Green Roofs Australia 2009 Annual General Meeting

Notice is given that the Green Roofs Australia Annual General Meeting is to be held on Tuesday 15 December 2009. For all members wishing to participate in the 2009 GRA AGM, please click here for more information.

Green Roofs Australia 2009 Conference Presentations now available

For the delegates and exhibitors who contributed to the Green Roofs Australia conference held in Melbourne earlier this year and for those of you who were unable to attend, please be advised that the conference presentations are now available for download via this weblink.

If all Australian homes had green roofs we’d capture about 550,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

• By Geoff Wilson

Major applications of green roofs over Australia’s six major cities, with a total population of at least 13 million people, could capture more than half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from city air.

These calculations are derived from a two-year study from Michigan State University, reported in early October, 2009 in the US journal “Environmental Science and Technology”.

There was no major analysis before this of likely carbon uptake of urban green roofs.

Michigan State University research determined that every square meter of green roof generally sequestered 375 grams of carbon dioxide a year.

An average Australian rooftop had an area of about 280 to 300 square metres. Well-greened. this average home rooftop area could lock up around 100 kilograms of carbon a year.

Multiply that by Australia’s 5.5 million or so urban homes, and the result (if all roofs were greened) could be a saving of around 550,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year via rooftop greenery in place for 20 to 50 years.

The breakthough US research was led by MSU horticulture Professor Brad Rowe and doctoral research assistant Kristin Getter. MSU maintains a comprehensive repository of green roof research.

Professor Rowe said that 375 grams per square meter was not a large amount, but that if buildings were equipped with green roofs over a large area, it would amount to a significant carbon sink for cities.

Although a roof covered entirely with vegetation was at least 10% more expensive to construct than a traditional roof, it could double roof lifespan. Increased construction costs could now be recouped within two years in the United States. In the long run, a green roof benefits the tenant, a city’s services and the environment.

Michigan R&D on rooftop carbon sequestration is a wake-up call
Green Roofs Australia Inc member, architecture Professor Janis Birkeland (pictured) of Queensland University of Technology, said the Michigan State University study was a significant wake-up call for key architecture people in Australia – where green roofs and green walls were an embryonic new built-environment industry.

Her words follow her significant 2008 authorship of the 432-page book titled Positive Development: from vicious circles to virtuous cycles through built environment design.

”Buildings can sequester carbon and produce a raft of other measurable benefits called ‘ecosystem services’. These services, such as air and water cleansing, and soil, energy, and food production, can be integrated with the urban environment”. The energy and greenhouse reductions and health benefits can pay for the costs of change ”, Professor Birkeland said.

Professor Birkeland has had a built-environment career based on sensible advocacy. She worked consecutively as artist, advocacy planner, architect, urban designer, city planner and attorney in San Francisco before entering academia in Australia.

She has authored about 100 publications on built environment and sustainability and wrote the highly-successful and widely-adopted Design for Sustainability (Earthscan, 2002). She is now Professor of Architecture at Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane.

She said the significant Michigan study should alert Brisbane’s 400 or so architecture firms to the importance foreseen for the “Cities Alive Australia” World Green Infrastructure Congress in Brisbane in October, 2012. They also needed to alert colleagues in other Australian cities.

Brisbane’s 2012 congress was being offered $100,000 support by Brisbane City Council, and $10,000 support from Brisbane Marketing.

“But significant reduction of Brisbane people’s carbon footprints was only one of the dozen or so benefits this congress will show for green roofs and green walls plus allied technologies, she said.

Four conference themes proposed show this. They were:

• Climate Change Action Planning (already undertaken by Brisbane City Council).
• Improved urban rain-water harvesting, storage and micro-management.
• Much-advanced solar power use, using new technologies by Australian National University and CSIRO.
• Food from the roof – especially via a combination of aquaponics and vermiculture..

Improved architectural design was the key link. “Poor architecture and urban design kills more people every year than terrorism” Professor Birkeland said.

“Apart from exacerbating the effects of floods, droughts, storms, earthquakes and waterborne diseases, urban development often causes city temperatures to rise by two degrees Celsius or more.

“This urban heat island effect has killed thousands of people during heat waves in many cities around the world, the most recent of which was 3,000 one hot day in Paris in 2003,” she said.

Yet, one of the easiest urban cooling solutions was green roofs and walls designed into buildings, which could pay for themselves in a few years through energy savings, Professor Birkeland said.

To be ‘sustainable’, a built environment would need to leave Brisbane’s ecology, as well as its people, better off after construction than before. Restoration or remediation is not enough because we have already exceeded the Earth’s ecological carrying capacity,” Professor Birkeland said.

