InfraStructures - May 2008 - Green Roof Market Grows by Over 30% in 2007

Green Roof Market Grows by Over 30% in 2007

Call it a gift for the earth just in time for Earth Day. Last year, 30% 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 5% increase over last year's annual market growth rate of 25%. 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 annual international green roof conference," said Steven W. Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. "We're also pleased to see Washington, 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 U.S. Cities list: Brooklyn, New York; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Royersford and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Amery, Wisconsin; and Germantown, Maryland. 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.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities - North America, Inc. was founded in 1999 as a small network of public and private organizations and is now a rapidly growing not-for-profit industry association for green roof experts in North America. Its 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. Green roofs involve the use of specialized drainage systems, growing media, filter cloths, and root repellent layers that allow plants to grow on barren roof tops.

Source: Green Roofs for Healthy Cities