WGRD’s window of opportunity for urban greening

Market-leading modular green roof manufacturer Wallbarn has joined forces with World Green Roof Day organisers in calling for people to look out of their windows and identify flat roofs that would be perfect for transforming into insect and bird friendly green roofs.

“Bus stops, single storey extensions, garages, home offices, bike sheds, log stores, summer houses etc are all potentially great hosts for green roofs,” said Wallbarn Director Julian Thurbin. “It doesn’t matter how small the space, imagine the impact that greening just a small percentage of the millions of square metres of flat roofs in London would have on its environment and natural habitat. And imagine that impact rolled out across the UK.

“It is something we are already doing with our M-Tray® modular green roof, working with home owners, garden designers, commercial landscapers, developers and roofing contractors to green a wide variety of smaller flat roofs including a food and beverages outlet at Ascot racecourse, part of a 5* London hotel, chic home offices and garden rooms throughout the capital. Almost any roof is suitable and these small actions can have big consequences, helping to create wildlife corridors across urban areas. We therefore encourage everyone to look out of their windows and take pictures of flat roofs they’d like turned into mini wildlife havens,” added Julian.

World Green Roof Day on June 6th is the brainchild of Chris Bridgman of Milton-Keynes commercial landscaper Bridgman & Bridgman. It is being delivered by London-based green roof expert Dusty Gedge. He said: “By celebrating green roofs and the environmental benefits they provide we hope that cities across the globe see the value of greening roofs. WGRD allows us to celebrate green roofs and the benefits they bring to people and nature.”

WGRD will also see the formal launch of the Green Roof Organisation (GRO), a UK trade body responsible for the green roof code of practice and now a legal entity.

Croydon-based Wallbarn, a GRO member, has pioneered modular green roofing systems, with its unique M-Tray® solution offering a prefabricated ‘green roof in a box’ approach developed over more than a decade. All elements of the system (including growing medium, optimum drainage and wildflower/sedum plants) are contained within a 500mm x 500mm x 100mm deep cassette tray light enough to position on site by hand. The cassettes are pre-planted with hardy native British-grown sedum and/or perennial wildflowers, increasing biodiversity and providing a haven for pollinators. Installation is quick and easy.

Post pictures of flat roofs that would make perfect green roofs (or already completed inspiring green roofs) to #WGRD2020

World Green Roof Day is supported by greenroofs.com, livingroofs.org, the European Federation Green Roofs and Walls, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), Europe Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and World Green Roof Infrastructure Network (WGIN).

www.worldgreenroofday.com
www.wallbarn.com