The first world green roof day will occur on 6th June this year. I have been asked to front the event. So over the next few weeks , as we approach the inaugural event, I will be posting videos and pictures on my various outlets.
Social media outlets for world green roof day
World green roof day has its own website. News, pictures, stories and videos will be published on the site over the coming weeks. I will be posting tweets, posts, videos and images across my own outlets from today right up until the event.
- @worldgreenroofs – the twitter account for green roofs and other urban green infrastructure by Livingroofs.org along with the instagram account.
- @greenroofsuk – my personal twitter account
- My LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, along with various facebook pages.
- Youtube account
International Partners
As President of the EFB, the Federation will also be posting material, along with many of our national association members. Beyond Europe, our main international partner will be greenroofs.com. Linda and Aramis who run the world’s leading green roof portal are great friends. I have had the pleasure of knowing them for nearly twenty years. In fact, I wandered the green roofs at Canary Wharf with Linda in 2004.
We are also hoping GRHC and others around the world will join in. As there is a lot of green roof activity in the Spanish speaking especially in Latin America, I am very keen to get this areas of the world involved.
Of course companies and individuals all over the globe are welcome and encouraged to post pictures, graphics and comments about why green roofs are good for cities. Because that is the whole idea of the day. Chris Bridgman of Bridgman & Bridgman, who originated the idea of #WGRD2020, wants the world to celebrate green roofs.
Why celebrate green roofs?
Green roofs are part of the solution to the climate emergency, especially in cities. Of course green roofs are not new. The first green roof policy in the world was in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1979. Following on from the Karlsruhe, Linz in Austria took up the baton in 1984. So across the Germany speaking world green roofs are very much part of urban planning scene. Yet the rest of the world has been slow to catch on. North America and the United Kingdom (mainly London) – have embraced green roofs in some of their cities. Yet there are many parts of the world where they need to become mainstream. So by celebrating green roofs and the environmental benefits they provide, we hope that cities across the globe, in all continents and climate zones see the value of greening roofs and ACT to ensure their uptake.
GRO – the UK’s green roof trade body
And lastly world green roof day is an opportunity in the UK to promote the new green roof trade organisation – The Green roof organisation (GRO) which is now a legal entity. Over the last ten years it has operated as a non-legal entity writing the green roof code of practice for the industry. I am a founding member and sit on the board of GRO. We hope that companies and organisations involved in green roofs in the UK, who haven’t joined GRO as yet, do so. The more members we are, the more we can lobby to ensure that green roofs become mainstream across the whole of the UK – not just in London.
World green roof day call to action
So get your pictures ready – whether it be on a shed or on a large retail unit. Every green roof counts. Tell your town or city or country why you think green roofs are important. And if they are not happening in your area – make a call to action to the authorities, companies and politicians.
Finally, don’t forget to use the hashtag #WGRD2020 and help us celebrate making cities greener and more climate resilient by using green roofs.