Toronto, ON – July 25, 2018 – Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the North American green roof and wall industry association, is pleased to announce that Washington DC has retaken the top spot from Toronto, for the greatest square footage of green roof installations in 2017. According to its Annual Green Roof Industry Survey, Newark, New York City, Seattle, Portland and Toronto followed Washington DC in 2017. (see chart below)
Green Roof Installation by Metropolitan Region (2017)
“Metropolitan Washington is honored to be recognized by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities as a national leader for installing green roofs,” said Tommy Wells, Director of the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment. “Our progressive policies and innovative programs, like green roof rebates, Stormwater Retention Credit (SRC) trading, and SRC Price Lock, encourage residents and local businesses to install green roofs, which not only make DC a beautiful place to live, but also help protect our rivers and streams.”
The North American green roof industry continues to be a driving force in sustainability and resilience planning, with municipalities like San Francisco, Portland and Denver recently adopting mandatory green roof policies for new buildings. In July, legislation requiring green roofs was introduced in New York City, the host to the annual CitiesAlive Infrastructure Conference at the New York Marriot by the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Its great to see that more and more governments are passing legislation and regulations that turn wasted roof spaces into a force for green jobs, cleaner air and water and greater resiliency to climate change impacts,” said Steven W. Peck, GRP, Founder and President, GRHC. “With the new Living Architecture Performance Tool, it is now easier than ever for governments to implement supportive programs for green roofs and walls by simply referencing this new performance standard,” he added. See www.greeninfrastructurefoundation.org for more information.
The 2017 Green Roof Industry Survey collected data from 14 of GRHC’s corporate members who collectively recorded more than 1,000 completed projects in 39 US states and five Canadian provinces. These resulted in 5,389,749 square feet of green roofing. The overall industry is likely to be much larger than reported, simply because not all GRHC members participate in the annual survey.
Despite the growth of the green roof industry, there is still an enormous potential for green roofs to be installed on billions of square feet of rooftops across North America. Policy support in cities like Washington, D.C. and Toronto is helping to drive market growth.
Background
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is a non-profit membership-based industry association dedicated to the growth and future development of the green (vegetative) roof and wall industries in North America through education and advocacy. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities works with municipalities, regions, states, and provinces to adopt policies in support of green roofs and green walls in order to build healthier, more resilient communities. www.greenroofs.org
CitiesAlive: 16th Annual Green Infrastructure Conference will be held in Brooklyn, NY, September 24-28, 2018. Green roof and wall industry leaders, policy makers, planners, civil engineers, landscape architects, and designers will focus on Green Infrastructure, Designing the Future of Resilience. Learn more and register for between $99 to $750 USD . CitiesAlive conference sessions are pending approval for up to 11.5 CEUs by AIA CES, APLD, BOMI, RCI and LA CES.
Join us in Washington DC for a Local Market Symposium on Monday, July 30th at the University of the District of Columbia and explore advanced topics in green roofs and walls for the largest market in the US featuring industry experts and local leaders presenting local standout projects, and green roof and wall policy. Register online for only $149 USD.
