Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/86263
Selected Green Roof Benefits * Employment — direct and indirect * Stormwater management * Improved biodiversity * Educational opportunities * Integration with onsite water management * Extension of membrane durability * Biophilic benefits — reduced absenteeism, faster heal- ing, etc. * Reduce urban heat island effect * Improve membrane durability * Energy savings * Integration with HVAC systems * Integration with rooftop solar panels * Human health, productivity improvements * Property value improvements * Noise reduction * Air and water quality improvements * Food production * Active and passive recreation * Four season aesthetics Source: Adapted from "Rise of Living Architecture: Com- memorative Edition", Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, 2012. that can arise — and how to avoid them or address them. The GRP program is designed to help reduce green roof failure by es- tablishing best practices and promoting education. It also recog- nizes the more than 500 professionals who have earned the right to call themselves GRPs. Policy makers have even begun to utilize the GRP designation as an approach to help ensure that projects are properly executed and developers have begun to demand that GRPs are part of project teams. Professional training, for any new industry, is fundamentally im- portant, as is the establishment of standards. GRHC has begun work on an ambitious project to develop a Living Architecture Performance Tool that will define the metrics for green roof and wall performance in a comprehensive manner. This tool will help to inform design practice, focus research, inform how voluntary standards such as the USGBC's LEED programs and Sustainable Sites relate to green roofs and walls and hopefully address the re- gional factors that influence performance. At CitiesAlive experts will be meeting to deliberate and discuss this important initiative that is designed to strengthen the green roof and wall industry over the long run, and to ensure the maximum benefits for the public and building owners. In Chicago, Jeffrey L. Bruce will deliver the third professional training workshop focused on the emerging field of integrated water management for sites and buildings. Sponsored by Ewing and Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company, these training courses are es- tablishing a new set of principles and practices aimed at moving towards to the difficult goal of "net zero water" set by the Casca- dia Green Building Council as part of its leading edge, Living Building Challenge program. This third course will focus on the sizing of cisterns and calculating a water-balance for the inputs and outputs for the building and the site. Wise water management is key to the maintenance of any form of living architecture, so we continue to invest in pushing the industry towards a more sustain- able, and ultimately profitable platform of practice. www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation 21 In an era of enormous budget deficits, and bankrupt cities and towns, we need to spend each and every public and private dollar as wisely as possible. Living architecture technologies, such as green roofs and walls hold the promise of being able to contribute significantly to the green building movement, and to the broader infrastructure challenges facing our country. They are able to do this because they reach across traditional divides between profes- sionals and government departments and make use of underuti- lized spaces — the roofs and walls of our cities. Unlike many forms of infrastructure, they bring a multitude of solutions to the table — the things we need — clean air and water, jobs, efficiency, community health and opportunities to simply relax and enjoy our increasingly urban lives. Diverse applications and diverse bene- fits are core strengths of this new type of infrastructure which, when combined with public and private investment, will propel the industry forward. Invest in the future and join us for our 10th Anniversary in Chicago where you will meet the players, network and help to contribute to a more sustainable future. LI Steven W. Peck, GRP, Honorary ASLA, is the founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), an industry association whose mission is to develop the industry across North America. GRHC will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary in Chicago at CitiesAlive Octo- ber 17-20, 2012. For more information, visit www.greenroofs.org and www.citiesalive.org.