Well, now is the time.  Back in ’06, I started promoting Green Roofs as a potential profit center for ‘scapers.  Most looked at me as if I were…NUTS!  That was then and this is now. 

Folks, new construction of buildings is down to a trickle.  Not much on the boards.  The only game in most of our towns will be Green Construction, Green Building Retrofit and Green Products and Services.  The trick for us ‘scapers is to figure out the Rules for this new Game and how to do it and do it well and before everyone else or someone else in our neck of the woods jumps in.

DO NOT IGNORE THIS MESSAGE!  It just may be your financial salvation.  OK.  So you have the goal.  How to get there?  Read on.

GREEN ROOFS  At the moment green roofs are few and still in the infant stage.  However, this will not be the case for long.  Did you know that the city of Toronto just passed an ordinance that asks that ALL new commercial buildings have a Green Roof??  Yep, the world is achangin’ and fast.  If you want to play, you need to do your homework.  You need to build a "team".  The team consists of Architect/Engineer, Storm Water Management expert, Roofer, and you, the installer of the planted product.  Now there are a number of grids, freedom squares etc out there.  I believe in the Freedom Squares because of two major properties.  First they are light weight in a  world where more weight means more cost and, because they enlarge the plant pallette.  Larger and more diverse plants make for a much more attractive finished product.

I suggest you start to do your homework.  Check out the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities web site, plan to attend a Green Roof training seminar, work toward becoming a certified Green Roof installer, and set up your local team.    You probably already are in good stead with an architect or two, but for the other team members, check out your local BOMA members.  To my knowlege there are at least three interiorscaperswho got the message a while ago, did the training and are now Green Roof certified professionals.  This is certification that covers all methods and not just "certification" from a product manufacturer.  In the future, there will be many many more of us and you need to be one of them!

In the next week or so,  Freedom Garden Products (FGP) will have its Specification Brochure in an emailable version.  If you want to receive it, just email me, barbhelfman@aol.com. 

Now go out there and get ‘em, Green Tigers.