Linda Velazquez Editor & Publisher ASLA, LEED™ AP, GRP

Hello, everyone,

We hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving and had an opportunity to reflect on your blessings. As we fondly remember sharing the bounty of our lives with family and friends last week, we also remember the lives of two friends and colleagues who passed recently: Caroline Menetre Totten and Dr. Diana Balmori. Caroline was a dear, dear friend of mine who was involved in our world of greenroofs and walls, and in particular was enamored with vegetated vertical walls. I've been writing an In Memoriam for a couple of weeks now and can't seem to finish it.

Diana Balmori was an exceptional bright shining star in our universe of ecological architecture and design, with decades of contributions in the form of thought leadership, outstanding projects, and education. Read the excellent "Diana Balmori, Landscape Architect With a Blending Philosophy, Dies at 84" from The New York Times for more on her life. Both wonderful women will be greatly missed and I will also put together an In Memoriam for Diana. If you'd like to share anything - stories, photos - please send to: [email protected].

And in remembrance of Veterans Day, thank you to all of the servicemen and women (and their families) out there who have fought and died for our various freedoms and to ensure our democracy to ALL of us here in the U.S. As citizens, it's not only our right but our responsibility to voice our opinions to our leaders and stand up for our beliefs, especially for those who have no rights, such as our environment.

Did you know that Greenroofs.com is rated #1 in the Agilience Index for Roofs, Urban Agriculture, and Roof Gardens & Green Walls? And, once again, we're very pleased to be included in Global Grid's Top 20 Landscape Architecture sites, this year moving up to the #9 spot. Thanks to both sites!

Naturally, workloads are slowing down a bit in anticipation of the holidays, but everyone should be back in full swing in the new year. May your days be filled with peace, hope, and joy this holiday season, and we'll keep you posted on new happenings soon!