Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2012 - (Page 35)

ON SPEC DOING MORE wITH LESS GREEN INfRASTRUCTURE AND STORMwATER MANAGEMENT jObS by: HAMID kARIMI, PHD I t is the best of times and the worst of times. Due to budgetary constraints, governments at local and federal levels are short of money with this trend unlikely to change any time soon. Simultaneously, stringent stormwater regulations, permits and consent decrees demand aggressive stormwater runoff controls. The long term trend is that local governments will continue to do more with less, to meet increasingly demanding stormwater mandates. Traditional stormwater retention has relied on hard engineering (gray) technologies to meet stormwater management requirements. Solutions such as, large tunnels, fabridams and swirl concentrators, are expensive and often technically challenging. Implementing them requires highly skilled labor for construction and operations and maintenance. Gray infrastructure solutions are often built underground and designed with a single purpose, to retain runoff for the occasional big storm. Simultaneously, the recent recession has led to chronic unemployment in lower skilled segments of the workforce. Can there be a silver lining involving green roofs/walls? The sensible solution is green infrastructure alternatives. We often see green roofs and walls as an aesthetically pleasing addition to the landscape. Environmentalists like them for creating habitat for wildlife; conservationists admire their role in reducing energy consumption and boosting PV output. Savvy urban dwellers are experimenting with roof top agriculture. Real estate developers admire them for raising property values, and penny pinchers like them for reducing utility bills. Green roof and walls can serve all of these functions as a valuable stormwater management tool. A less recognized benefit is the potential of green roofs and walls to help reduce chronic unemployment in cities by creating new job opportunities. While the attributes of green roofs and walls are understood by people in environmental and development communities, why isn’t this alternative utilized broadly in other markets? The answer may be as simple as education. Despite the well understood benefits in some quarters, a more critical group - policy makers - are less familiar with green roofs and walls as a sustainable and affordable alternative. Thus, we need to continue trying to reach policy makers to increase their awareness. In Washington, DC we have availed ourselves of these ideas in these ways: • Making over $8 million available for green roof subsidies • Accepting green roof for up to 100% of stormwater credit • Providing training through GRHC for regulatory staff to become GRP’s Those who have to stretch the ever-shrinking public funds to deal with demands should learn more about the many benefits of green roofs and walls. Policy makers need to become aware that green roofs may be able to tackle a multitude of environmental concerns while at the same time ease unemployment. Limited funds should be utilized more creatively to make low impact development infrastructure changes that will help boost the job economy. It’s a kind of domino effect, creating green roofs and low impact development (LID) can help small to mid-sized towns boost their economy by creating desperately needed jobs and improving quality of life. Boosting green infrastructure requires a multi- faceted approach and creative new partnerships. The following suggestions may serve as a positive start: • Educate government staff on green roof policy and Green Roof Professional training • Identify unemployment funds to complement environmental and educational grants to train workers to incorporate Green Roof Professional training. Now is the time for industry leaders to introduce the benefits of green roofs to policy makers by showing what a valuable tool for environmental management they can provide while additionally creating growth and new jobs in an emerging industry. Hamid Karimi is Deputy Director of the Natural Resources Administration in the District of Columbia Department of the Environment. He is currently Chair of the GRHC Policy Committee. FIND OUT MORE visit the Green Infrastructure Store to purchase our policy manual at http://greeninfrastructurestore.com LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SPRING 2012 / 35 http://www.greeninfrastructurestore.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2012

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2012
Contents
From the Founder
Seen & Heard
Bookshelf
Special Thanks
On the Roof With…
Innovation
Urban Agriculture Summit in Toronto August 15th – 18th
Citiesalive in Chicago Oct 17th – 19th
Policy and Standards
We Asked Experts Their Opinions on Modular or Loose Laid Green Roof Systems, Check Out What They Said
I Guess Size Really Does Matter! — Growing Media Insights
Eleanor Mckinney Taking Austin by the Horns
New Industry Products
Green Roof Falls Flat in New York City
Green Roofing Leader Shows Industry What They’re Made Of! Tremco Incorporated
Plant Profile
New GRP’s
Professional Calendar
New Corporate Members
GRHC Buyers Guide
On Spec

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2012