Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014 - (Page 1)

FROM THE FOUNDER REVITALIZING OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGH LIVING ARCHITECTURE "UNEMPLOYMENT IS CAPITALISM'S WAY OF GETTING YOU TO PLANT A GARDEN." Orson Scott Card D espite what Orson thinks, building thousands of new 21st century 'gardens' on walls and roofs may in fact just be the remedy needed to address the challenge of local job creation. In this period of global capitalism, when our workers have to compete with cheap foreign labor and low or non-existent regulations safeguarding the environment and workers, several strategies for community revitalization through job creation stand out. One strategy involves identifying and investing in things that cannot be easily outsourced to cheap labor markets and that are labor intensive. Living architecture like green roofs and walls is sourced locally or regionally, and maintained with local labor. For each dollar spent on a green roof, between 75 to 85 cents results in direct or indirect employment. Another strategy, called import substitution, is to invest in projects that replace imports from markets outside the community. Green roofs and walls can save energy and water, improve human health and produce useable products such as food, all of which are generally imported. Green roofs and walls are an import substitution strategy and are labor intensive, locally sourced infrastructure. In addition to jobs, they also bring additional revitalization benefits associated with providing opportunities for community development and cohesion, improving social justice, stormwater management, air quality improvement, better aesthetics, active and passive recreation opportunities and education. Our collective goal, as an industry, is to implement 1 billion square feet (sf) of green roofs and thousands of green walls by 2022 - our 20th anniversary. We can't do this without more public policy and investment in green roof and wall technologies. At Grey to Green in Toronto, August 25-26, we will explore the health benefits of green roofs and walls. The new LAM Index (right) provides a statistical snap shot of how investing in living architecture in our communities may contribute significantly to their revitalization. Sincerely, Steven W. Peck, GRP Founder & President, GRHC READ THIS ISSUE ONLINE AT WWW.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM THE LAM INDEX: REVITALIZATION 19.8 1.3 MILLION SF MILLION SF Estimated area of green roofs completed in 2012 across North America Green roof area installed in 2012 in Washington DC 6 48.5 190 40 10 9.6 Potential green roofable area on buildings in communities over 50,000 in population throughout the U.S. BILLION SF Jobs generated from covering only 1 percent of the green roofable area in medium to large urban centers in the U.S. THOUSAND THOUSAND LBS. Annual yield from Brooklyn Grange's 43,000 sf rooftop farm HOURS Extensive green roof maintenance employment generated per 1,000 sf per year PERCENT BILLION Of employee Estimated cost of absences attributed covering 1 percent of to no connection green roofable area with nature in U.S. 90.3%, 8.9% AND 0.8% Corporate office space dedicated to salaries, rent/ mortgage and energy respectively For a full list of sources, visit: http://goo.gl/jwNX6. LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SPRING 2014 / 1 http://www.goo.gl/jwNX6 http://WWW.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014
Contents
From the Founder
On the Roof With...
Policy and Standards
Research
Gap Leadership
Confessions of a Green 'Starchitect'
Sprucing Up
Green Roofs and Walls in Music City
Space in Transition
Big Box Retailers Embracing Green Roofs?
Exploring England's Green Roof and Wall Industry
New GRHC Corporate Members
GRHC Buyers Guide
Professional Calendar
Dirty Thoughts

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014