New Washington State Legislation To Require Large Commercial/Multi-Family Buildings to Have Green Roofs
Senator Mona Das, Liz Lovelett, Joe Nguyen, and Rebecca Saldaña submit Senate Bill 5732 in Washington State. This bill would require all new large commercial and multifamily buildings in the State of Washington to have green roofs, blue-green roofs or bio-solar panel energy generation on their roofs. The bill will go to public hearings with the Senate Committee on January 26, 2022.
“Green roofs are an innovative and common-sense way to help our local economies, our learners and our planet,” said Sen. Mona Das (D-Kent). “They answer so many needs: helping our students get hands-on STEM experience and outdoor time in their school day, feeding our communities, cleaning our air, and creating jobs. The invaluable benefits they provide have been demonstrated time and again in communities where green roofs are already widespread. I’m excited to champion this measure to bring green roofs to Washington.”
This Rooftop for Climate Survival Act provides building owners with options to install standard green roofs, and also agrivoltaic systems which produce food, biosolar roofs which produce energy, and blue/green roofs which retain and detain stormwater.
The bill hopes to maximize the full potential of Washington States’ roofs. Washington would not be the first to implement a bill like this, as similar legislation has been implemented in California, Illinois, Oregon, New York, Washington DC, and other parts of the world. Should this bill pass, it will come into effect by December 31, 2024.
“Green roofs not only improve a building’s aesthetics and energy & stormwater performance, they provide a multitude of economic and community benefits”, says Vancessa Keitges, the CEO of Columbia Green Technologies, who manufacture their 100% recycled polypropylene green roof trays in Camas, Washington. “Green Roofs create good American & State of Washington jobs for growing green roof plants at nurseries, blending green roof growing media with engineered soil, manufacturing jobs for the green roof building materials. Not to mention jobs for the design, & architecture community for designing a green roof, construction for installing the green roof and ongoing maintenance employment for maintaining these green roofs with landscape contractors.”
"This proposed legislation follows similar mandatory green roof requirements in Portland, San Francisco, Toronto, New York and other jurisdictions. It will turn barren Washington State rooftops into a force to fight climate change, better manage stormwater, protect salmon and improve community health and well being, while also creating jobs." says Steven Peck, GRP, founder and president, Green Roofs For Healthy Cities, the green roof and wall industry association. "It's a natural next step which builds on various local government green roof incentives and numerous projects throughout the state while contributing directly to real estate value. We applaud Senator Das and the leadership of Washington State legislators for supporting SB 5732"
Spread the message and share your support! You can find updates on the bill here, and read it here. If you would like to comment your support on the bill please click here.
Background
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) professional industry association working to grow the green roof and wall industry throughout North America since 1999. Our mission is to develop and protect the market by increasing the awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs, green walls, and other forms of living architecture through education, advocacy, professional development, and celebrations of excellence.
Read The Living Architecture Monitor, our quarterly online magazine that follows industry design, policy, research and technology developments.
Enroll in The Living Architecture Academy, our online training platform which is dedicated to bringing you the best, most up to date professional development resources on design, installation and maintenance practices.
GRHC’s next event is a Virtual Blue-Green Roof Symposium - Technologies For Managing Stormwater - Virtual
From the Living Architecture Monitor