The only way we can support even existing bio-regions and populations sustainably is to retrofit urban areas to increase the net ecological carrying capacity of cities.

Buildings must not only produce clean energy, water, soil, air, and food, but must also reverse the impacts of previous development and expand ecosystems in absolute terms. The best way to start was with green roofs and green walls technology about to be specially developed for Brisbane by Queensland universities, she said.

“We cannot improve upon nature, so the only way we can increase the Earth’s ecological carrying capacity is to retrofit citiesto generate natural, as well as social, capital.

This could be done in Brisbane by providing good infrastructure for ecosystem services and bio-productive functions, such as green roofs and living walls.

We can easily modify our urban environments to create the infrastructure, conditions and space for increasing the ‘ecological base’ (ecosystem goods and services, natural capital, biodiversity and habitats, ecological health and resilience) and the ‘public estate’, or universal access to the means of survival and bio-security.

“Green roofs and green walls for Australia’s hot, dry conditions can contribute to both”, she said.

Professor Birkeland said current means of assessing building quality is based on a meaningless standard, which was less harm than ‘typical buildings of the same kind’.

“Today we have the capacity to determine the pre-settlement ecological conditions. A sustainability standard would measure improvements over the original extent and level of ecosystem health, productivity and services. At QUT, we are working on measuring the value of ecosystem services in the built environment,” she said.

Urban greenery reduces human disease: research

There is more evidence that living near a ‘green space’ has health benefits, according BBC News in Britain on October 15, 2009.

The BBC report said research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed the impact is particularly noticeable in reducing rates of mental ill-health.

The annual rates of 15 out of 24 major physical diseases were also significantly lower among those living closer to green spaces. One environmental expert said the study confirmed that green spaces create ‘oases’ of improved health around them.

Researchers from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam looked at the health records of 350,000 people registered with 195 family doctors across the Netherlands.

Only people who had been registered with their GP for longer than 12 months were included because the study assumed this was the minimum amount of time people would have to live in an environment before any effect of it would be noticeable.

The percentages of green space within a one and three kilometre (0.62 and 1.86 miles) radius of their home were calculated using their postcode. On average, green space accounted for 42% of the residential area within one kilometre (0.62 miles) radius and almost 61% within a three kilometre (1.86 miles) radius of people’s homes.

Annual rates for 24 diseases in 7 different categories were calculated (see panel item below). Health benefits for most of the diseases were only seen when the greenery was within a one kilometre (0.62 miles ) radius of the home.

The exceptions to this were anxiety disorders, infectious diseases of the digestive system and medically unexplained physical symptoms which were seen to benefit even when the green spaces were within three kilometres of the home.

The biggest impact was on anxiety disorders and depression.

The annual prevalence of anxiety disorders for those living in a residential area containing 10% of green space within a one kilometre (0.62 miles) radius of their home was 26 per 1000 whereas for those living in an area containing 90% of green space it was 18 per 1000.

For depression the rates were 32 per 1000 for the people in the more built up areas and 24 per 1000 for those in the greener areas.

The researchers also showed that this relation was strongest for children younger than 12.

They were 21% less likely to suffer from depression in the greener areas.
Two unexpected findings were that the greener spaces did not show benefits for high blood pressure and that the relation appeared stronger for people aged 46 to 65 than for the elderly.

The researchers think the green spaces help recovery from stress and offer greater opportunities for social contacts.

They say the free physical exercise and better air quality could also contribute.
Dr Jolanda Maas of the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said: “It clearly shows that green spaces are not just a luxury but they relate directly to diseases and the way people feel in their living environments.”

“Most of the diseases which are related to green spaces are diseases which are highly prevalent and costly to treat so policy makers need to realise that this is something they may be able to diminish with green spaces.”

Professor Barbara Maher of the Lancaster Environment Centre said the study confirmed that green spaces create oases of improved health around them especially for children.

She said: “At least part of this ‘oasis’ effect probably reflects changes in air quality.

“Anything that reduces our exposure to the modern-day ‘cocktail’ of atmospheric pollutants has got to be a good thing,” she said.

DISEASES THAT BENEFIT MOST FROM GREEN SPACES

Coronary heart disease
Neck, shoulder, back, wrist and hand complaints
Depression and anxiety
Diabetes
Respiratory infections and asthma
Migraine and vertigo
Stomach bugs and urinary tract infections
Unexplained physical symptoms

Russia new member of World Green Roof Infrastructure Network

Russia is expected to become the 14th country to join the expanding World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGRIN) at next month’s Cities Alive World Green Infrastructure Congress in Toronto, Canada.

The World Green Roof Infrastructure Network is an international association of national associations whose mission is to develop the world green roof and green wall industry through international cooperation.

