HS Blogcast - Tampa Bay

Historic and Sustainable Tampa Bay's Annie Hart recently attended the Green Roof's for Healthy Cities symposium held June 18th at the University of South Florida, where she served as a discussion facilitator along with Pawnee Green's Lisa Montelione and other bay area sustainability leaders. Green Roof's for Healthy Cities is a green roof infrastructure industry association that co-hosts symposia throughout North America with local municipalities to educate those involved in design, engineering, construction, development, planning and policy in the implementation of green roof technology. Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena gave the welcoming speech, documenting how far the City has come since the day she suggested they investigate greening the roof of the Convention Center. In just the past few years, we have progressed from the almost open ridicule that Councilwoman Saul-Sena endured following her initial suggestion, to having the City's new Green Officer, Deputy Director of Growth Management and Development Services Thom Snelling actively participate in the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities symposium, along with City staff members from the Public Works Department.  

The symposium covered topics related to green roofs such as just what is considered a green roof and what is not, the best landscaping for a green roof, waterproofing, and the benefits of green roofs. One main benefit highlighted the reduction in the Heat Island Effect that broad application of green roofs provide. Another benefit of particular interest to City staff members was the fact that green roofs help to relieve stormwater runoff. The areas mentioned in the case studies presented (Chicago, Detroit) do not have the dramatic short-term severity of runoff that we sometimes suffer in the Tampa Bay area. Stormwater is always a hot topic here and lively discussion ensued as to how to overcome obstacles in this arena. Another of the more informative sessions addressed issues pertaining to our Florida climate and pests and how to design a green roof here to avoid or mitigate any potential problems in those areas. The symposium discussed both new construction and how to retrofit existing buildings. 

Right now, the cost of a green roof requires a longer term commitment from a property owner in order to maximize return on the initial investment, which is an obstacle for builders and developers wishing to implement this technology in their projects, or for an owner or tenant anticipating future relocation or expansion. One way to realize many similar benefits is to install a green wall. The presentation for this segment of the symposium evoked creative ideas for applications throughout the Tampa Bay area. Green walls are often seen applied to an actual structure in Europe. Other applications, that could prove to be less expensive and very practical here, are ones that are installed on a metal or wooden framework that has space between it and the side of the building to allow for easier maintenance. They can even be used to shade a walkway, which is a particularly delightful application in warm climates such as ours. Case studies reviewed in this segment included applications in Arizona, California and one in Oviedo, FL.  It was easy to envision artful ways that green walls could be implemented here. Please visit us on www.HistoricandSustainableTampaBay.com and contact us if you know of any here in the Tampa Bay area.