On Saturdays through the fall, the Sustainable Building Centre is hosting its "Guest Expert" Series on Granville Island, in Vancouver. Each Saturday, between 2 and 4pm, a different green building professional will be available to answer sustainable building questions you might have. On Saturday, November 25th, Anita Green and Maureen Connelly will speak and answer questions about green roofs.

Anita has a B.F.A. from Queen’s University and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Manitoba. Her thesis examined the integration of natural ecosystems into neighbourhood open-space planning. She is registered both as a Landscape Architect and as a Planner. Prior to her current position at BCIT, Anita worked for 18 years as a Landscape Architect and Planner in the private and public sectors. Since 1998 she has taught a part-time course on Landscape Design at BCIT. In her current position as the Education Coordinator, Anita has developed two new green roof courses and recruited key people in the industry to be part of a team of instructors for the course delivery. She oversees the material and delivery of the courses and teaches as well. She leads the Centre’s public awareness, overseeing events such as the World Urban Forum, special group tours, and also writes articles for association magazines.

Anita was involved in determining the plant selection, installation and maintenance for Phase 2 of the Green Roof Research Facility. Her research interests encompass enhancing our current knowledge of green roof installation and plant selection. Other research interests include biodiversity policy development to address habitat mitigation on green roofs; the viability of coastal bluff plant communities on green roofs; and the exploration of other native plants for improved green roof performance.

Maureen Connelly is the Research Program Head for the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Green Roof Initiative and a faculty member in the department of Architectural & Building Engineering Technology. Combining a science background with a professional affiliation as an architect, Maureen has developed and managed the Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology. Maureen has an overall research focus on the development of the architectural impact model of green roofs and is the research lead on stormwater source control and environmental benefits of green roofs at the centre.

BCIT's Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology (CAGRT), housed at the Green Roof Research Facility, is the hub for the local green roof industry, conducting product performance testing and providing demonstration roofs.

CAGRT relies on industry, through the Green Roof Working Group, to provide direction on education, policy mechanisms, commercialization of the Roofing Evaluation Module (REM), and for the Regional Infrastructure Network of green roof projects.