Professor Manfred Kohler, president of WGRIN, said: “We welcome participation from Russia, which expands our membership and brings in new expertise.

“At least five other new membership prospects in the Americas and Asia will likely be joining WGRIN soon.”

Leading the Russian membership application is Mr Ivan Cherny of the construction company Kifa. Kifa supports the modern green roof concept and would like to join WGRIN to advance its knowledge and report on what Russians are achieving in green roofs, green walls and allied technologies. A federation of Russian green roof and green wall interests is mooted.

WGRIN was founded on May 1, 2008 at the first WGRIN meeting in Baltimore, United States. The founding members include: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United States.

Since its founding in May, 2008, WGRIN’s new national members have joined from Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Greece and Peru.

Professor Kohler said: “I will be happy to welcome Russia as a national member of our international World Green Roof Infrastructure Network at our first international congress, in Toronto, Canada, from October 19.to 21, 2009.

“Many Russian buildings have world-class green roof projects, not just for saving fossil fuel energy through superior insulation, but also to reduce rooftop storm-water runoff and consequent expenses in storm-water management. In past times of political difficulties, secure rooftop growing of food has been well-pioneered in Russia,” Professor Kohler said.

World meets at “Cities Alive” to explore green roofs and climate change in Toronto, Canada, October 19-21, 2009

Steven Peck, secretary and treasurer of WGRIN, and President of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – North America Inc. (www.greenroofs.org) is leading the organizing of the first WGRIN Congress in Toronto – Cities Alive.

Mr. Peck said: “Cities Alive will for the first time bring many nations together to share expertise on how vegetative technologies such as green roofs, walls and urban forests can help us reduce greenhouse gases and adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.

“There are a tremendous number of leading-edge researchers, designers and policy makers coming to Toronto – all global leaders in this emerging field of green infrastructure”, he added.

For further information:
CitiesAlive, World Green Roof Infrastructure Congress. October 19-21, 2009 – www.citiesalive.org Media passes available. Please contact Rebecca Black rblack@greenroofs.org

GRA Inc supports UQ research into new Brisbane roof plants

Green Roofs Australia Inc (Queensland) is strongly supporting the University of Queensland in its proposed research into new native plant cultivars for Brisbane’s future green roofs and green walls.

Last week the University of Queensland’s Gatton Campus researcher, Dr Melanie Perkins, told Queensland members of GRA Inc that their state had a number of native plants (including drought-hardy weeds) which could be developed specially for city roofs and walls.

Such cultivars were needed urgently for the hotter, drier conditions of Brisbane rooftops – especially as predicted climate change occurred. The University of Queensland would expect good results to start flowing from research within several years.

Big benefits were expected for rural and urban horticultural industries currently recovering from the 2008 drought.

By mid century Brisbane is expected to have a climate similar to that of Mackay, some 800 km to the north. City temperatures could be significantly reduced by millions of square meters of specially grown, hardy roof plants.

Dr Perkins said that the new native cultivars could have more attractive flowering and much-reduced (or no) capacity to produce “weed-seeds” and pollen in cities.

Geoff Wilson, founder and Queensland executive of Green Roofs Australia Inc said that a research program into Queensland native plants suited to hot roofs and walls was of great importance to the progress of built-environment design and construction in Brisbane.

Mr Wilson told Queensland members: “Of parallel importance will be our response to the mini-harvesting of rainwater, its storage below or at the side of buildings, and its use in irrigation mini-systems to keep roof an wall plants alive without any use of municipal water supplies.

“Every Australian city has a similar development pattern ahead of it, so the University of Queensland native plant-breeding research project can expect to have many similar projects by other universities around Australia ” Mr Wilson said.

Information on the green roof plant research program proposed in Queensland is available by emailing Green Roofs Founder and Queensland executive, Geoff Wilson, on wilson.geoff@optusnet com.au or by phoning +61 (0)7 3411 4524. The research is also likely to be discussed again at the GRA Inc. Queensland meeting in Brisbane from 5.30pm on Tuesday, July 20, 2009.

Toronto green roof by-law a model for Australian councils

Australian municipal governments are taking a keen interest in the City of Toronto’s new by-law, which mandates green roofs on all major new buildings in this Canadian city.

The landmark green roof by-law was decided 36 votes in favour and two against last Friday, May 29 and is the first in North America to mandate green roofs in addition to providing standards for their construction, placing Toronto among other cities with similar by-laws in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan.

The implementation of Toronto’s green roof by-law has been achieved after more than a decade of widespread community consultation and pilot programs involving key players in the property industry such as building owners, property developers, city authorities, academics and local residents.

