Greenroofs.comConnecting the Planet + Living Architecture

In all the hustle and bustle of editing feature articles,  posting news stories, upcoming events, industry news and project profiles, amid other publisher duties, I sometimes forget to acknowledge the outside accomplishments (from Greenroofs.com) of our contributing editors…   This oversight will be addressed as one of my upcoming New Year’s resolutions, but for now let’s start with George Irwin, our Green Wall Editor:

George was recently interviewed for  the “Business of Green” article by Ken Belson titled “The Rooftop Garden Climbs Down a Wall” that appeared in the Energy & Environment section on nytimes.com of November 18 and the New York Times print version on November 19, 2009.   One of his Green Living Technologies’ living wall products was featured when NYC  architect Brad Zizmor had an edible wall installed on the backyard deck  of his first-floor Manhattan apartment.  

The article really delves into the “Business of Green” – costs are included and Barthelmes Manufacturing Company, the sheet metal fabricator, was also  highlighted as well as Kari Elwell Katzander,  a landscape designer who designed the  3-panel green wall.    Although the author points out that these small greening solutions can be costly, he refers to another of George’s collaborations, the Urban Farming Food Chain green wall project in Los Angeles, and  says:

“Mr. Irwin has shown that edible walls can work on a larger scale. At four locations in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, there are walls with more than 4,000 plants growing: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach, leeks, even baby watermelon. At one location, a homeless shelter, residents tend to a six-foot-high, 30-foot-long wall, eating some food they harvest and selling the rest.

The project, urban farming advocates say, is just the start of something larger.”

Make sure to also click on the slide show “Edible Walls of Green” – there are 12 awesome photos of the Zizmor wall, a living wall at the College of Applied Sciences and Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology, and cool manufacturing shots, with just a few below:

Oh yeah, while I’m am it, I should tell you that George Irwin won the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Award of Excellence in the Green Walls category this year.   Presented on June 5, 2009 at the 7th Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards, and Trade Show at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, he won for his involvement  and contribution to the Urban Farming Food Chain green walls, truly a dedicated community affair of residents, manufacturers, students, professors, activists, and designers.   We were very proud of him, of course, and I should have blogged about this very prestigious accomplishment after the conference, but somehow didn’t.

You can read more about this  award from the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities website, and see each of the initial four  green wall sites of the Urban Farming Food Chain in The Greenroof Projects Database:   Skid Row Housing Trust’s ‘The Rainbow’; The Weingart Center Association; Miguel Contreras Learning Complex and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Green Wall.

I should also probably mention that because of his work with this project, George has also been on Good Morning America and invited to the White House, too.   I am a forgetful editor, indeed!   George writes about this exciting, worthy,  and humbling experience in his upcoming Green Walls column, which should be up very soon.   Kudos, George!

 

~ Linda V.

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video. Here is the transcript from October 5, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

– Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for October 5th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–  Our project of the week is the Fashion Valley Mall Living Wall, built in 2012, in San Diego, California.  Fashion Valley Mall is an upscale, open-air shopping mall in Mission Valley and is the county’s largest regional mall.  The 800 sf living wall is located in a plaza and meeting place at the main entrance to the mall and is the newest component of a $15 million renovation nearing completion at the Mission Valley venue.  The project utilized 4,000 plants with the soil-based VGM ® planting system by Tournesol Siteworks and was completed by Greenscaped Buildings.

Each plant grew for four months in a controlled area before moving to Fashion Valley Mall.  Using triangulated drip irrigation, the wall is 18′ tall and 51′ wide and utilizes 250 Tournesol Siteworks modules.  The drip irrigation system uses gravity to flow water throughout the modules.  Meant to resemble the keys on a piano, plants used include spider plants, lemon button ferns, ribbon ferns, Ajuga, moneywort and mondo grass, among others.

– To learn more about the Fashion Valley Mall Living Wall,  click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

– Advertiser Press Releases:

–  Rouse Management Tops Off Parman Place Apartments in Madison Wisconsin with a LiveRoof ® Green Roof.

–  Green Living Technologies International: Green Living Roof Can Reduce SYSCO Foods Annual Cooling Energy Cost by 7%.

– Industry News

–  Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce the launch of a premium  collectable  publication that celebrates the biggest and brightest stars in the universe of living architecture.  “The Rise of Living Architecture” coffee table book features beautiful graphic profiles of over fifty visionaries who have fueled the explosive growth of green roofs and walls across North America over the past decade.  Its release will be celebrated at the CitiesAlive: 10th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference, held October 17-20, 2012, in Chicago, IL.

– Portland Bureau of Environmental Services will begin accepting applications again in October 2012 for ecoroof construction.  The City of Portland offers an incentive to property owners and developers to add more ecoroofs.  The incentive program is part of Portland’s Grey to Green initiative to increase sustainable stormwater management practices, control non-native, invasive plants, and protect sensitive natural areas.

–  Sky Gardens Blog

– Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts:  “It’s Not Too Late for the 2012 World Green Roof Congress in Hangzhou, China!,” “Congrats to the Winners of the 2012 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence,” and “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: September 28, 2012.”

