Green Roofs For Healthy Cities

What Green Roofs For Healthy Cities does

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is a membership-based non-profit industry association founded in 2004 and headquartered in the United States, serving North America as the principal trade body for the green roof and green wall industry. The organization develops and protects the market by increasing awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs, green walls, and other forms of living architecture, and it functions as a community, standards body, training provider, publisher, and event operator simultaneously.

GRHC's core product surface consists of the Living Architecture Academy online training platform (self-paced courses in green roofing, biophilic design, and green walls with lifetime access), the Green Roof Professional (GRP) and Green Roof Installation and Maintenance Professional (GRIMP) certification programs, and the annually running CitiesAlive and Grey to Green conferences, with the 20th CitiesAlive scheduled for Brooklyn, NYC in late 2026. Its underlying technology centers on three ANSI-approved American National Standards developed in partnership with SPRI: RP-14 Wind Design, VF-1 Fire Design, and VR-1 Root Repellency for vegetative roofing systems. Supporting assets include the Living Architecture Monitor quarterly magazine (in its 24th year), the peer-reviewed Journal of Living Architecture (published via the affiliated Green Infrastructure Foundation), annual industry surveys (green roofs since 2004, green walls since 2016), the Green Infrastructure Store for manuals and books, the Green Pages industry directory, the Green Roof Energy Calculator, and the Jeffrey L. Bruce Awards of Excellence program.

GRHC monetizes through a hybrid of recurring and transactional streams: corporate and individual membership dues, training and certification fees, conference and event registrations, product sales of manuals and books ($50-$549), tiered awards submission fees ($149 members / $249 non-members), and publication advertising. Customers span green roof and wall industry professionals (architects, designers, installers, manufacturers, consultants), municipalities and government agencies, building owners and developers, and secondary segments including academic institutions and healthcare facilities. The organization is led by President Steven Peck and is affiliated with the Green Infrastructure Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable entity that publishes the peer-reviewed journal.

Name

Green Roofs For Healthy Cities

Legal name

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

Website

https://greenroofs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is North America's non-profit industry association for green roofs and green walls, offering ANSI-aligned standards, GRP/GRIMP certifications, online training, conferences, and industry publications to architects, installers, manufacturers, municipalities, and building owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Green Infrastructure Industry Association

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Asphalt Paving & Roofing Materials (2950)

akta.pro primary industry

Roof-Mounted Systems Integration (PV, Green Roofs, Roof Gardens, Snow Guards) (IMAFAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Green infrastructure industry
• Green roof certification
• Living architecture training
• Green wall standards
• Vegetative roofing design

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Corporate and individual membership providing access to resources, tools, professional network, and discounts on services and events.
2. Professional Training and Certification: Online courses through Living Architecture Academy including GRP Training packages and specialty courses like Biophilic Design, plus GRIMP certification training.
3. Product Sales: Sale of technical manuals, industry reports, conference recordings, and books through the Green Infrastructure Store. Products include design guides, maintenance manuals, and industry survey reports.
4. Event Registration: Conference and event registration fees for CitiesAlive and Grey to Green regional conferences including training, tours, and networking.
5. Awards Submissions: Submission fees for Green Roof & Wall Awards of Excellence program: $149 for members, $249 for non-members (design submissions); research and civic submissions free.
6. Publication Advertising: Living Architecture Monitor magazine supported by advertisers and GRHC members, featuring industry articles and peer-reviewed research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is North America's membership-based industry association for green roofs and green walls. It develops and protects the market by increasing awareness of economic, social, and environmental benefits of living architecture through professional training and accreditation (GRP, GRIMP), annual conferences (CitiesAlive, Grey to Green), quarterly publications (Living Architecture Monitor, Journal of Living Architecture), ANSI-approved design standards, industry surveys, policy advocacy, and the Awards of Excellence program.

