Contributors

Catherine Burkee

Catherine Burkee is the director of education services at Breaking Ground Contracting where she is responsible for strategic planning and management of the staff as it relates to all services provided by Breaking Ground’s Education Services division. With broad-based experience in the educational field, Burkee develops and implements new educational offerings at the company, including launching the company’s first book, Me and Green, in 2010, as well as creating public education programs regarding the benefits of sustainable building and living. She is also responsible for continuing to improve existing services, sales of education services, budget management, cross-over business development and daily interaction with clients, specialty contractors and vendors.

Prior to joining Breaking Ground Contracting, Burkee worked in the Hillsborough and Sarasota County School Boards  as an educator, literacy coach and data coach. Her previous experience includes serving as a human resources director and purchasing director with a major mechanical contractor in Tampa, FL. Burkee has a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Florida and her love continues to be working with children to promote the belief that the choices we make directly impact our home, Earth.

Kevin Songer

Kevin Songer is a green roof botanist and environmental lawyer who helps architects, landscapers and engineers design and install both nature irrigated, native plant green roof systems and food/ permaculture vegetated roof creations.

Prior to establishing an urban core volumetric green consultancy Kevin and his wife, Judy operated a Florida native plant and organic herb/ permaculture nursery for many years.  In 2009 Kevin was awarded the USGBC, North Florida Chapter’s Award for Water Conservation and Landscape Design for his work on the LEED Platinum Villa Paraiso project.  His work in green roofs includes design, construction and subsequent successful hurricane simulation testing on a sloped, extensive mat-based nature irrigated green roof with the University of Florida and he is presently overseeing installation of a nature irrigated green roof for the first LEED Platinum commercial building project in Jacksonville while involved in design of plant based water purification systems for a large sustainable Saudi project that also includes vertical green.

Kevin’s passion is found in helping his clients understand existing project site conditions and work to develop cost-effective green roof design options.  Though he finds value in all volumetric green projects, Kevin’s passion lies in partnering with clients to create two important yet distinct and different types of green roofs.

Kevin’s work with water conservation has led to involvement with design of green roofs irrigated by rain, dew and fog, roofs he refers to as ‘nature irrigated’ and primarily populated with endemic native plants.  Additionally, Kevin works with design and installations of food and ethnobotanical green roofs, believing urban rooftop permaculture using recycled water such as condensate, holds the key to solving Urban Core hunger issues.


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