Slaughter Announces EPA Award for Green Living Technologies International

April 22, 2014

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter

Ranking Member, House Committee on Rules

Representing New York’s 25^th District

***Press Release***

Slaughter Announces EPA Award for Green Living Technologies International

Slaughter nominated Rochester-based business for the 2014 Environmental Quality Award

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) announced Green Living Technologies International (GLTi) as one of the 2014 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Quality Award (EQA) Winner.  Slaughter nominated GLTi for the EQA award for their leadership in developing and providing intelligent green technologies like green walls, green roofs, and vertical farming (nomination letter is attached).  GLTi will attend the EPA’s official awards ceremony later this week in New York City.

“Advancements in green technology help to create jobs, make us more energy-independent, and preserve our communities for future generations – that’s why I’m so proud to have nominated Green Living Technologies International for the prestigious Environmental Quality Award,” said Rep. Slaughter. “Though GLTi’s footprint extends far beyond our community throughout the world, they manufacture their technologies here in Rochester. GLTi’s unique technologies have helped conserve energy consumption, reduce storm water runoff, filter pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air, while encouraging environmentally sustainable farming.”

“We are honored to be selected by the EPA for their 2014 Environmental Quality Award and for the continued support of Congresswoman Slaughter,” said Mick Stadler, Chairman of GLTi.  “This Award provides recognition for all the hard work and accomplishments of our Company’s Founder, George Irwin, and his team.  George has built GLTi into an industry leader in the Green Roof/Wall, Vertical Agriculture, and “Green STEM” Education sectors with the Company having its own “Roots” right here in Rochester.”

Green Living Technologies has been manufacturing, designing and installing vegetative green roofs and walls since 1999. In 2006, the focus shifted to product development, manufacturing and education.

At the press conference, Slaughter and GLTi highlighted GLTi’s partnership with Foodlink to create urban indoor farms using GLTi’s patented vertical design layouts and organic food producing process. The use of vertical farming technologies helps promote urban renewal, sustainable production of food, while limiting the use of conventional farm technologies that rely on the use of fossil fuels and potentially environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Foodlink’s goal is to develop a sustainable regional food system that gives everyone access to nutritious food, as well as the skills to lead a healthy life – indoor food factories in urban environments.

Last year started with GLTi technologies growing beans, beets and spinach at Foodlink. As the weather got warmer, GLTi continued additional development with the GLTi Plant On Demand and radishes. The following produce was grown for the Foodlink Curbside market and other initiatives in 2013:

Spinach: 20 lbs +/- *one A Frame – One side

String Beans: 20 lbs +/-

Beets: 300 +/- Beets

Yellow Taxi Tomatoes: 200 lbs +/-

Big Dwarf Tomatoes: 100 lbs +/-

Red Robin Cherry Tomatoes: 275 quarts

Swiss Chard: 150 lbs

Eggplant: 5 plants yielded 8 eggplants

“We congratulate George Irwin and Green Living Technologies for receiving this much deserved award. We also thank Congresswoman Louise Slaughter for recognizing GLTi’s work locally,” said Julia Tedesco, Co-Executive Director and Chief Development Officer at Foodlink. “George and his team are true innovators in our local food system. We look forward to a continued partnership with GLTi; working together to increase access to healthy, locally-grown food, for those at-risk of hunger in our community.”

GLTi has installed their products in over nine countries, including a 17,000 square foot Green Living Wall on the Intercontinental Hotel in Santiago Chile. Its green roof panels also make up the third-largest green roof in Canada, atop Sysco Corp. near Vancouver, British Columbia,

GLTi also has a strong local presence in Rochester.  The company recently completed a green wall spanning 8 feet wide and 40 feet tall containing 1,776 green plants to improve air quality at Rochester Institute for Technology’s Sustainability Institute Hall. GLTi has also partnered with West Irondequoit High School STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Institute to demonstrate how green roofs, green walls, vertical farming and other green technology can be associated to core subject matter.

“The cores of our corporate values are lined with Environment, Community, Education and Economic responsibility. The segregation of these responsibilities would be unjust, it is a balanced union between our values and responsibilities that dictate our actions and provide for others,” said George Irwin, President and Founder of GLTi. “Our products and applications have a profound positive impact. Our company provides opportunity for knowledge, education and income equal to the basic human needs of food, water and shelter.”

The current President George Irwin founded Green Living Technologies International. Irwin’s goal for GLTi has gone beyond food production. Prior to creating GLTi, George owned and ran a successful landscaping business that he sold to complete his teaching degree in Upstate New York.  In 1999, a client inquired about a rooftop garden. At that time, very little information was available in the United States on what are known today as green roofs. Building on European experiences, Irwin developed and patented his own Green Living Roof System. The company soon grew to include technologies to grow foods vertically, and to train and educate in these arts. Irwin is unable to attend Wednesday’s award ceremony in NYC because he will be in Haiti.  He will be implementing a GLTi vertical agriculture program with schools in Haiti to enable students to grow food for their families and stay in school for full days.

EPA Environmental Quality Award:

Each April, EPA honors individuals and organizations with an EQA that have contributed significantly to improving the environment during the prior year. To be selected, nominees must have:

·         Significantly contributed to improving environmental quality in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands during the prior year.

•         Demonstrated a high achievement level in the award category.

·         Created unique or location-specific benefits, produced results that are sustainable or reproducible, or increased public involvement in environmental action.

Eric Walker | Press Secretary

House Committee On Rules | Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter

2469 Rayburn | Office: 202.225.2888 | Cell: 202.815.4884


Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Online

Sign up for the Louise Line to get periodic E-Updates from Congresswoman Slaughter