A study by Ryerson University in Toronto calculated an estimated city-wide temperature reduction of 2 degrees Celsius in summer months if only 8% of Toronto’s city roofs are greened. Other benefits include millions of dollars savings in city storm-water management and building energy bills, reduced fossil fuel energy use, improved productivity for office workers, and improved health and psychology for building residents.

Toronto’s new green roof by-law was also developed with assistance from members of the North American Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), with president, Stephen Peck noting that the mandatory rooftop greening applies to residential buildings of six stories or more and buildings with a Gross Floor Area above 2,000m2.

The Toronto by-law requires up to 60% green roof coverage on multi-unit residential buildings, on schools, non-profit housing, and commercial and industrial buildings.

Green Roofs Australia Inc is encouraging Australian councils to better understand what such mandating means in terms of support for faster green roofs and green wall development in Australian cities.

Queensland members of Green Roofs Australia Inc can learn more about the Toronto green roof by-laws (and have discussion on similar by-laws for Brisbane and other Queensland cities) at their next meeting at 5.30pm on Tuesday, July 20, 2009.

A half-day seminar and discussion on the by-law is being organised as part of the “Cities Alive” congress tour to Toronto in late October 2099.

More information on the “Cities Alive” tour is available by emailing Green Roofs Founder and Queensland executive, Geoff Wilson, on wilson.geoff@optusnet com.au or by phoning +61 (0)7 3411 4524.

Australian Landscape Conference 2009 to feature Green Roof Designs

This year’s Australian Landscape Conference will be held from 11 – 15 September at the Camberwell Centre, Melbourne with Ed Snodgrass, founder of North America’s first green roof nursery presenting on his experiences in the U.S.A’s green roof industry over many years.

In his presentation, Ed will explore the history of green roofs and their place in modern architecture and landscape architecture. He will review many design options for green roofs, citing case studies from a wide range of urban landscapes. Ed has developed a remarkable knowledge of hundreds of suitable, drought tolerant plants including their moisture needs, height characteristics and foliage and landscape values within North American climates and locations.

In addition to Ed’s presentation, conference delegates will experience desert gardens in Southern Morocco, Colombières and other painterly gardens in France and the inspired creations of Nancy Power who has worked so well with the notable architect, Frank Gehry. Delegates will also marvel at the great South American artist/designer Roberto Burle Marx and learn how in Provence, ‘human co-evolution with the land over centuries led to sustainable land management..’

Closer to home, Josh Byrne and James Broadbent will provide a grounding in the Australian environment and Stephanie Alexander will reveal how children plant, grow, harvest, and consume real food−fresh from the soil!

For more information on the Australian Landscape Conference and to register your booking, visit the Australian Landscape Conference website.

Eleven nations are now members of the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network

Since its foundation in May 2008, membership of the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGRIN) has grown from an initial seven countries to a total of eleven.

With the first national green roof organisation established in Germany nearly thirty years ago, world-wide interest in green infrastructure, particularly over the past ten years has lead to the creation of a number of national organisations across the globe.

Professor Manfred Koehler, President of WGRIN, (who represents Germany), said the founding member nations were: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United States. WGRIN has since expanded to include the member nations of Italy, New Zealand, Spain and South Africa, with a key objective of the WGRIN to become a globally important motivator of the use of green infrastructure in cities.

In keeping with this objective, a major activity of WGRIN will be the organising of an annual congress. The first congress is the “Cities Alive” World Green Infrastructure Congress in Toronto, Canada, from October 19 to 22, 2009. This congress will be co-hosted by the City of Toronto.

The theme of the first congress is “World green infrastructure for global action against climate change” with a focus on both mitigation and adaptation strategies for cities.

In conjunction with the WGRIN congress, some of the member nations are organising a fortnight’s study tour of four cities within the United States where green roof and wall infrastructure is already gaining ground. In particular, those in the news media are being encouraged to participate in the study tour to better understand the importance of green infrastructure (and urban greenery in general) in overcoming the problems of climate change.

An Australian-New Zealand tour group is being led by Geoff Wilson, Australian representative on WGRIN and Sidonie Carpenter, President of Green Roofs Australia. For more information or to make a booking, contact Geoff via email: wilson.geoff@optusnet.com.au or phone +61 (0)7 3411 4524.

The second WGRIN congress is to be held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 2010, with a European city to host the 2011 congress. It will then be Australia’s turn, with Brisbane playing host from October 17 to 21 in 2012!

Exciting times ahead for Green Roofs Australia

With Australia’s largest green roof a stone’s throw away, and public acceptance of the benefits of green roofs and walls increasing rapidly, the Green Roofs Australia Executive Committee met in Canberra over 21-22 March 2009 to review and develop the organisation’s strategic plan.

