The U.S. General Services Administration has 2 million sq. ft. of green roofs for its buildings, including here at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in D.C.

The D.C. metro area easily outdistanced other cities in 2013 with 2,164,926 square feet of new green roofs installed.

In its annual survey, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) reports a 10 percent growth rate for green roofs in 2013. The GRHC considers this significant growth, particularly given the "ongoing sluggishness of the American and Canadian economies, and the tapering off of stimulus funds."

Leading the nation in green roof installations in 2013 was the Washington, D.C. metro area with 2,164,926 square feet of new green roofs. D.C. has adopted public policies and programs that support green roof investment, including rebates of $7-$15 per square foot of green roof installed, and credits that reduce stormwater fees.

"The industry's continued growth is fuelled by the multiple public and private benefits green roofs bring, such as stormwater management, reducing the urban heat island, energy savings and green jobs," said Steven Peck, founder and president of GRHC. "With supportive public policies like those in Washington, D.C., we will make progress toward achieving the industry goal of one billion square feet of green roofs installed by 2022," he added.

"The fact that D.C. once again leads the nation in installation of green roofs is another example of how our government, private organizations and residents are working together to ensure that we are the most
sustainable city in the nation," said Mayor Vincent Gray. "Green roofs are part of the solution for capturing stormwater and cleaning up our local rivers, and I am proud of the work of everyone who has helped us achieve this honor once again."

For the full 2013 Annual Green Roof Industry Survey, go to www.greenroofs.org.

Note"?uupcoming green roof events: The "Grey to Green Conference on the Economics of Green Infrastructure Focusing On Health" takes place Aug. 25-26 in Toronto greytogreenconference.org. The 12th annual Green Roof and Wall Conference"?u "CitiesAlive""?uis set for Nashville, Nov. 12-15 citiesalive.org.