NRCA will offer its SpecRight Program training session Feb. 2, 2009, in Las Vegas. This program coincides with NRCA's 122nd Annual Convention, which will be held Feb. 1-5, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Participants will learn how to use NRCA's EnergyWise Roof Calculator Online to demonstrate to building owners how insulation can reduce energy costs. Additional topics include cool roofs and the latest trends in energy codes. Participants will earn 0.75 CEU upon completion of this one-day session. Click here for more information and to register.
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The Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing has announced a call for entries for its 2009 Excellence in Design Award program. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the center is a nonprofit 501 (c)(6) organization that serves as a forum to unite the roofing industry in the common cause of promoting the knowledge base, development and use of environmentally responsible, high-performance roof systems.

The program honors those who design energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and long-lasting roof systems according to accepted industry practices. Nominated roof systems must have been designed and installed after Jan. 1, 2006. Entries must be received by Nov. 21, and judging will be conducted by a panel of four roofing industry experts selected by the center.

One winner will be selected and notified by Dec. 5. The winner will be recognized during NRCA's 122nd Annual Convention in Las Vegas Feb. 1-5, 2009, and will receive a $2,500 cash prize, publicity during the convention, and acknowledgement in Professional Roofing and on the center's Web site and SpecRight's Web site.

For more information and to download an official entry form, click here.

For more information about the award program, contact Mary Mai, the center's director of corporate relations, at (202) 380-3371; fax (202) 380-3378; or e-mail mary@roofingcenter.org.
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Ballasted roof systems may play an important role in meeting the challenges of the emerging green building movement. With its emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental responsibility, green building design places a premium on a construction material's capability to minimize its energy use and environmental footprint. Ballast's unusual properties may enable it to be an important change agent in green building design and construction. "Is ballast green?" details the properties of ballast and explains how this type of roof system may be an option for a sustainable roof. October's issue of Professional Roofing also includes "Green legal challenges," which provides an overview of the legal challenges affecting roofing contractors as a result of the green building movement. The key is to be educated on these issues and ask where the lines of liability are drawn and how a roofing contractor can protect himself or herself from litigation. Click here to view October's Professional Roofing online.
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In late October, the Bureau of Environmental Services in Portland, Ore., will offer grants as incentives to install new eco-roofs in Portland. Eco-roofs are vegetative roof systems that reduce storm water runoff, improve air quality and conserve energy. The eco-roof grant program is part of Portland's Grey to Green effort to accelerate the city's work to increase green storm water management infrastructure, protect sensitive natural areas and improve habitat. The Grey to Green goal is to add 43 acres of new eco-roofs in five years. The city currently has about nine acres of eco-roofs scattered among more than 90 buildings. The incentive grants will pay up to $5 per square foot for new eco-roof projects. Eco-roofs in Portland typically cost between $5 and $20 per square foot. The city will spend about $300,000 on grants this fiscal year and will make grant funds available over the next five years. Industrial, residential, commercial and mixed-use projects are eligible for the incentives. An Environmental Services committee will review applications quarterly and award grants. The grant application packet will be available Oct. 28, and the city will begin accepting applications the same day. Grant application packets will be available online at www.portlandonline.com/bes/ecoroof or by calling (503) 823-7914.
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NRCA Bookstore is discounting NRCA's complete safety program during October, including the NRCA Safety Manual, The NRCA Roofing Safety Resource CD and NRCA Toolbox Talks.
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Roofs Go Green
St. Cloud Times (Minn.) (10/10/08)

According to the third annual Green Roof Market Industry Survey by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, construction of green roof systems grew 30 percent in North America in 2007. Chicago topped the list of U.S. and Canadian cities in terms of square footage installed in one year for the third time in its history. Because of cost, green roof systems appear mainly on commercial and public buildings, such as the new Bank of America tower in Manhattan. Most are composed of sedums and grasses planted in soil or a lightweight growing medium above a waterproof membrane and drainage system. Green roof systems have been proven to help in reducing stormwater runoff and resultant water pollution, slashing energy costs, cooling urban air, improving air quality and extending roof longevity. Rohit Aggarwala, director of the New York City Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, states: "Green roofs are a wonderful technology. They have the upside of handling stormwater very well but the downside of being very expensive." In general, green roof systems cost about double what a standard roof does but offer at least twice the life span, notes Stuart Gaffin, a research scientist at the Center for Climate Systems Research at New York's Columbia University.
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$1B Campus Set for Liftoff in Mt. View
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal (10/10/08) Simonson, Sharon

