Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2011 - (Page 2)

STRATA AWARD-WINNING LEADER ED SNODGRASS EARNS PRESTIGIOUS AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AWARD By Vicky Fellowes d Snodgrass, leading expert on green roofs and green roof plants, was honored by the American Horticultural Society recently with its 2011 G.B. Gunlogson Award. One of 12 Great American Gardeners Awards, the Gunlogson award recognises the innovative use of technology in home gardening. Owner and president of Emory Knoll Farms and Green Roof Plants Inc., Snodgrass comes from six generations of farming stock. Realignment of the business according to sustainable values saw Snodgrass open the first nursery in North America propagating plants solely for green roofs. In operation since 1998, his Street, Maryland business has already supplied over 400 green roof projects across the continent and overseas. A respected industry figure, his many books are the foundations for green roof planting and design everywhere. His latest title Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living which he co-authored with Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge and John Little (Timber Press, 2011), examines small-scale projects typically suited to the home. The emphasis on smaller and local is easy to understand. “The green roof industry ultimately needs to become more local so that climate and site specific needs can be more readily met,” says Snodgrass. “It is important to be as familiar as I can, to be in touch with researchers around the world to be more fully engaged in multiple climates.” Consulting projects in recent years at the University of Melbourne, Australia and the evaluation of U.S. embassies worldwide for their green roof viability, all augment this worldwide perspective. Global lessons are reflected back home at the Green Roof Plants Inc. test beds which mimic a spectrum of climates and conditions. Forthcoming projects include research on the viability of bulbs and annuals, and participation in a pollinator study with York University in Toronto, Ontario, to examine green roof habitats for bees. Plant longevity also remains a focus for Snodgrass “so that we can more fully understand how roofs can be designed for longterm success and maintenance money can be reduced.” The entrepreneur continues to share 2 LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR SPRING 2011 E ED SNODGRASS, EMORY KNOLL FARMS “The green roof industry ultimately needs to become more local so that climate and site speciﬁc needs TORONTO’S GREEN ROOF can be more readily met.” BY-LAW knowledge with several university green roof research projects; beneficiaries include Pennsylvania State University, Michigan State University and the University of Maryland. A believer in the gardening axiom, “right plant, right place,” Snodgrass sees the parallels within his industry: “It is an exciting time in the green roof world and I think we really need to better understand these systems with more precision and build more reliable green roofs.” Vicky Fellowes is a freelance writer based in Toronto, Ontario. UPDATE T oronto City Planning has reported that since coming into effect last year, Toronto's Green Roof by-Law has resulted in more than one million-square-feet of permitted green roofs. Very few developers have opted to buy-out of the requirement for green roofs, choosing to incorporate them into their projects. Council recently voted to extend the exemption for new industrial properties, investment which the City is trying to attract in a region that is highly competitive for industrial development.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2011

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2011
Contents
Adaptation Through Innovation
Award-Winning Leader
Living Building Challenge Update
On the Roof With...
The Black Arts
Green Walls
Stormwater Policy
Root Repellent Standards
Growing Media
Green Building Codes
New Corporate Members
The GRP Turns Two
Professional Calendar
My First Year as a GRP

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2011