Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 34


ON SPEC

Photo Courtesy of Vegetal i.D

THE GROWING IMPORTANCE
OF MARRYING EFFICIENT
IRRIGATION DESIGN
AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
BY WARREN GOROWITZ

Regardless of your opinion on climate change, recent data released by
NASA and NOAA show 2016 as the warmest year on record globally1.
The year 2016 was also the third warmest year recorded in a row.

W

ater availability and stormwater management are growing issues as drought cycles and large rain events occur
around the country. As the drought extremes are more
pronounced, the use of potable water for irrigating
landscapes, including green roofs and green walls,is often in
question.When droughts become severe, landscapes are often
the first to be sacrificed. The reduction of managed green
spaces means much less evapotranspiration, which leads to
greater heat from the sun, which leads to increasing temperatures, in a vicious cycle. We need living vegetation to help us
adapt to rising temperatures in our cities and manage intense
rainfall, but we also need to be cautious with and respect our
water resources.
In order to address these challenges, more efficient irrigation design and comprehensive water management are required
so the precise amount of water for the plant material is applied
and not a drop is wasted. Large weather events cause major
flooding, especially in areas where green infrastructure is lacking. Green roofs play a role in stormwater management by delaying, slowing and storing water. Efficient storage, treatment,
transportation and delivery technologies are already on the
market and can play a key role in supporting the use of green
infrastructure, without undue strain on water resources.
The capture and reuse of non-potable water in areas of great
water scarcity is a strategy already being employed in drought
prone areas.
Extreme heat, drought and intense rainfall - in many ways,
LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SPRING 2017 / 34

this is the perfect storm (pun intended), and as the "original
green industry" we have an opportunity and a responsibility to
help mitigate these effects with green infrastructure.

THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE RESPOND?

I see an opportunity for university led, independent research
that shows benefits of green roofs and green walls specific to wise
water management. As members of the green industry, we need
to come together with a unified voice and back up our claims on
how we can sustain, and even improve the performance of green
infrastructure and how green infrastructure can actually contribute to addressing water shortage issues. We need to provide
the funding for this type of research and we need to communicate the benefits of what we do every day to everyone. Now more
than ever, with our cities facing weather extremes, we need to
bring water management technology and expertise together with
green infrastructure in order to provide solutions!

FIND OUT MORE

Ewing sponsored Net Zero Water for Buildings and Sites Training
Course is available online, 24/7.
See https://www.heatspring.com/app/courses/?query=net+zero+water.
Warren Gorowitz is the Vice President of Sustainability at Ewing
Irrigation and Landscape Supply.
1. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally
LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM


https://www.heatspring.com/app/courses/?query=net+zero+water https://www.heatspring.com/app/courses/?query=net+zero+water https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017

Table of Contents
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - IP
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - Cover1
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - Cover2
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - A
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - B
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 1
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 2
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - Table of Contents
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 4
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 5
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 6
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Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 33
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - 34
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - Cover3
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - Cover4
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - M1
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - AD1
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - AD2
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - AD3
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2017 - AD4
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2020Winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2020Fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2020Summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2020Spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2019Winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2019Fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2019Summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2019Spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2018winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2018Fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2017winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2017summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2017Spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2016winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2016summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2015Winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2014winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2013winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2013summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2012summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2012spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2012winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2011fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2011summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2011spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2011winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2010fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2010summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2010spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2010winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2009fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2009summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2009spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2009winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/greenroofs/lam_2008fall
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com