwater management capabilities projected to capture more than 90,000 gallons of water each year. The building’s owner applied for and received help from Onondaga County’s Green Improvement Fund, which is part of the county’s Save the Rain campaign. Its goal is to help reduce storm water pollution and clean up Onondaga Lake. The Green Improvement Fund covers several areas in the City of Syracuse.

– 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 August 12th,  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.