Product overview

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is North America's industry association for green roofs and green walls, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of products and services including professional training and accreditation programs (GRP and GRIMP), the Living Architecture Academy for online courses, the Living Architecture Monitor quarterly publication, the peer-reviewed Journal of Living Architecture, annual industry surveys since 2004, ANSI-approved design standards (RP-14, VF-1, VR-1), policy resources and guides, the Green Infrastructure Store for publications and manuals, the Green Pages Directory for finding industry professionals, the Green Roof Energy Calculator, and annual conferences (CitiesAlive and Grey to Green). The organization also runs the prestigious Green Roof & Wall Awards of Excellence program recognizing outstanding projects and contributions to the industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Living Architecture Academy: GRHC's online training platform offering self-paced courses taught by industry experts in green roofing and living architecture.
• Living Architecture Monitor
• Journal of Living Architecture (JLIV)
• CitiesAlive Conference
• Grey to Green Conference
• Green Roof Professional (GRP)
• Green Roof Installation & Maintenance Professional (GRIMP)
• Jeffrey L. Bruce Awards of Excellence
• Green Infrastructure Store

Products and services

• Living Architecture Academy Online self-paced training platform offering courses in green roof design, biophilic design, and green walls, with lifetime access to course materials for industry professionals.
• Green Roof Professional (GRP) Training and Accreditation Comprehensive professional certification program covering design, installation, and maintenance of green roofs, delivered online through the Living Architecture Academy with lifetime access.
• Green Roof Installation and Maintenance Professional (GRIMP) Training and Accreditation Hands-on and presentation-style certification training introducing attendees to basic skills and knowledge required to install and maintain extensive green roofs.
• Living Architecture Monitor Free, online, quarterly publication in its 24th year covering green infrastructure news, research articles, project case studies, and economic analyses, also hosting the Journal of Living Architecture.
• Journal of Living Architecture (JLIV) Peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Green Infrastructure Foundation in partnership with GRHC, focusing on research findings and scholarly opinions in living architecture.
• Green Roof & Wall Awards of Excellence Annual Jeffrey L. Bruce Awards program recognizing excellence in green roof and wall design, research, civic contributions, and corporate leadership, with submission fees for members and non-members.
• CitiesAlive Conference Annual flagship conference (20th edition in 2026) bringing together 400+ green roof and wall industry professionals for networking, trade shows, trainings, tours, and the Awards of Excellence ceremony, held in major North American cities.
• Grey to Green Conference Regional conference exploring green infrastructure science, economic valuation, asset management, public policy, technologies, and best practices in design, installation, and maintenance, held in cities such as Costa Mesa, CA.
• Industry Surveys Annual surveys of corporate members collecting market data on the growth and composition of the green roof industry across North America since 2004, and the green wall industry since 2016.
• Design Standards (ANSI-Approved) ANSI-approved industry standards including RP-14 Wind Design Standard, VF-1 Fire Design Guidelines, and VR-1 Root Repellency Standard, co-developed with SPRI for vegetative roofing systems.
• Green Infrastructure Store E-commerce store offering technical manuals, books, conference recordings, digital manuals, GRP materials, and industry survey reports for green infrastructure professionals.
• Membership Program Corporate and individual membership programs providing access to resources, tools, professional network, discounts on services and events, and Green Pages directory listing.
• Policy Resources Policy resources including the annual Policy Guide, case studies, cost-benefit studies, and information about policy types such as density bonuses, funding grants, rebates, mandates, and tax credits for green infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Green roofs can increase property sales prices by an average of $70,000 (District House project)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SPRI, Inc. (Single Ply Roofing Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRHC works in close partnership with SPRI, the trade association representing manufacturers of commercial roofing systems and component suppliers. Together they developed ANSI-approved design guidelines for Fire (VF-1), Wind Uplift (RP-14), and Root Repellency (VR-1) for vegetative roofing systems. This industry-wide collaboration involved manufacturers, contractors, designers, green roofing professionals, and testing agencies.
• Green Infrastructure Foundation (GIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIF is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with GRHC, founded to promote green infrastructure design, installation, and maintenance in local communities. GIF publishes the Journal of Living Architecture (JLIV), a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and has developed the Living Architecture Performance Tool with 110 credits and independent review system for policy makers.
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANSI accepted the VF-1 Fire Design Standard, RP-14 Wind Design Standard, and VR-1 Root Repellency Standard as American National Standards, facilitating inclusion in the International Building Code and mainstream construction.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SPRI (Single Ply Roofing Industry): Trade association representing commercial roofing manufacturers. Directly comparable as a co-development partner of GRHC's ANSI standards (RP-14, VF-1, VR-1) and as a parallel roofing-industry association serving overlapping members.

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA):
• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): Operator of the LEED green building rating system. Comparable to GRHC as a non-profit standards/certification body in sustainable building, but broader in scope (whole-building) versus GRHC's narrower green roof/wall niche.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GRHCna
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/green-roofs-for-healthy-cities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Green Roofs For Healthy Cities