Visit the Whitaker Ponds Ecoroofs!
Whitaker Ponds, in NE Portland, is home to the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, forested pathways, countless wildlife species, and two ecoroofs. One ecoroof is on the gazebo and the other is on a City of Portland pump station.
Whitaker Ponds Nature Park is located at 7040 NE 47th Ave.
Portland is changing the Nature of its rooftops with a green roof mandate!
Green roof advocates everywhere are celebrating the recently adopted Portland Central City 2035 Plan, which includes a mandate for vegetated roofing. The Ecoroof Requirement, as it is called, goes into effect starting July 2018 and includes buildings in the Central City over net 20,000 square feet, with rooftop parking exempt. The green roof must cover 100% of the roof (that includes appropriate vegetated free zones), with up to 40% exemptions for rooftop mechanical equipment.
The success of this landmark mandate is due to a united effort between local nonprofits, community members, and our elected officials. The Green Roof info Think-tank (GRiT) has been supporting the City of Portland with green roof studies, symposia and stakeholder testimony throughout the years leading to the development of the requirement. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Greenroofs.com, the Audubon Society, Portland State University, and various local stakeholders have also had a significant impact on the awareness and research of green roofing in Portland and beyond.
Stewardship for the environment and human health does not get bestowed upon us from the top-down. For a new paradigm to take root, communities must unite toward a goal, and then stick together throughout all of the challenges and objections that arise. It is our own responsibility to keep our municipal, state, and national leaders on track and informed to protect our resources and enhance our livelihoods. Portland has spoken, adding our voice to the swelling tidal wave of cities incorporating green roofs into their long-term plans for urban resiliency.
An ecoroof grows in Piedmont
GRiT member, Jim Labbe, constructed an ecoroof on his Portland, OR home. Our friend and colleague, Dusty Gedge, founder of Livingroofs.org and current President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations, posted a nice write-up about Jim's current and future ecoroofs. Click here to read about Jim's habitat ecoroof.
Central City 2035 Plan--Adopted!
The Portland City Council adopted the Central City 2035 Plan (CC2035). This far-reaching, landmark plan includes a requirement for green roofs on new construction in the central city. GRiT, and many others were actively involved in shaping the ecoroof requirement. Click here for more information about CC2035.