TORONTO — September 21, 2009 — ESRI Canada, which provides enterprise geographic information systems (GIS) solutions, today unveiled its new green roof at the company's headquarters in Toronto. The green roof is expected to produce numerous environmental and business benefits and promote environmental stewardship. ESRI Canada celebrated the event with a reception for its customers and partners.

"As a business leader, we are committed to operating in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner," said Alex Miller, President, ESRI Canada. "Our new green roof, along with our other eco-efficiency initiatives, demonstrates our commitment to preserving and enhancing the environment to benefit society and our stakeholders."

The project transformed an adjacent paved terrace on the 9th floor of ESRI Canada offices at 12 Concorde Place in Toronto into useable green space and an urban oasis that will help mitigate urban heat effect and provide additional habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

The 704-square metre green roof provides the company with outdoor space for formal office meetings, corporate events and informal lunch breaks. ESRI Canada visitors and staff are treated to a visually-stimulating and enhanced workplace environment that is expected to help improve productivity.

The green roof will also provide energy savings by reducing heating and cooling costs, as plant layers provide additional insulation to the structure beneath and cool and filter the surrounding air. The green roof retains up to 75% of summertime precipitation, and delays and filters storm water run-off, reducing sewer overflows.

The green roof uses environment-friendly materials - roof modules are constructed with 100% recycled polypropylene; module plants are obtained from local nurseries; and wood for benches used on site came from a managed forest.

The planning phase for the project began in 2007 and was implemented in conjunction with Crown Property Management. Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. provided design services for the project. ESRI Canada qualified for a grant to cover partial costs of building the green roof under the 2009 Eco-Roof Incentive Program for Green Roofs in Toronto.

"We commend companies such as ESRI Canada for its important contribution and continued focus on environmental sustainability," said Mayor David Miller, City of Toronto. "With the addition of this new green roof, we have taken another step in making Toronto a healthy and liveable city."

Click here to view a video of ESRI Canada's green roof project.

About ESRI Canada

Founded in 1984, ESRI Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments, and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography. The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from ESRI, Telvent Miner and Miner, Azteca Systems, and other technology partners. Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada. Information about ESRI Canada can be found at http://www.esricanada.com/.



Contact:

Joy Chan
PR Specialist
ESRI Canada
Tel.: +1 (416) 386-6488
E-mail: Email Contact
http://www.esricanada.com/