From a magazine that is green all of the time . . . Welcome to the greenest issue of the year!

So, what makes this issue more green than last month's? Well, the title on the editorial calendar for one. But more significant are the projects inside. Still, after so many years (30 years this July) to call one issue the green issue seems kind of moot. After all, landscape is the original green industry and virtually everything ever done in the industry was in some way meant to green the environment . . . Just saying . . .

So . . . that said . . . There are some pretty cool green projects inside this issue. I especially like the riverbank restoration on the Malden River near Boston. You know, whether or not you agree with some of the conservation calls and climate claims, one of the best things about the climate of change is that good usually comes from critical thinking. In this case, the culmination of decades of conversation about brown fields and unfettered waste resulted in a section of the river becoming what every section of every river should be: clean, accessible and life sustaining. Also inside you will find three articles about green roofs.

A dozen years ago virtually every building in the country had a roof made to withstand the weather, but with no decorative nor memorable features. Today, the growing trend is to add the roof as another floor of useable space. Owners have found that maintenance and utility cost are decreased, while rentable features are added to the project. This raises the question of whether something that makes business sense can actually be considered "green." Who knows, someday they may even find out that landscape absorbs carbon dioxide and creates oxygen . . .