We are extended our range of green infrastructure and green roof services and held a workshop this week to get new ideas and spread the word to staff.

This week The Ecology Consultancy hosted a green roof workshop at its London office. Gary Grant and Dusty Gedge, green roof experts and our partners in the Green Roof Consultancy Ltd, came in to share with us some of their knowledge and experience. Our own Senior Ecologist, Ben Kimpton, who is our in-house green roof specialist, provided a presentation on the role of green roofs within building environmental assessment tools such as BREEAM.

After a brief introduction to the subject by John Newton, The Ecology Consultancy MD and co-author of Building Green, an overview of the services that we can now offer including Green Infrastructure Audits was provided by Gary Grant. The Ecology Consultancy and the Green Roof Consultancy are jointly carrying out such an audit for the Better Bankside Business Improvement District (BID) and the Green Roof Consultancy has recently been involved in a green roof audit for the Victoria BID.

Green roofs can be beneficial for wildlife particularly when they are constructed in areas where green space is lacking and with due consideration to the local ecology. In addition, provided they are designed, installed and maintained to appropriate standards they can ameliorate storm water, extend the life span of the roof and reduce your carbon footprint. For example, the green roof on Chicago City Hall reduces the need for cooling in the building, and even in summer the air conditioning is left off until 4pm. Apart from these important environmental benefits, green roofs also add value to a property and contribute to the well-being of building users.

Ben Kimpton talked about streamlining our work for developers and facilitated discussion on new methods to assess the value of different green roof designs. As an addition to services that The Ecology Consultancy already offers, he stressed that as leading green roof ecologists we are in a unique position to advise clients, particularly as part of Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM assessments. The BREEAM Construction scheme now specifies that a Suitable Qualified Ecologist (SQE) must be consulted in the design of green roofs in order to qualify for credits. The Ecology Consultancy can provide Suitably Qualified Ecologists to undertake this work and in collaboration with the Green Roof Consultancy, can provide detailed specifications for both green roofs and walls. We can also carry out Green Infrastructure Audits and Feasibility Studies.

If you would like to learn more about our green roof, green wall and green infrastructure services give us a ring on 01273 471369 / 07843 034028 or email [email protected]

"To quote Eddie Izzard, ‘do earwigs make chutney?' Bees do make honey, but if badgers brewed beer would we take more care of them?"

In a recent article in Environment Industry Magazine¹ John Newton, Managing Director of the Ecology Consultancy, spelled out the importance for developers to update themselves with changes to wildlife legislation.

“To quote Eddie Izzard, ‘do earwigs make chutney?’ ” he said, “ Bees do make honey, but if badgers brewed beer would we take more care of them? Of course, this is a light-hearted way to show that wildlife plays an important part in keeping humans alive. In terms of building and development, if it goes wrong for wildlife, it can go wrong for you and cost dearly".

John Newton went on to warn that project managers need to take an interest in wildlife because if they don’t, they may fall foul of the wildlife legislation that protects wildlife on land they may be developing or managing. The consequences can be a heavy fine or even a prison sentence, but at the very least, delay to the project.

The new edition of Working with Wildlife, authored by John Newton and colleagues from The Ecology Consultancy, is a comprehensive guide for the construction industry and is available from www.ciria.org

1.Environment Industry Magazine Issue 17 http://issuu.com/enviromedia/docs/eimissue17