By Matt Burlin

Portland is preparing for the deadline of the sixth round of the Ecoroof Incentive.  The City offers $5 per square foot of ecoroof (extensive green roofs) on all approved projects, and the next deadline is June 1, 2011.

Since 2008, the ecoroof incentive has been awarded to 125 projects for 8.3 acres.  In total there are close to 300 ecoroofs in Portland covering 14 acres, and 421 green roofs (extensive and intensive) totaling nearly 30 acres.  Here are a couple of Portland ecoroof incentive recipients:

On a smaller scale, the project above is a Portland State University Bike Shelter with a total of 1,120 ft ² of ecoroof.

On a considerably larger scale, above you can see The Ramona – Affordable Housing in Northwest Portland with 31,000 ft ².

The incentive round follows a successful month of March – designated “˜Ecoroof Month‘ by Portland City Council.  One great outcome was the completion of ecoroof test plots designed for habitat and biodiversity, below:

The project evolved from discussions with  Stephan Brenneisen during his visit in March, and the test plots were installed with the help of his colleague Raphael Schneider during April.

Finally, the Greenroof Information Think-tank, a network of businesses, organizations, and green roof professionals in the Pacific Northwest, has grown to 270 since 2009.  This past year, the group consulted with Gunderson Manufacturing in the design of a pilot habitat ecoroof on their industrial property in Northwest Portland, seen above.

~ Matt Burlin

Matt Burlin is the Outreach Coordinator for Sustainable Stormwater Management with the City of Portland Environmental Services (BES). Contact Matt at 503.823.7863 or his new email address: matt.burlin@portlandoregon.gov. Visit the City of Portland’s website for complete info. You can also stay up to date by liking their facebook page.