The establishment of a market that allows the trading of stormwater credits is an innovative approach to improving stormwater management. Learn about the work of American Rivers to implement this new approach launched in 2013 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

In the world of sustainable architecture, stormwater driven living walls are a revolutionary green building practice. Discover Enni Headquarters in Moers, Germany, with its remarkable 650 sqm living wall, ingeniously irrigated by harvested stormwater. Learn about the smart systems, underground reservoirs, and interdisciplinary collaborations making this green oasis a symbol of urban sustainability.

Learn about the green roofs in Toronto that manage stormwater and achieve multiple sustainability goals. By upgrading to biodiverse green roofs, the design team exceeded water balance targets, reducing storage needs and earning financial incentives, showcasing how green roofs can benefit both the environment and finances in urban development.

This Sustainable Futures: Designing Green Communities and Buildings Podcast episode explores the future of Water and the genesis of Green Cities Clean Waters with Howard Neukrug, Executive Director at the Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

This article summarizes much of Green Roof Diagnostics’ (GRD) approach to applied research. Of the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic), this article focuses primarily on the last pillar: economic sustainability via a recent case study where one developer was able to save US$540,000 by utilizing rooftop detention technology.

How much water can a green roof retain? The rate at which the roof regains retention capacity is determined by the combined processes of evaporation and transpiration – the evapotranspiration process. This is the driving factor that should be considered for green roof design.

Living in greater harmony with the environment requires that we do our best to understand the environment and design solutions that provide the most benefit and create little or no harm. Technology – such as via monitoring, smart controls, and modeling – contribute immensely to both that understanding and design.

The green infrastructure industry has an incredible responsibility to provide the best possible green solutions for the 66 percent of the world’s population that will live in urban areas by 2050. We can only get there through excellent research and rigorous science, as well as close collaborations with civil engineers.

Stormwater continues to be the #1 reason for installing a green roof. This article seeks to clarify some of the most common terminology related to green roof stormwater management, specifically: retention vs. detention.