University Associates LLC, a group of higher education institutions, is now in talks to build a $1 billion campus with nearly 3 million square feet at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley alongside a Google Inc. satellite campus announced earlier in the year. The group is led by the University of California, Santa Cruz. It expects to sign a 99-year ground lease for 70 acres at the park prior to the end of December. In addition, it expects to hire a master developer to build more than 2.5 million square feet of offices, laboratories, and other research and development space, as well as about 1,900 residential units. The new campus will be used to demonstrate cutting-edge practices in sustainable development, such as green roof systems and plug-ins for hybrid vehicles.
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Downtown Portland Library Adds Roof Full of Plants
OregonLive.com (10/09/08) Bowie, Clint

In Oregon, Multnomah County's Central Library has installed a green roof system with 17,000 plants, including sedums and drought-tolerant grasses. Library spokeswoman Penny Hummel stated: "The county has been championing eco-roofs for a number of years. So when we needed a new roof for the Central Library, they decided to pursue funding for an eco-roof." The new green roof system is expected to reduce energy costs between 6 percent and 8 percent in the summer months and as much as 50 percent during the winter. According to Hummel, the plants also will help reduce rainwater runoff and as much as triple the life of the roof.
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USGBC Certifies 12 More PNC Bank Green Branch Locations; Green Building Leader Chosen for Energy-Efficiency Research Project
PRWeb (10/09/08)

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has certified a dozen more PNC Green Branches. With these locations, PNC now has 55 certified green buildings—more than any other company in the world. More than 50 percent of each PNC Green Branch is either locally manufactured or made from recycled or green materials. In addition, each location uses 34 percent less energy than a traditional branch. The newly certified Green Branches are in five states, including the first for PNC in Maryland and Virginia. Separately, PNC has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to take part in the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative, the goal of which is to further develop energy-saving technologies to achieve savings of 50 percent or more for new construction and 30 percent for retrofitted construction in commercial buildings. Gary Saulson, PNC's director of corporate real estate, said the bank will use a newly constructed Green Branch next year to enhance its current energy-efficient design. He remarks: "We recognize the importance of energy efficiency today, and welcome the opportunity to improve upon our decade of green building experience and collaborate with the DOE on innovative approaches that can be replicated nationwide by other commercial builders."
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San Jose Mayor Announces Proposal for Green Building Policy
KRON-TV (10/06/08)

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed recently took the wraps off a proposed green building policy. With the rising cost of energy and uncertain water supplies throughout California, he believes it makes sense to construct buildings that conserve resources. His Private Sector Green Building Policy has guidelines for private development within the city limits that call for increased energy efficiency and less water usage. For instance, new commercial and industrial buildings under 25,000 square feet will be required to use the federal government's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) checklist for building, while structures larger than 25,000 square feet will need to achieve LEED Silver certification. San Jose policy currently requires that buildings larger than 10,000 square feet erected by the city or the San Jose Redevelopment Agency acquire Silver certification via the LEED program. Reed remarked, "This policy will encourage our development community to make good economic and environmental decisions to facilitate the expectations of our workers and residents." Reed's vision calls for building or retrofitting 50 million square feet of green buildings; installing 100,000 solar roof systems; and becoming a zero-waste city, recycling and reusing 100 percent of the city's water and moving to 100 percent renewable energy.
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Chicago Out-Greens New York, L.A., Growing Lawns in the Clouds
Bloomberg (10/08/08) Dreibus, Tony C.