The current nine-member executive was elected in December ‘08, with most states and territories in Australia now represented at executive level. With monthly executive meetings usually held via the web, the Canberra gathering enabled the new executive members to meet face-to-face for the first time. GRA’s President, Sidonie Carpenter, said that ‘this weekend gives us the opportunity to get together and map out the key steps GRA needs to take to maintain its position as the leading advocate for the incorporation of green roof and wall infrastructure within the built form’.

GRA members will soon be be invited to contribute to and participate in the work of the sub-committees formed by the executive to advance the organisation’s strategic vision. With an expanding membership base, the new sub-committees will also provide members with opportunities to strengthen green infrastructure networks within their state as well as develop new networks across Australia.

The strategic planning weekend was hosted by ACT Coordinator, Mick Burgess and a follow-up meeting has been planned for later in the year.

Growing Up Melbourne: Green roof design competition

Growing Up is a project that is dedicated to making Melbourne a leader in green roof design.

This project pairs an award winning green roof design with property owners prepared to improve their property’s environmental, economic and amenity characteristics. The green roof design competition is an initiative of the the Committee for Melbourne’s Future Focus Group.

The Committee for Melbourne is an independent Member network, encouraging a competitive and innovative business culture and enhancing Melbourne’s liveability. It engages with Melbourne leaders by stimulating debate and focusing on outcomes that lead to positive change in ‘taskforce’ areas. The current taskforce areas are tackling Climate Change, Higher Education, and Transport for Melbourne.

To find out more about the competition or to register, visit the Growing Up website.

“Cities Alive!” North American study tour in October 2009

“CitiesAlive!” is the theme of a North American study tour for Australian and New Zealand built-environment experts in October, 2009.

The two-week study tour will present climate change solutions through urban greenery, and will propel green roof and green wall technology into Australia’s sustainable urban design.

Editors and journalists of built environment publications are a major target for the study tour, so that they can observe and learn about the latest information and projects relevant to Australia.

The two week study tour’s major focus is the North American debut of the four-day World Green Roof Infrastructure Congress, to be held in Toronto in October, 2009.  This is to be complemented by instructional site visits to notable green roofs, green walls, and “food from the roof” in at least five North American cities.

It will be led jointly by Sidonie Carpenter, President, Green Roofs Australia Inc., and Geoff Wilson, founder of GRA Inc. and one of six directors of the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGRIN).

The congress will attract leading-edge architects, landscape architects, construction professionals, developers, researchers and other green infrastructure representatives and stakeholders from across North America and around the world.

Building on the theme ‘Green Roof Infrastructure – A Global Solution to Climate Change’ the congress will showcase:
•    International world-class green roof and wall infrastructure design and case studies.
•    Building, neighborhood and watershed-scale research.
•    Innovative policies and programs that support the creation of green urban spaces.
•    A trade show and
•    Green roof professional training and accreditation.

Steven Peck, Co-Chair of CitiesAlive! and founding board member of the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (based in Toronto), said:
“Green infrastructure is increasingly recognized as an effective way to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, and help cities cope with the impacts of extreme weather.

“Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is delighted to co-host this innovative event and provide a venue for experts from around the world to gather and help expand the living architecture community.”

Deputy Mayor of Toronto, Joe Pantalone, a world-leader in green infrastructure development at municipal government levels, said:

“Toronto, under the leadership of Mayor David Miller, is committed to real action on climate change. We are delighted to co-host this event and help spread green roof infrastructure and the innovative thinking that will transform our urban landscapes.”

CitiesAlive! was announced at a green roof infrastructure workshop at the Toronto Botanical Gardens, organized by the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities organisation, which has about 1,600 members in Canada and the United States.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) was founded in 1999 as a small network of public and private organizations in North America.  It is now rapidly growing as a not-for-profit industry association for green roof experts.

It’s mission is to increase the awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of green roofs and green walls, and other forms of living architecture through education, advocacy, professionalism and celebrations of excellence. Website: www.greenroofs.org

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America.

In the past three years, Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and liveability for all its residents.

For further information on the Australian and New Zealand “CitiesAlive! 2009 Study Tour” contact Geoff Wilson.

Email: wilson.geoff@optusnet.com

Phones: 07 3411 4524 or 0412 622 779

Fund-raising starts for Brisbane’s green infrastructure education

Fund-raising of $65,000 has begun for an innovative Green Infrastructure Education Shed for Brisbane.

The proposed Shed is a project of three organizations – the Rotary Club of Carindale, Green Roofs Australia Inc. and the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C).

B4C has agreed to locate the Green Infrastructure Education Shed at its new plant nursery on the corner of Old Cleveland Road and Wright St., Carindale.

This is the beginning of an Australia-wide national program for green roof and green wall education sites with added solar energy, water and “food from the roof” capacities for private homes.

