In the press | Jure Šumi: “Green infrastructure bring life to cities”

In the press | Jure Šumi: “Green infrastructure bring life to cities”

Azotea del Instituto Nacional de Biologia, en Liubliana, capital de Eslovenia. 
© DANILO BEVK

In an interview to top-ranking Spanish media outlet El Pais, Jure Sumi, president of the Slovenian Green Infrastructure Association and Representative of the WGIN European Business Group presented the multiple benefits of nature in cities.

The holistic benefits that urban green infrastructure is bringing to cities are relatively little known”, Jure Sumi told El Pais, “People, and even city officials, are not aware of all the positive effects of nature. The benefits go beyond the aesthetic. Green infrastructure brings life to cities, reduces overheating in city centres, manages stormwater and removes dangerous dust particles from the air…. If buildings are designed correctly, green roofs on top can be additional amenity spaces for residents to enjoy nature at home.”

“Not understanding all the benefits brings us to the second challenge”, he explained, “Adding green infrastructure is costly. As the benefits are not yet recognised, investors are not willing to pay much more for ‘green buildings’ as they are not sure how to sell the benefit to potential buyers. They see green infrastructure more as an additional cost than as an opportunity to increase the value of the building. I firmly believe that this is our task, to convince national and municipal governments, as well as investors and residents, to understand the benefits of green infrastructure. In the end everyone wins: municipality, investor, resident and, above all, nature.”

Read the full article (in Spanish): https://elpais.com/elpais/2021/06/14/seres_urbanos/1623663219_703877.html

Follow us on our social channels.

Follow us on the channel that best suits you to receive our latest updates!

NEW

LATEST POSTS

EFB Open Meeting – European Update, 25 February

The next  EFB Open Meeting – European Update will take place on 25 February 2025 from 17:00 – 19:00 CET. The EFB Open Meetings aim to provide a platform for all members of our member associations to come together, acquire and share knowledge, discuss industry trends, and foster collaboration within the green roof and wall community across Europe.The meeting is open and free of charge for all the members of the EFB Member Associations and Partnering Organizations. Meeting agenda Moderator: Dusty Gedge, Ambassador of the European Federation of Green Roof and Living Wall Associations (EFB) Speakers: Paulo Palha, President of the European Federation of Green Roof and Living Wall Associations (EFB) Egbert Roozen, secretary general of European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA), SoGreen Alliance Renata Pollini, Head of Nature at Holcim Felix Mollenhauer, Project Work Coordinator at BuGG Bundesverband GebäudeGrün e. V. Find the full agenda here. Register here for the Open Meeting. The link to the meeting will be sent only to the registered participants one day before the event. Feel free to reach out with any questions via email at: office@efb-greenroof.eu

Monthly Webinar Series: Nature-Based Solutions for Post-Conflict Regions | April 2025

The “Nature Based Solutions for Post Conflict Regions” webinar is part of a monthly series launched with the support of WGIN, focusing on the reconstruction of green spaces in post-conflict regions. Date: April 2025Language: EnglishParticipation: By prior registration The event will highlight the goals and initiatives of the WGIN working group and discuss the advantages of green infrastructure in recovery efforts. Speakers: Marta Weber-Siwirska — Board Member of WGIN, President of the Polish Green Roof Association Oleksandra Strashok — Special Envoy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction, WGIN, Head and Co-Founder of the Ukrainian Association of Green Infrastructure Register here.

Greening Modern Cities 2025

The Greening Modern Cities conference will be held in Warsaw, Poland, on 21 March 2025. The main theme of the conference is the importance of greening buildings in urban areas in the context of climate change adaptation. Despite the one-day nature of the event, the conference has a packed programme, with speakers including Luigi Petito (Head of European Chapter at WGIN), Veranika Stopczyk (Ministry of Climate and Environment in Poland), Linda Velazqez (GREENROOFS.COM) and others. The event can be attended on-site in Warsaw or online. For more information and to register, please visit https://gmc.psdz.pl/