Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2009 - (Page 37)

ON SPEC CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN THE OVERALL FORECAST FOR MAY BE GRIM BUT THERE’S AN ABUNDANCE OF REASONS TO BE BULLISH WHEN IT COMES TO THE INDUSTRY’S FUTURE By Jennifer Sprout t has been my pleasure and privilege to work in the green roof industry for the past six years, beginning with the first annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards and Trade Show held in Chicago in 2003. At that time, we were amazed to have 350+ green roof enthusiasts and 35 exhibitors join us for the inaugural event. Our most recent conference, held in Baltimore in May 2008, hosted more than 1,100 attendees and 80 exhibitors, and the interest, attention and inspiration generated from the concept of green roofs continues to grow aggressively. Contrast this with the grim forecast for 2009 of declining sales, job losses etc. and it would appear our industry is either hopelessly naïve or other realities are in play. My perception is the latter at work. Hope abounds for the introduction of green stimulus packages by the new Obama administration in Washington to support continued growth in the environmental industry. We are actively in support of a Bill before Congress that will provide incentives for green roofs and stimulate green jobs. Furthermore, industry research continues to prove that building green saves money, and helps our economy environment. Attendance at last year’s U.S. Green Building Council GreenBuild was up by 4,000 with an astounding 27,000 attendees and 875 exhibitors participating overall – and next year’s trade show was sold out onsite! Obviously, people are feeling bullish about green. A number of trends in the green roof industry specifically add credence to the idea that green roofs are not just a romantic idea that flourishes in good economic times. For the past four years, our annual survey of Corporate Members has reported a steady increase in completed projects of approximately 30 per cent. Many of our Corporate Members say they are fully subscribed for 2009 with more projects in the pipeline. Hard research results and new quantitative tools in the marketplace continue to demonstrate to skeptics the actual dollar savings and environmental benefits of adding green roofs to building projects. Governments at all levels are also leading through the building of showcase green roofs on existing and new buildings while developing supportive green roof policies and we continue to work with local and regional governments through our Local Market Development Program. Take New York City for example: under new legislation, building owners in the Big Apple will receive a tax credit equal to usd $4.50 per square foot when a green roof is installed. Chicago’s is another example with a laudable new climate change action plan to achieve a total of 6,000 green roofs citywide by 2020. The City of Toronto’s “Eco-Roof" program will provide incentives of cdn $50 per square meter of green roofs for institutional, commercial and industrial buildings. The City of Seattle currently has an impervious surface reduction credit that lists green roofs and roof gardens I “More than 80 percent of commercial building owners have allocated funds to green initiatives this year,according to 2008 Green Survey:Existing Buildings.” as acceptable strategies along with innovative landscaping requirements – and the list of public investments keeps on growing. It is also expected that U.S. President Obama’s fiscal stimulus package will include heavy emphasis on creating green jobs and the prospects of a breakthrough deal on global emission reductions in Copenhagen also look brighter. Obama has unquestionably laid down a signal of intent: the struggle against runaway climate change will now enjoy the full-hearted support of the US Administration. That is a change we need and can look forward to in 2009. So, with such a positive outlook ahead for and sound research behind us, I say to the industry “bring on more green roofs!” D Jennifer Sprout is vice president, Membership, with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. She can be reached at jsprout@greenroofs.org. Our next Local Market Development Symposia is in Milwaukee on March 11, 2009. LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR WINTER 37 http://www.sedummaster.com http://www.sedummaster.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2009

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2009
Contents
From the Founder: When is a Green Roof Really "Green"?
Strata - People, Products & Projects: Funding for the Green Infrastructure Foundation (GIF)
An Integrated Approach to Green Roofs
On the Roof with...
Project: A Green Wall for Wildlife
Research: Green Roofs and Local Temperature
Turning Your Roof into a Water-Saving "Living Oasis"
Feature: Water & Georgia
GRHC Update: GHRC Professional Development Calendar
Accreditation Exam Subject to Stringent Standards
Welcome New Corporate Members
On Spec: Change We Can Believe In

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2009