Green Roof Industry Grows 16.1 per cent in 2009 Despite Economic Downturn

City of Chicago #1 and Washington, DC, #2 in Annual Top Ten Cities List

TORONTO, May 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is pleased to announce the results of its 2010 Industry Survey of its Corporate Members.  Despite the severe economic downturn last year, the green roof industry grew by 16.1 per cent over the course of 2009.  In the Top Ten Cities List, Chicago led the way for the sixth year in a row, with more than 500,000 square feet installed, followed by Washington, DC, co-host of the June 1 & 2, 2010, Regional Green Roofs & Walls Conference and Training, at 190,000 square feet installed, respectively.

"Despite this fantastic progress, opportunities for future annual growth are enormous, with green roofs accounting for an estimated 10 million square feet annually in an overall flat roofing industry which replaces or builds more than 4 billion square feet in North America annually," said Steven W. Peck, Founder and President of GRHC.  "I'm excited about panel discussions planned for Washington, DC, on June 2, which will focus on how to move to a higher level of adoption in the Nation's Capitol to meet a target of 20 percent green roof coverage by 2020," he added.

"We are definitely seeing the emergence of more public policies and direct investment that support the implementation of green roof infrastructure due to its many public benefits, such as stormwater management, air quality improvement, and reducing the urban heat island effect.  Policies in cities such as Chicago, New York, Washington, Portland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Toronto, to name a few, are making a difference", said Jeffrey L. Bruce, Chair, GRHC.  "The industry will be further strengthened as we develop new training courses to support our more than 325 accredited Green Roof Professionals (GRPs) and launch our newest course - Integrated Building Water Management – in Washington, DC, on June 1st."

For more on the Top Ten Cities List for North America, visit http://tinyurl.com/22jhcc8.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is a membership-based industry association whose mission is to develop the green (vegetative) roof and wall industry in North America. www.greenroofs.org.

SOURCE Green Roofs for Healthy Cities