Chicago has out-built such larger cities as New York and Los Angeles in terms of green roof systems. It took the lead in North America with 517,633 square feet in 2007, according to a Green Roofs for Healthy Cities report. The Windy City expects to have more than 4 million square feet of gardens atop 400 buildings under construction or completed by the end of this year. Four years ago, Mayor Richard Daley led the city to mandate that new buildings have green space and provide grants to spur developers to add rooftop vegetation. Proponents say green roof systems reduce building temperatures, energy costs and storm runoff, making it worth paying as much as twice the price of a conventional roof. Chicago's Green Roof Improvement Fund for the city's financial district offers matching grants of as much as 50 percent for such projects, with a limit of $100,000 for those done this year. Chicago offers $5,000 for all residential buildings and commercial sites no bigger than 10,000 square feet, adds Michael Berkshire with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development. He further notes that developers can get quicker approval for projects if they have a green roof system factored into the design.
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Green Roofs Still a Novelty in Steel City as Demos Crop Up
Pittsburgh Business Times (10/03/08) Semmes, Ben

Green roofs are increasing in popularity nationwide amid concerns of energy efficiency and global warming. However, they are still largely a novelty in Pittsburgh, which has built a reputation for its leadership in other types of environmentally friendly design and construction. In 2007, reports Green Roof for Healthy Cities, Pittsburgh had only 3,400 square feet of green roof space, ranking it 88th in North America.
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Cincinnati Wants to Lead Green Roof Movement in U.S.
Associated Press (10/02/08) Kinney, Terry

The Cincinnati City Council recently became the first in the state with a plan to channel grants and loans to businesses and residents to replace tar and shingles with green roof systems. Supporters are pushing for Cincinnati to become a leader in green roof systems, a European-born movement that has spread to only a handful of U.S. cities, such as Chicago and Seattle. Green roof systems are not only pleasing from an aesthetic standpoint, they are designed to reduce storm runoff, filter pollutants and slash heating and cooling costs. Throughout Ohio, green roof systems currently are situated atop such landmark structures as Toledo's public library, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency building in Columbus and the Cleveland Environmental Center. The plan approved Oct. 1 in Cincinnati is the first of its kind in Ohio, reports Bob Monsarrat, manager of the environmental planning section of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. He states: "We have wanted to support green infrastructure initiatives in the state directed toward improving water quality, so this was a fairly easy sell to us." Monsarrat adds that the Cincinnati program is primarily aimed at commercial buildings.
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New Staples LEEDs Green
Wicked Local.com (10/02/08) Ertischek, David

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino pushed for a new local Staples store to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified, and it is well on its way to earning this distinction. The new Staples store will feature a tan-colored roof system that is highly reflective. Local residents had asked to not have a strictly white roof system, and the retailer obliged. The store will also feature 39 roof skylights so lights can be turned down during the day and, in turn, use 35 percent less energy. Bob Herrman, senior manager of retail architecture for Staples, said the new store is designed to automatically dim its lights or turn them off depending on how much light is coming through the skylights. Additionally, the lights will be off at night if the store is closed but dimly lit during overnight stocking. Interior features will include low-flow toilets, urinals and sinks that save 10 percent more water than an average Staples store. Also, the building's carpet is composed of recycled plastic vinyl carpets and made in the U.S. The office retailer currently operates more than 100 stores, but this will be only its second LEED-certified location.
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AT&T Plans Renewable Energy System for San Ramon Campus
PRNewswire (10/01/08)

AT&T Inc. confirms that it is working with SunPower Corp., CH2M HILL, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) and Morgan Stanley to install and operate a 1-megawatt solar power system atop the company's facility at the Bishop Ranch office park in San Ramon, Calif. Shawn McKenzie, senior vice president of corporate real estate at AT&T, states: "Installing this solar power system on our roof reflects AT&T's commitment to balance the business need for affordable energy with the need to identify solutions that have less impact on the environment in the communities we serve. This effort will help us learn more about the benefits of renewable energy for our business and allow us to make educated decisions as we pursue future uses of alternative forms of energy." The project is being constructed by SunPower, which will install the SunPower T10 Solar Roof Tile commercial system to tilt at a 10-degree angle to increase energy capture. Scheduled for completion in 2008's fourth quarter, the solar roof system will include nearly 3,700 solar panels and is expected to generate more than 1.6 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a year. Furthermore, it is being designed to replace the building's normal power consumption by more than 4,300 kWh a day.
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UWM Chooses Mandel Group to Build Dorm Along Milwaukee River
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/01/08) Perez, Erica