The unique shed will be used by Green Roofs Australia Inc., for its regular, one-day “Elementary Green Roofs and Green Walls” lecture program in Brisbane. GRA Inc will also use the facility to initiate weekend lectures on green roofs and walls for Brisbane’s domestic home-owners.

It will also be used for lectures on native greenery by B4C, with Brisbane City Council and Brisbane schools and colleges also to be invited to use the facility for lectures.

The educational shed will feature professional-standard demonstrations of:
• A green roof for Brisbane using new native plant varieties to be developed by the University of Queensland’s native plant breeders.
• Solar hot water heating and solar electricity supply (with the green roof expected to demonstrate from 20% to 25% extra electricity yield from cooler solar units).
• Three attractive green walls using various native climbers.
• Roof water capture and storage for the green roof and green walls.
• Grey water renovation via the green roof.
• A demonstration aquaponics unit that features food fish culture at ground level with food plants growing on the rooftop fed by fish wastes.

The objective is to show Brisbane home-owners and built-environment professionals how best to build green infrastructure systems that are also good climate change responses.

The educational shed is a new project of the Rotary Club of Carindale, initiated by Rotarian Geoff Wilson, and helped by fellow Rotarians Kris Isles and John Stephens. Geoff Wilson is also founder and immediate-past-president of the national Green Roofs Australia Inc.

The Rotary Club of Carindale will seek about $65,000 in cash or in-kind funding — from community resources, built-environment companies, green roof and green wall suppliers, water and solar heating and power suppliers, plus donations by aquaponics suppliers and from companies, organisations and individuals.

Carindale Rotarians will supervise the approval process, construction and signage, and provide free week-end labour, as appropriate, for annual maintenance.

The Shed is being designed by Brisbane-based GRA Inc. President, Mrs Sidonie Carpenter. Its design is expected to be considered by other Australian cities for their green roof and green wall educational programs in collaboration with GRA Inc.

Depending on financial support and planning approval, the Brisbane Green Infrastructure Education Shed is expected to be ready for an official opening in mid-2009.

The shed’s operation will be a special feature of the World Green Infrastructure Congress in Brisbane from October 17 to 21, 2012, when more than 2,000 green roof and green wall experts from around the world are expected to visit Brisbane.

For further information contact Geoff Wilson.

Email: wilson.geoff@optusnet.com.au
Phones: 07 3411 4524 or 0412 622 779

Wanted: pictures of green roofs on homes, sheds and garages

Do you have pictures of green-roofed or green-walled homes, sheds or garages around Australia ?

If so, such pictures are wanted by Green Roofs Australia Inc. for a national guide.

Green Roofs Australia Inc is studying proven technology for green roofs and walls on home buildings and small-scale buildings – not only for beautification but also as an important, practical climate change response by individuals.

Any Australian wishing to supply domestic green roof  or green wall pictures should phone GRA Inc. founder, Geoff Wilson at 0412 622 779 or 07 3411 4524, to obtain further information  (or email at wilson.geoff@optusnet.com.au).
Green roofs can improve the living environment of towns and cities and provide considerable benefit against climate change causes and problems.

Australia currently has about 25 or so major green roofs.  They are mostly commercial or government projects. Australia’s private green roofs on homes, garages, sheds and other buildings are little-known.nGreen Roofs Australia Inc. hopes to publish contributed pictures and stories on its website.

• Pictured: a green roof on a garage in Seattle, published by Apartment Therapy.

New York is fastest US green roofer

A survey has found that New York is among the US cities where the practice of putting green roofs on buildings is growing fastest.

The survey was by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a non-profit North American group based in Toronto, which is a founding member of the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGRIN).

Such roofs are covered in plants such as water-absorbent sedum species, helping to reduce the effects of urban heat-trapping and capturing water to reduce storm water run-off.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities said that there has been a 30 per cent increase in such roofs in the past year.

While the majority of these have been civic or commercial buildings, they are also appearing on private homes. A reason is that a new tax incentive pilot scheme was launched by New York state governor David Paterson.  It was aimed at increasing the use of these roofs in the state and the city.

The popularity of buying property in New York for British customers was emphasised by Royce Pinkwater, senior vice president at Sotheby’s International Realty.

He said: “The Brits are among our top buyers in New York.”

Green responses against climate change

Within four years green roofs and green walls technologies could be a major urban, built-environment response in Australia against significant global problems foreseen from predicted climate change.

The reason is simple.

Green roofs and green walls – and their many associated technologies in energy saving, water and air protection and better use of solar technology — allow individuals, companies, organizations and governments to more easily counter climate change factors.  Each of us can be empowered to act, rather than just wondering uselessly, or being dominated by “market carbon” thinking.

