Bioroof Systems to participate in International Green Roof Congress

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 06, 2009 -
TORONTO – Rick Buist, President of Bioroof Systems, a Burlington-based green roof manufacturer, designer and installer of green roof systems, will participate in a Round Table Discussion at CitiesAlive!, the International Green Roof Infrastructure Congress in Toronto, Canada, October 19 -- 21, 2010 at the Toronto Sheraton Centre.

With more than 60 speakers slated to present, CitiesAlive! will focus on global best practices and developments related to policy, research, and design of green roofs, walls and other forms of green infrastructure, as a solution to global climate change.  Attendees will learn how significant increases in urban vegetation, in, around and within buildings and communities can help reduce greenhouse gases, adapt to the worsening climate crises, and secure a more sustainable and prosperous future.

On October 20, Rick Buist will be part of panel discussion which also includes City of Toronto Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone and John Campbell, President and CEO of the Toronto Waterfront, to discuss some of the issues facing Toronto in it’s greening the city policy.  Included in the discussions will be the new City of Toronto by-law requiring green roofs on buildings as of January 31, 2010 and how this mandate will impact green roof development.

“Green roof systems offer a range of benefits beyond aesthetics and function,” explains Rick Buist of Bioroof Systems.  “From storm water management to reducing the urban heat island effect to providing much needed green space in an urban corridor, green roofs increase the sustainability of the built environment.  I look forward to the opportunity to expanding on these ideas with my colleagues, and sharing some examples of BioRoof Systems already in the marketplace.”

Bioroof Systems offers both an Eco-Line and Euro-Line of green roof systems, allowing designers the option of selecting from the most ecological advanced systems on the market place or selecting from a more European-based design system.  Created in 2007, Bioroof Systems has already completed some of the most significant projects in Canada, including the Manitoba Hydro Building in Winnipeg, Covenant House and the Bloor-Gladstone Library in downtown Toronto.

CitiesAlive! presents the first time this international conference has come to North America and is the only event that gathers the international green infrastructure community together to address the issues of green infrastructure as they relate to environmental, social and economic needs on a local, regional and global level.  The event is co-presented by the City of Toronto and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, in partnership with the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network.

To learn more about CitiesAlive!, visit www.greenroofs.org.  To learn more about Bioroof Systems, visit www.bioroof.com.

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Backgrounder

Rick Buist, an award-winning designer and horticulturist, is a popular speaker with architects, landscape architects and green roof professionals, regularly presenting at international and national conferences, training courses and education sessions.  Rick has been involved in the design and/or installation of more than 100 green roof projects throughout North America, including the award-winning National War Museum in Ottawa, Canada.  With more than 20 years experience in the horticultural world, he has established himself as one of the leading green roof specialists related to design and performance using natural ecological practices.

Rick has been the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the North American industry association, for the past three years, and also chairs the Corporate Members Committee and the Growing Medium Sub-Committee.  This sub-committee has undertaken the challenging task of creating performance characteristics for growing medium used in green roofs with the ultimate goal of creating standards for the industry as a whole to utilize.

For more information about Bioroof Systems, visit www.bioroof.com or call Toll Free: 1 866 377 5177.

Photo:
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