Green Options

The GreenRoofs.org “Green Roofs for Healthy Cities”  Conference is on the horizon in Atlanta this coming June 2009! It is just ideal for:

• those interested in creating Green Roofs.
• studying the future of Vertical Gardens/Green Walls.
• raising awareness for green roofs and living walls (vertical gardens).
• engineers, architects, landscape architects, landscape designers,  property managers, developers, roofing contractors, and students.
• anyone interested who wants a 2-day crash course in green roofs and all the beautiful benefits they bring to cities.
• creative city gardeners of all sorts.

“Green roofs are an important component of green infrastructure. They provide valuable public benefits related to stormwater management, reduction of the urban heat island, improvement of air quality (including removal of particulate matter), and general improvement of the quality of life in communities.”  ~GreenRoofs.org

The Top Ten Cities for Green Roof Installations

In April, the not-for-profit industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities released its 2007 lists of the Top Ten Cities for Green Roof Installations. The Top Ten cities in the U.S. are as follows:

1. Chicago IL
2. Wilmington DE
3. Baltimore MD
4. Brooklyn NY
5. Virginia Beach VA
6. Royersford PA
7. Washington DC
8. Philadelphia PA
9. Amery WI

For lists of 2007’s top ten cities in North America and Canada, see the Final Report of the Green Roof Industry Survey.

Pacific Northwest Needs to Get Back in the Running

While Vancouver made the list for the Top Ten Green Roof Cities in Canada, the Pacific Northwest was not represented in the Top Ten for the U.S. (Portland was 9th in 2006). Cities in the Pacific Northwest (Portland and Seattle, especially) are regularly included in ‘Top Ten Green Cities’ lists that are compiled using broader criteria.