Green roofs and green walls integrate easily and very effectively into existing home and work-place built environments — for substantial improvement at acceptable costs.  They also can be taken up quickly by about 12 professions of our existing built-environment industry.

The costs are now mostly known.  The benefits are now well proven or calculable.

The changeover can also be mostly a sensible expansion and training of these 12 professions in the built environment, plus new and most acceptable urban designing that quite literally “greens” the cities where we live, work and play.

• This is the first seven paragraphs of a 3,500-word feature story on the huge potential of green roofs and green walls in Australia’s fight against climate change problems.  The full article is available to news media on application, or via financial membership of Green roofs Australia Inc.

Dubai Municipality is going for 100% green roofs.

United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, November 5, 2008:   A green roof on the Dubai Municipality building will gauge positive impacts – before all Dubai buildings will be targeted for green roofs.
Dubai’s green buildings project about to be launched is considered important in reducing carbon emissions and in enhancing indoor environment and air. It also enhances the health of Dubai’s society and increases life expectancy of the buildings, as well as protecting the local eco system.
Increased productivity is also expected. Economic support from different sectors is predicted.
Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, acting director general of Dubai Municipality, said it had launched the green roof initiative in line with a Dubai law on green building specifications.  This would be officially issued in mid-December 2008.
He said Dubai’s green roofs project aimed at transforming roofs of all buildings and houses in Dubai into cultivated space, where the water from air-conditioners would be used for irrigation of plants.  Dubai is trying to best plan for huge urban expansion, which is increasing heat levels of the region.
Mr Lootah said a Dubai study of green roofs had confirmed their success in other countries, and had convinced the municipality to adopt green roofs. The municipality chose suitable plants for the project, and its designs, in coordination with the Public Parks and Horticulture Department.  A special booklet would show how to implement this concept so that it helps Dubai residents to apply for green roof help.
Mr Lootah said the municipality’s consultative study had defined per capita electricity and water consumption. These figures would be applied as a criterion for Dubai’s success. Buildings would not become ‘green’ unless the residents were educated on the importance of economic consumption of electricity and water. The municipality has also directed the building consultants working in the emirate to consider these aspects while designing buildings, he said.

The Green Buildings project will be implemented in three phases – short-term (2008), mid-term (2009-2012) and then long-term.

Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens

Recently in Melbourne for the International Design Festival and to celebrate his latest installation at Melbourne Central, French botanist and artist Patrick Blanc continues to wow people around the world with his vertical gardens.

Unlike many Australian green walls, Blanc’s gardens are not made with engineered panels. Instead Blanc uses plants that will grow on felt sheets. “I only use plants that grow in the wild on rock faces,” he has said.

His new book, The Vertical Garden, is, according to publisher John Wiley and Sons, “a luscious, oversized, full-colour book featuring Blanc’s installations in Madrid, Paris, Bangkok, New York, Melbourne, Sydney and many more.”

It is available from bookstores for AU$77.95.

Last month, The Age reported that Blanc works as both a scientist and an artist. He is:

employed by France’s National Centre for Scientific Research to conduct field research and write up his findings. The lines between his professional interests are so blurry as to be non-existent, he insists, but it’s the vertical garden sideline that has made his name and inspired a legion of imitators.

“This is not a bad thing because I cannot cover all the walls of the world by myself,” he says of this sincerest form of flattery. “I’m especially ‘appy because all of the ones I see until now are not very good.”

Below is a building facade designed by Blanc in Madrid, Spain. Photo: Adaptiveruse.

To listen to an ABC radio interview with Blanc about choosing the plants for his walls, click here and scroll down, or listen (3′36″) here.

Below: press arrow to view a video documentary of some of Patrick Blanc’s spectacular Parisian walls:

Melbourne Uni undertakes green roof study

• From Melbourne University MediaResearchers at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus are examining the suitability of Australian native plants in green roofs; shallow rooftop gardens which are becoming increasingly popular internationally for their

environmental and energy saving benefits.

“Green roofs have amazing potential but have not yet been evaluated under Australian climatic conditions. We will be examining the suitability of selected native plants for green roofs by measuring their survival, growth rate and response to drought stress” said project leader Dr Nick Williams, Lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus.

“We will establish an experimental green roof and monitor its effect on roof temperatures and the building energy budget by comparing it to an otherwise identical control roof” said Mr John Rayner, Lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus.

“Green roof plants used overseas are typically from arid, mountainous or
coastal environments. Plants need to be robust and low in height so they
don’t get blown off the roof, have good drought tolerance, like exposure to
full sun and are easily maintained.”

“We have selected a range of Australian and exotic species to trial that meet
these criteria including herbs and grasses that grow in the native
grasslands west of Melbourne and succulents from arid inland regions.”