– Guest Blogger

–  Also check out our new Guest Blogger, Steve Waller, who writes about “Bridging the Urban Jungle: Mile End Park.”

– “Upcoming Events”

–  October 15th: is the IHDC 2012 Conference – Ecosystem Services Come to Town, in London, UK.

–  And on October 17-20 is the big one, the 10th Annual Cities Alive Green Roof & Wall Conference in Chicago!

– “In the News“

–  Tamara Hinson of Metro asks, “Could the future of the environment be found within the vertical garden?”  More and more buildings are going green and choosing beautiful vegetated facades instead of cement ones.  French botanist Patrick Blanc is one of the world’s most famous vertical garden designers and realized the potential of vertical gardening after noticing the way some plants were able to grow vertically without soil and started creating ways of using lightweight, low-maintenance vegetation walls.

One of Patrick’s most famous creations is the vertical garden at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.  The garden measures 200m by 12m high and features a wide range of plants including species native to Brazil, South Korea and the Himalayas. Toronto has plans for a Sky Farm, which will have eight million square feet of vertical growing space for crops and will bring in the same amount of produce as a 420 hectare farm.  And several buildings in Jakarta that have vertical gardens are living proof of the many benefits that come from green walls like producing fresh air, growing herbs and vegetables and reducing heating and cooling costs for the buildings.

–  Adam Thomas of the University of Delaware talks about, “Members of UD, Delaware community celebrate green roof completion.”  Not only the community and students celebrated but even U.S. Senator Tom Carper was in attendance last Friday on the new green roof.  Senator Carper said, “This new green roof project at the University of Delaware is a great example of the power of public-private partnerships.  With support from the state of Delaware, DuPont and the University of Delaware, this project is helping to lower energy use, clean the air and teach sustainable environmental practices to future generations at the same time.”

Chad Nelson, assistant professor of landscape design, didn’t want to use a membrane system but wanted a modular system consisting of 2-feet by 2-feet plastic trays that could be installed by the students and local volunteers and then moved for roof maintenance.  The green roof has heat-hardy plants including several varieties of colorful sedum, plus chives and crocus; and some of the benefits it will provide will be reducing carbon dioxide emissions, absorbing stormwater runoff, providing a living classroom for students, as well as giving them the opportunity for hands-on experience in growing and maintaining the plants.

– 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 greenwall 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 5th,  2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez 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 is the transcript from September 28, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

– Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for September 28th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

-Our project of the week is the New York PS41 Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory (GELL), built in 2012 in Greenwich Village, New York, NY. PS41 is a K-5 grammar school that serves about 800 students at the heart of one of New York City’s high-density neighborhoods with little open space. After six years of planning, fundraising, building evaluation and construction, the Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory at PS41 is open. The goal is to create a learning laboratory that raises environmental literacy and enhances students’ awareness of the stewardship role they play in the health of the planet.

The school’s 9,000 sf greenroof includes a central outdoor classroom area and is the centerpiece of GELL. Installed in August 2012, it uses the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System. Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer said, “The opening of the Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory at PS41 is a landmark event, not just because it is the largest such roof at a New York City public school – but because it expands our commitment to making environmental study a fixture in classrooms.”

– To learn more about the New York PS41 Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory (GELL), click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

– The Greenroofs.com eNewsletter

Our September eNewsletter is out!  So check your inboxes and catch up on what was new this month, what we’ve been blogging about in our latest Sky Gardens posts, our Advertiser Press Releases and more!  (You can also click on the above photo to see it online. Or subscribe now and check it out.)

– Guest Feature Article

– Read our latest guest feature “Using Seeds as an Installation Method on Green Roofs” by Dr. Kathryn McDavid.  This is a short summary of the author’s Ph.D. research at Penn State University.

– Joblinks

– LiveRoof® is now hiring a Customer Service Representative in Spring Lake, MI.

– Advertiser Press Releases:

– LiveRoof® Green Roof Greens Up San Diego County Operations Center.

– LiveRoof® – Green Roof Environmental Literacy Laboratory [is] Ready for Students Returning to P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village.

– Industry News

– The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) has opened a public comment period seeking input on the proposed 2013 Prerequisites and Credits.

– Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence.

– The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) has announced eight projects that have achieved certification.

– Sky Gardens Blog

– Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Chic Sustainability Watch: 2012 European Solar Decathlon, London Design Festival, Venice Architecture Biennale, Milan Design Week & Canada Blooms Garden Festival”; “Hotel Discount for CitiesAlive Expires Oct. 1st!”; “Only 4 Weeks for the WGIN World Green Roof Conference 2012 in Hangzhou: Chinese Visa Tips”; and “Greenroofs.com’s “This Week in Review” on GreenroofsTV: September 21, 2012.”

– Upcoming Events

– September 28th-October 1st: ASLA 2012 Annual Meeting & EXPO, in Phoenix, AZ. Twitter: #ASLA2012

– September 29th-October 8th: is the 85th Annual Water Environment Federation, Technical Exhibition and Conference, in New Orleans, LA.

