Sky Gardens Blog ~ Since her "summer vacation," Linda has been blogging on a variety of subjects and a couple of our contributing editors have joined in, too:

An Awesome World Green Roof Congress in London! Day 1, by Linda  Velazquez, October 13, 2008: Everyone greatly enjoyed the conference ~
 

Post-Safari reflections, by Christine Thuring, September 30, 2008: Her first European tour adventure was a success ~

Green Living News, Walls, Roofs and More, by George Irwin, September 30, 2008: He talks about his own company's happenings ~

"Up on the Roof" with People Magazine - a numbers game, by Linda, September 28, 2008: Troy Wagner & Ed Snodgrass are interviewed ~ 

The World Green Roof Congress '08: Innovation, Research & Friends, by Linda, September 13, 2008: Looking forward to seeing old colleagues and learning something new ~

Remember, Honor, Renew, and Imagine., by Linda, September 11, 2008: A Motto for both design and life ~

Green Roof Safari - we're rolling! by Christine, September 7, 2008: All the planning comes to fruition ~
 

 

The 2008 Greenroofs of the World 12-Month Wall Calendar: Stay up to date with international green building events in our 11" x 18" full-color glossy Calendar featuring beautiful living roofs from around the world, each with a link to its profile in The Greenroof Projects Database.  And Coming Soon is the 2009 Greenroofs of the World Calendar!

October features "The Neese Memorial Rooftop Garden" from GreenGrid®. Filled with flowering perennials and shrubs, the Beloit Memorial Hospital greenroof is enjoyed by patients, family and employees alike.
 
September featured "New Providence Wharf" from ZinCo®. Located in the docklands area of London, this terraced multi-use, multi-family residential building uses inverted intensive greenroofs for its residents at many levels.

 

The City of Portland is offering $300,000 in ecoroof grants in this fiscal year, and will make funds available over the next five years. The incentive grants will pay up to $5 per square foot for a variety of new ecoroof projects. And their Ecoroof Plant Report gives guidance on plant selection in the Portland area. [09.29.08]

The USGBC's Strategic Plan 2009-2013: The Plan was adopted by the USGBC board of directors setting a path for USGBC's future that is both visionary in its goals and relevant to their leadership role in transforming the built environment. [09.29.08]

The City of Chicago announced their Climate Action Plan, an outline of bold ideas that could help expand on the City's successes to slow the effects of climate change. [09.18.08]

Environment Agency from the UK has a new Green Roof Tool Kit which includes "Environment Agency's Building a better environment: A guide for developers - Environment Agency advice on adding value to your site," a web-based resource for developers and planners for the Thames Region. [09.08]

Affiliated FM, a member of the FM Global Group, offers new green insurance coverage for greenroof replacement and accredited green consultant costs. [09.08]

 

Chicago, IL
O'Hare aims at environmentally friendly skies
Chicago Daily Herald's Marni Pyke reports on the new north air traffic control tower's base building and its 10,000 sf greenroof, just one of four totalling 33,000 sf of rooftop gardens. [10.22.08]

U.S.
US Mayors, USGBC Join Forces to Green Schools
The editors at GreenerBuildings tell us the alliance initiatives include developing partnerships with local businesses to enable schools to plant green roofs, among other programs. [10.20.08]

Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico pollution solution: Go green
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard wants to install more than 500,000 square feet of green roofs by 2012, starting with government buildings as part of Mexico City's $5.5 billion "Green Plan," which Ebrard insists will transform one of the world's most polluted areas. Jeremy Schwartz reporting from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [10.19.08]

New York, NY
Scientists, Sustainable South Bronx: Cool Surfaces Can Combat NYC Pollution, Save Energy, Improve Health; Green-Collar Jobs Needed
The widespread use of vegetated and highly reflective surfaces could improve the environment, public health, and economy, according to a new SSBx Working Paper. The review of research on the impacts of heat island mitigation on urban air quality, near-surface air temperature, and stormwater runoff found strong evidence that UHI mitigation strategies including green roofs will help. E-Wire. [10.16.08]

Sydney, Australia
Future farms over our heads
Heath Gilmore investigates how the new "intensive urban veggie culture" and industry will need a new professional who can grow food on the roofs and sides of buildings. The City of Sydney council commissioned a report to look at the greening of rooftops including retrofitting multi-storey apartment buildings. Sydney Morning Herald. [10.12.08]

Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati wants to lead green roof movement in US
Terry Kinney from AP says the city estimates about $5 million a year in below-market-rate loans will be available starting in 2009 through the U.S. EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund for green roof projects along with an undetermined amount of grant money from other EPA funds. [10.02.08]

 

October 28: Green roofs - Basic principles and design, Belfast, Northern Ireland

October 28: City of Portland Grant Application Packet Available, Portland, OR

October 29: City of Portland Ecoroof Technical Workshops, Portland, OR

October 31: Call for Papers and Early Bird Exhibitor Discount due for the 2009 Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards & Trade Show, Atlanta, GA

November 3-5: Design-Build Conference & Expo, Las Vegas, NV

November 3-5: Waterproof Membranes 2008, Cologne, Germany

November 4: CitiesAlive! Toronto Launch Event and Workshop, Toronto, Canada

November 8: Introduction to Green Roofs, Sheffield, England

November 17-18: Climate Change and the Green Sector: A Growing Interest, Ashville, NC

For a complete listing, visit Upcoming Events and the Calendar inside our Forums section.

Linda S. Velazquez
Editor & Publisher

Guest Feature Articles: We've got two interesting ones about two very different projects! Read "Sustainable Head-Quarters: The West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority" by Frances Carroll about WMFRA's new green and brown living roofs in Birmingham, England, which achieved an 'Excellent' BREEAM rating.

And read "Relaxing Villa Santai, the First Greenroof in Bali ~ the eco-friendly greenroof project in Bali, Indonesia, incorporating water retention, recycling and conservation methods"
by Victor Sinclair about the trials of building greenroofs on a residential complex in the dry and rainy seasons of southeastern Asia.

Contributing Editors:
Ralph Velasquez's new "Sustainable Roofing Technologies" column is all about the benefits of sustainability in a turbulent economy. Check out "Green in Tough Times?"  And did you read his September article, "When are green roofs really blue?"  Ralph explains PV's and BIP's and more.

George Irwin's new "Green Walls" column highlights "Successful Maintenance on Green Walls," and focuses on potential issues and common items for checking on your green walls - not to be missed!

Have you read Ed Snodgrass's latest "Ask Ed" column yet?  See "Bulbs on roofs?"

Welcome to our newest Premium Listing Advertiser:
J.P. Bartlett Co., Inc., Michael Hoffmann.