This research will be used to provide information to architects, landscape
designers and public policy makers who wish to install green roofs suitable for Australian conditions and objectively evaluate the For more information:

Green roofs for aquaponics investment: background lectures from August 1-7

Two half-day lectures on rooftop food production using aquaponics will be held in Brisbane on August 1 and August 7.

Aquaponics is fish farming and vegetable growing, in which vegetable crops take up fish wastes, and freshened water returns to the fish tank.  City spaces are considered ideal for aquaponics, especially rooftops and walls.

These special lectures are either side of the Skrettings Australasian Aquaculture International Conference and Trade Show in Brisbane, Queensland, which will have a half day on aquaponics, with eight industry presenters (from August 3 to 5, 2008 – see www.australian-aquacultureportal.com  and the list below).

The FRESH FOOD FROM THE ROOF lectures are for initial backgrounding of either high school teachers on August 1, or for backgrounding municipal government and the food industry executives on August 7.

August 1, 2008: “Aquaponics for rooftops of high schools of South East Queensland.”

Speakers will be aquaponics specialists Dr Wilson Lennard; Dr Mike Nichols; Dr Nick Savidov; Rebecca Nelson and Geoff Wilson.  The five speakers have wide experience in practical aquaponics and hydroponics in Australia, New Zealand , Canada and the United States.

The aim is to encourage aquaponics (fish farming and vegetable farming) on school rooftops, where equipment can be more safely held.

The aim of the half day of lectures is to show SE Queensland science and biology teachers in state and private education systems the advantages of aquaponics to teach science and technology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, small business and urban food production.

High school teachers are the first beneficiaries of teaching with aquaponics. Secondary school students are next, but tertiary teaching using aquaponics is already providing successful experimental studies.

Two new books on Australian and North American aquaponics will be available to participants at wholesale prices.

Cost of the August 1 event is:  A$120 a person, including breakfast and GST, payable in advance.

August 7, 2008: “Brisbane’s future farming on urban landscapes, on roofs, walls  and inside buildings.”
Speakers are Dr Mike Nichols; Keith Agoada; Anthony Foo, Ms Morag Gamble and Geoff Wilson. These five speakers have studied future urban food production, or are investing in urban food production – in open spaces, on rooftops, on walls and within buildings.  Urban agriculture is expected to be heavily boosted soon in Australia by five factors:

• Peak oil and its rising costs on non-local rural food,.
• Climate change problems of rural agriculture and fisheries,
• Cheaper costs and higher quality from local urban food from urban walls and rooftops.
• Widespread future use of solar power for 24-hour LED-lit  hydroponics and aquaponics.
• Innovative conversion of clean urban organic matter for organic food production.

Much fresh food will be produced in cities close to where it is consumed. It will be free from the cost of petroleum in farming, transport and retailing, and free from the cost of coal energy as a result of Australian National University’s solar power advance of 5 to 10 times current yield.
Two new books on Australian and North American aquaponics will be available to participants at wholesale prices.  .

Cost of the August 7 event is also A$120 a person, including breakfast and GST, payable in advance.
Venue in Brisbane:

Both half-days will be held at the Brisbane Technology Park conference centre, Miles Platting Road, Eight Mile Plains.  Each will begin with a breakfast at 7.30am and finish at 12.30pm.
Morning tea/coffee will be served from 10.30am to 11am. Notes with pictures and diagrams will be provided. So will names and addresses of many expert contacts, publications to consider, and organizations to provide help.

Register with: Geoff Wilson, Aquaponics Network Australia and Green Roofs Australia Inc. Phones: 07 3411 4524  or  0412 622 779.  Email:   wilson.geoff@optusnet.com.au

Conference program August 3 to 6:

The following aquaponics sessions are listed in Brisbane for Monday, August 4 and  for Wednesday, August 6.

Monday, August 4:
Dr Brett Roe – Aquaponics research by Central Queensland University: Aquaponic Methodologies – Investigating More Sustainable Solutions Utilizing Terrestrial Food-Chain Integrations
Dr Wilson Lennard.-  Economics of commercial niche scale aquaponics in an Australian context.
Dr Mike Nichols.- Basic hydroponic aspects of aquaponics, and aquaponics prospects in NZ.
Matt Herbert,  – Innovative solar powered aquaponics at Mudgee, NSW.
Wednesday, August 6:
Hogan Gleeson,  – Innovations in community aquaponics at Rivendell, Nimbin, NSW.
Steve Magarry, – Aquaponics in Sub-Saharan Africa, is it Sustainable Hope?.
Carlos León  -  Aquaponics report on BOFISH Acuaponia, Mexico.
Geoff Wilson –   Aquaponics developments  and the importance of Canadian research.