– October 1st is the last day to take advantage of the hotel discount for CitiesAlive in Chicago.

– And October 2nd-4th: is the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, in Chicago, IL. Twitter: @hcarefacilities & #HFSE

– In the News

– KGW.com reports on “PSU students install green roof on campus.”  Students of Portland State University spent their weekend installing their own greenroof.  About 30 students helped put together the 3,000-square-foot greenroof and install the plants onto the roof of the Cramer Hall.

Project Manager Austin Hudson said, “This allows us to more effectively assess how the native and non-native plants are compared against each other.”  The students of civil and environmental engineering classes will now have a living laboratory and a great learning experience that can last for years.

-Douglas Canter of Examiner.com talks about “Mayor Vincent Gray makes DC Department of Environment headquarters greener.”  Washington, DC Mayor Vincent Gray is making the Department of Environment’s headquarters more environmentally-friendly by adding two new recently completed rain gardens.  The ground outside of the HQ slopes down toward a pebble-covered swale, filled with wetland plants, flowering perennials, grasses and blueberry bushes.

Also part of the Mayor’s effort, the Department installed a 10,500 square foot greenroof last year and hopes to install solar panels by the end of this year. Greenroofs and rain gardens act as Earth’s filtration and will help reduce pollution that would otherwise flow into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, Rock Creek and eventually the Chesapeake Bay.

– 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 greenwall 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 28th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof & Greenwall 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 is the transcript from September 21, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

– Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for September 21st, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–  Our project of the week is the Potter League for Animals, built in 2008 in Middleton, Rhode Island.  Annually, the Potter League houses about 1,900 animals and provides pound services including facilitating adoptions for 1,100 animals a year and returning 450 lost pets to their owners.  Officials chose to go green for the new LEED Gold shelter because its location is on wetlands and close to Bailey Brook, which eventually feeds into North Easton’s Pond, a drinking-water source for Aquidneck Island.

Designed by ARQ Architects, the rooftop garden is Newport County’s first greenroof. Located over the adoption shelter, the living roof uses a Roofmeadow 6″, semi-intensive system established with plugs and 4″ pots, with Sika Sarnafil providing the waterproofing and Apex Green Roofs as the greenroof contractor.  The un-irrigated intensive system supports a large variety of species including lavenders, alliums, sedums and grasses specifically planted for their tolerance to wind, heat and drought.  The facility also has a rain water recovery system that collects water from the roof surfaces and diverts it into a 15,000 gallon underground cistern.

– To learn more about the Potter League for Animals,  click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

– Advertiser Press Release:

–  A&A Melters builds an all new 500 gallon Melter! Their melters have been used for green roof projects in the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center, the Ohio State University Cancer Center and at Harvard University, just to name a few”¦

–  Sky Gardens Blog

– Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts:  “Greenroofs.com Announces Strategic Partnership with the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) for the Second Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2013!“ and “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: September 14, 2012.”

–  Industry News

–  International Code Council (ICC) and the State of California

The ICC Council provides access to new “California Solar Permitting Guidebook” that makes permit review, installation of solar pv systems in California easier.   The State of California Guidebook is available as a free download or in print from the Code Council, and addresses permitting requirements, and assists installers and code officials.  It highlights solar PV installations on residential and commercial building rooftops, in parking lots and on parking structures, and those mounted on the ground.  Although the combination of solar and greenroofs together are not yet addressed, they could be in the future.

– “Upcoming Events“

–  September 21st-23rd: is the Techos Verdes – Jardines Verticales Workshop by Gernot Minke, in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

–  Also September 21st-23rd: is the Mother Earth News Fair, in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania (Follow on Twitter: @MotherEarthFAIR & #MENF).

–  September 25th: is the World Class Sustainable Cities 2012, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

–  September 26th-28th: is the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

–  And September 27th-28th: is the 3rd Annual Green Initiatives Conference, in Peachtree City, Georgia.

– “In the News“

–  Ashley Wells of The Atlantic Cities talks about “A Plush Rooftop Garden for Tokyo Shoppers.”  The Tokyo Plaza Omotesando Project is located at the Harajuku shopping district and features a rooftop garden, or a “roof-forest,” as the locals refer to it.

This rooftop garden has 34 trees, over 50 different kinds of plants, and has technological systems that purify the air.  It’s a beautifully peaceful place that allows its visitors to forget their urban dense setting for a bit.

–  Ryan Rogers of AxiomNews, says “TD’s Living Roof Demonstrating its Commitment to Sustainability.”  TD Bank Group is continuing its leadership in sustainable design by utilizing environmentally-friendly green practices like installing a green roof on its downtown center in Toronto.  The design mimics the heritage building and features 692 planters and 11,000 grass plants on the 22,000 square foot roof.

Some of the environmental and economic benefits this roof will provide will be to filter carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air, absorb water and rainfall and keep the interiors cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

– 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 greenwall 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 21st,  2012 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez 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.