"Imagine the effect of community kitchen gardens on the rooftops of New York City," writes visionary green architect William McDonough in his forward. "The gardens would make visible the vital connections between water, soil, food, and human culture, and create a network of living landscapes across the ancient archipelago that is New York City."

Hundreds of photographs, forty case studies of exemplary green roof projects – from Mexico City to Malmo, Sweden to Fukuoka, Japan to Dearborn, Michigan – provide inspiration and guidance for green roof development, as well as design details. The book includes seven essays on green roof development in Berlin, Tokyo, London, Portland, Chicago, Toronto, and New York City. Additional essays detail the technical requirements, architectural history, and design possibilities of vegetated rooftops.

About the Author
For over ten years, 2004 EPA Environmental Achiever award winner Earth Pledge has been leading efforts to find sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Since 2001, Earth Pledge¡¯s Green Roofs Initiative has worked with the many sectors necessary to achieve widespread green roof infrastructure. The organization has educated hundreds of design and building professionals, conducted scientific inquiry into green roof performance, worked with government to create support structures, and created a central online resource for green roof development – GreeningGotham.org.

Earth Pledge identifies and promotes innovative techniques and technologies that restore the balance between human and natural systems. Through education, research, and implementation, Earth Pledge initiatives deliver viable models to government, industry and communities.