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.

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.

• 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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.