In appreciation and celebration of the Earth’s natural environment, 2012 will be the 42nd year of recognizing April 22 as Earth Day.

And, now in our 3rd year, Greenroofs.com will be doing our small part to promote the greening of our planet and encourage the sustainable design of earth-friendly living architecture by once again sponsoring our “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest in celebration of Earth Day 2012.

In 2010 the beautiful corporate offices of ESRI Canada’s Garden in the Sky won, above, and last year the sinuous residential/multi-use hi-rise Aqua, below, took home the prize with the most votes cast.

What is it?

A fun photo contest!  The mission of the “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest is to create interest in all kinds, styles, and sizes of beautiful living architecture and highlight some outstanding designs. It’s designed to be quick and simple, and basically is a popularity contest among our international readership.  Any and all types of greenroofs are eligible, any place on Earth.

All you have to do is submit a photo and tell your friends and colleagues vote for your favorite greenroof!  We’ll be keeping everyone updated on the number of votes for each project on our Facebook page.

Each planted roof needs to visually epitomize its relationship to our planet – it needs to show us that it’s a living example of loving the Earth – in other words, don’t just send a close-up of pretty flowers!  Show the greenroof in context with its site.

The contest is open to everyone, not just the roof owner or the designers of record. And voting is open to everyone, too, as many times as you like but only once per day, so tell your friends to vote for your submission.

Yes, it has to be a gorgeous photo of a spectacular greenroof, but remember that this is a popularity contest, too!

What do I have to do to enter the contest or vote?

Like us on Facebook first, then just click on the “Submit an entry” tab and follow the directions:  Tell us how it is a living example of loving the Earth and worthy of being an example of forward-thinking sustainable design in the caption field of the submittal form to let everyone know why they should vote for this particular project photo.  Upload your photo, then let your friends in on the action!  Enter early so you can get people to vote often!

To vote, click on the “View entries” tab where you can cast your daily ballot.

It does not have to be “your” project – just make sure to follow the photo submissions rules.

What do I get if “my” project wins?

The photo with the most votes will be announced as the winner.  The winner will have “their” project highlighted on Greenroofs.com as an upcoming Greenroof Project of the Week, and we’ll feature you in a Sky Gardens Blog interview so you can really tell us more about this living roof and why you love it so much.

And, as a humble token of our esteem, the winner will also receive $100.

How It Works

–  Enter by 12:00 PM Eastern time, April 21, 2012
–  Vote from 11:59 PM, April 3 until 11:59 PM, April 21, 2012
–  Winner selection is Sunday, April 22, 2012 – Earth Day!

Read all about it, including the always popular Official Rules, and submit an entry now!

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!  (So take a photo of it, too, and send it in!)

~ Linda V.