Apr 21 2008
Call it a gift for the earth just in time for Earth Day. Last year, 30 percent more green roofs were installed in North America -- and that means more beautiful rooftops, cleaner air, cooler cities, reduced energy consumption, less untreated stormwater running into our rivers and streams, and more green spaces for people, plants and animals.
This good news comes from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities' 3rd Annual Green Roof Market Industry Survey of its corporate members and represents a five percent increase over last year's annual market growth rate of 25 percent. The survey is based on square footage of green roof projects installed by GRHC's corporate members in 2007.
"We're particularly thrilled to see Baltimore on our list for the first time as it is the host city of our fast-approaching annual international green roof conference starting April 30, 2008," says Steven W. Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. "We're also pleased to see Washington, D.C. on the list again as the government of the District of Columbia is this year's winner of an Awards of Excellence for Civic Leadership. Significant green roof implementation can save tens of millions of dollars from reduced energy, and greatly improve regional stormwater management and air quality."
Other newcomers to the Top 10 US Cities list: Brooklyn, NY; Virginia Beach, VA; Royersford, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Amery, WI; and Germantown, MD. The City of Chicago remains the number one city for green roofs with over half a million new square feet of green roofs installed in 2007, evidence of the city's commitment to becoming America's greenest city through green roof policies and incentives that support green roofs, walls and other forms of living architecture.
Complete survey results, methodology and charts are available at http://www.greenroofs.org under "Media Resources" as well as conference details. Media passes for conference available.