In late September, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Real Estate Foundation chose Mandel Group Inc. to build a 700-student dorm along the Milwaukee River corridor off North Ave. The proposed dorm will be situated across the river from the RiverView Residence Hall, which opened earlier this year. According to UWM officials, the new residence will help fill unmet student housing demand. Approximately 90 percent of freshmen want housing, but UWM has beds for fewer than 60 percent of them. Mandel COO Bob Monnat says he is pleased with a deal that allowed the developer to make use of the site in an environmentally sound way. The Mandel design calls for a U-shaped configuration of buildings, all featuring green roof systems with plants and grass and a courtyard to collect storm runoff. The dorm is on track to open by the fall semester of 2010.
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Tax Incentive Promotes Rooftop Gardens In NYC
WCBS-TV (New York) (09/30/08)

A new tax credit for building owners could result in a substantial increase in the number of green roof systems throughout New York City. Stuart Gaffin, an urban climate expert from Columbia University, remarks: "We're talking about a vast unused space that could be performing valuable environmental functioning." On a hot summer day, a traditional roof system could easily heat up to 150 F. A green roof system, by contrast, would stay at about 70 F. Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. has sponsored a bill that allows buildings owners who install green roof systems on at least 50 percent of their available roof space to apply for a one-year property tax credit of up to $100,000. That is about 25 percent of what it costs to install a green roof system. Carlton Brown of Full Spectrum NY Development remarks: "Those incentives can get builders past the barriers they might have for making change. They understand money, that sort of green so if they can do something that is going to put a few more dollars in their pockets through the tax credit, they will do it." The hope is that this tax credit will lead to the installation of thousands of green roof systems citywide, which could result in significant air and water quality improvements. Developers can begin applying for the green roof tax credit after the first of next year.
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Banking on Reflective Coating
Lancaster Online (09/28/08) Rutter, Jon

In Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Bancshares Inc. recently encountered roof problems at its corporate headquarters in Lititz. Water was leaking through seams and flashing joints and seeping into the facility's insulation. In years past, the conventional solution would have been to tear the roof off and replace it with a new one. After consulting with an area roofing contractor, though, company officials opted instead to have the roof coated. The contractor—Gooding, Simpson & Mackes Inc.—fixed the leaks and then installed a waterproof, highly reflective urethane Geogard layer. Facility supervisor Nate Baum reports that the bank saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by going with the coating. In particular, the bank realized a substantial boost in energy efficiency. Because the roof is now white instead of black, it reflects solar rays back into the atmosphere instead of absorbing them. As a result, air conditioning units no longer have to work as hard to cool the building. Such coatings have long been popular in such warmer locales as California and Florida. Now, they are rapidly gaining ground in other markets. Coatings are typically applied to commercial roofs and are most effective in urban environments where they can mitigate the "heat island" effect.
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Green Plan Would Put Solar Panels on City Hall
San Francisco Chronicle (09/26/08) Allday, Erin

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a new green effort that involves placing solar panels on municipal buildings. Under the mayor's new "sustainable resource district" plan, the city government hopes to launch strategies to reduce electricity usage, reduce water consumption and boost clean energy. However, any significant impact will not appear until late 2009, and the project will take years to deploy. The mayor is working with the Clinton Climate Initiative but needs to find a way to fund the plan. The city aims to slash energy use by a third, reduce drinkable water usage by 80 percent, and reduce wastewater discharge by 45 percent. Newsom's plan was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference in New York City on Sept. 25.
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Modular Green Roofs 'Could Make Cities Greener'
Edie.net (09/23/08)

Hong Kong researchers have concluded that modular green roof systems would be an easier option to install in high-density cities than systems built on the roof. The University of Hong Kong conducted the study to determine which method of creating the roof systems would be most suitable for such large cities as Hong Kong, New York and London. Lead researcher Dr. Sam Hui concluded: "For cities like Hong Kong, if you are going to carry out installation of green roofs, it will affect the normal operation of the building so we are looking at ways that we can make the installation more convenient for the building owners. The modular approach is simple and quick installation. It has an instant effect." The school's study recommended the roofs were used on buildings with few stories rather than high-rise offices and tower blocks. Separately, a Swedish study of green roof systems installed on recycling buildings in residential areas found that though most were still functioning a decade later, others had suffered from overhanging trees or steep surfaces. Tobias Emilsson of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences said: "I think in Sweden green roofs have been sold as maintenance free. It's taking a bit of education to show that no roof is maintenance free."
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