Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - 7

TRENDS

NEW US ADMINISTRATION
HOLDS PROMISE FOR
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
BY BLAINE STAND, PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES MANAGER, GRHC

Now that the dust has settled on the US Presidential Election, it is time to start
preparing for what the Biden-Harris Administration has in store for the next four
years by capitalizing on the policy achievements we have made for green roofs
and walls to further advance the industry.

ENSURE THE U.S. ACHIEVES A 100% CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
AND REACHES NET-ZERO EMISSIONS NO LATER THAN 2050
Green roofs and walls contribute to significant energy use reductions and green roofs
also provide performance improvements to integrated solar pv systems.
MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN MORE RESILIENT NATIONAL
WATER, TRANSPORTATION, AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
Green roofs and walls reduce the burden to existing water and energy infrastructure,
reducing maintenance and other ongoing costs.
RECOMMIT TO THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND STAND WITH AND REJOIN
THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY IN FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE
Green roofs and walls play an integral role in mitigating the local impacts
of climate change.
MAKE CLIMATE CHANGE A CORE NATIONAL SECURITY PRIORITY
Green roofs and walls safeguard communities and reinforce existing
infrastructure systems.
STAND UP TO THE ABUSE OF POWER BY POLLUTERS WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY
HARM COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES
Green roofs and walls can significantly improve health indicators and provide much
needed greenspace to marginalized communities and communities of color by addressing
issues such as air pollution, flooding and the urban heat island.
INVEST IN COAL AND POWER PLANT COMMUNITIES TO PROTECT AT-RISK
EMPLOYEES AND TRANSITION TO NEW GENERATION METHODS
Green roofs and walls support both capital and ongoing job creation opportunities
through skilled trades in installation and maintenance.

LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

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resident-Elect Biden has put forward a bold vision for a climate
resilient future through his Plan For A Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice, recognizing the United States'
urgent need to take bold steps to address climate change with
a science-based approach. The administration's plan to invest $2
trillion in environmental initiatives and infrastructure modernization
presents a unique opportunity for the green roof and wall industry
to take advantage of an unprecedented investment into combating
climate change. This climate forward approach provides multiple
avenues by which to scale up green roof and wall implementation
across the United States and to address many of the goals specified
by the incoming Biden-Harris Administration.
Supplementary to the Biden-Harris plan is Congresswoman
Nydia Velazquez's bill H.R. 7693, Green Public School Green
Rooftop Program, which seeks to establish a grant program through
the US Department of Energy for the installation and maintenance
of green roof systems on public school buildings. This bill, which
recognizes both the Green Roof Professional designation and the
Living Architecture Performance Tool not only seeks to defray costs
shouldered by the already overburdened education system, but also
increase access to conservation education and recreational green
space for the nation's youth.
These two federal level initiatives signal an exciting shift towards
a more science-based, climate-resilient approach over the coming
four years, and significant opportunity to grow the green roof and
wall markets through national investment and local policy support
signaling a bright future for green roofs, walls, and other forms of
green infrastructure in the United States.
Blaine Stand can be reached at bstand@greenroofs.org Join us for our Policy
focused symposia on February 25, 2021. See greenroofs.org/virtualevents
LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / WINTER 2020 / 7
http://www.greenroofs.org/virtualevents http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020

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