In celebration of honoring Earth Day 2015 and our planet’s ecology through healthy, regenerative design, we are highlighting each of the 23 awesome videos from our 30+ spectacular speakers from Greenroofs.com‘s Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2015 ~ Connecting the Planet with Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design, running through May 31st.

Our hope is that by familiarizing you more with each presentation and its particular benefits, you will be enticed to join us during our wonderfully easy-to-navigate online Virtual Summit!  And, along with the speakers’ input, I will identify 5 Key Learning Objectives or “takeaway” bullet points that each video presentation provides to participants.

Today we are spotlighting the individual Inspiration Nook video “Soil Ecological Processes on Green Roofs: Research and Observation Meet Theory and Intuition” by the lovely Christine Thuring, PhD candidate at the University of Sheffield, principal of Chlorophyllocity, co-founder of Green Roof Safari – and also one of our longest standing contributing editors – since 2004!   She also writes Christine’s Ramblings and contributes to Exclusives.

Christine has also participated in our previous two Virtual Summits: the Panel Session “Biodiversity and Greenroofs” with Christine Thuring (Moderator), Nathalie Baumann, Gary Grant, and Dusty Gedge in 2011; and the individual video “Vegetation Development on Extensive Green Roofs Over Time” plus the Inspiration Nook video “Upping the Urban Green. What is the Actual and Potential Role of Ecology in our Cities?” by Dr. Mark Simmons and Christine Thuring in 2013.

Even if you are not presenting at the Virtual Summit, as an attendee you can submit your 3 minute (non-overtly commercial) video of research, ideas, projects, poster boards, thought leadership, etc., which were followed by your own live Discussion Chat.

This series is focused around sparking conversation, ideas, dialogue and connections around a specific greenroof/wall-related topic – a mosaic of bright ideas for a greener world.

Christine’s brief Inspiration Nook talk for 2015 ruminates on incidental results from her ecological surveys of some of the oldest extensive green roofs in Germany.  Earthworms and ant colonies were encountered in sufficient numbers during soil sampling to suggest that their presence in green roof substrates is not entirely uncommon.  With reference to terrestrial soil ecosystems, Christine reflects on this unexpected aspect of green roof soil ecology and contemplates how the presence of such ecosystem engineers could change our treatment of extensive green roofs.

Sheffield, UK.  “Christine Thuring has been working with green roofs since 2001 in various capacities, including installation, advocacy, research, consulting, design, and education.  Prior to green roofs, she worked as a field botanist and restoration ecologist.  With a BSc in Environmental Resource Science & Biology (Trent University) and MSc Horticulture (The Pennsylvania State University), Christine is currently doing her PhD in Landscape Ecology (University of Sheffield).

She co-founded Green Roof Safari, and offers consulting and technical translation through Chlorophyllocity.” ~ Read her complete bio here from the VS2015.

You will benefit from these 5 Key Learning Objectives as Christine Thuring shares on the subject:

1) Theory versus practice: theoretically, greenroofs can function as both green infrastructure and green ecosystem but our knowledge of engineered systems far exceeds that of ecological systems, or long term performance;

2) Through her vegetation surveys and soil samples on 9 of the oldest extensive greenroofs in southwest Germany she made incidental observations regarding the presence of earthworms and ant colonies; 

3) Soil is fundamental to life and to ‘ecosystem services’; green wash can be ruled out through knowledge; 

4) Long-term monitoring is a weak point for most forms of ecological research and there is much to learn, especially for long-term processes;

5) Biodiversity is the keystone to ecosystem function and services, an emerging point of conviction from urban ecology which greenroofs could adopt.

Watch the short 3:33 video presentation “Soil Ecological Processes on Green Roofs: Research and Observation Meet Theory and Intuition” Inspiration Nook Video by Christine Thuring now playing at the Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2015.  If you have not yet registered (only $49 or 25), please do:

Registration fee:

$49 – special discounted pricing;

$25 for students/faculty and government professionals

All Video Presentations, Q & A Transcripts, & Exhibitor Booths are On Demand +
Networking Live 24/7 through May 31, 2015

Earn CEUs including 10 GRP CEUs.  Register here.

Registration Open through May 31st for the Greenroofs.com Virtual Summit 2015

We hope you will support our work!  Please remember that these video presentations will not be made public for at least one year.

Happy watching and participating,

~ Linda V.

Learn more about these awesome video presentations and their 5 Key Learning Objectives at the Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2015:

“A Green Building Should Look Green, Which Means Hairy!” by Dr. Ken Yeang.

“Biodiversity in the Sky – How Green Roofs Can Be Designed as Wild Life Refuges” by Dr. Stephan Brenneisen.

“Green Roofs to New Cities” by Dr. Diana Balmori.

“A Higher Purpose – Benefits to Human Health and Education through Green Roofing” by Elizabeth Hart.

“Beyond Extensive and Intensive: Defining the Comprehensive Green Roof” by Molly Meyer.

“Biosolar Roofs” by Nathalie Baumann and Dusty Gedge.

“From Passive House to the Cold North—How Vegetative Envelope Components Impact Buildings” Panel with Dr. Bob Cameron, Dr. Allen Lee, Dr. Karen Liu, and Chris Wark.

“Greening Rooftops in Alberta: People, Place + Projects” by Kerry Ross.

“Greening the World Inside and Outside” by Mark Paul.

“Greenwalls in Middle Earth” by Graham Cleary.

“Pollinators on the Parapets” by Angie Durhman.

“Small Scale Green Roofs” by Dusty Gedge and John Little.

“Social Healing with Greening” Panel – Part 1 with Patrick Carey, Peter Ensign, and George Irwin.

“Social Healing with Greening” Panel – Part 2 with Patrick Carey and Darius Jones.