May 17th

By Mutt Mulligan

Green Roof Keeps Buildings Cool

According to Wikipedia, a green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. 

Green roofs are taking off across the country, and studies show how helpful they can be.

To facilitate comparisons among the different kinds of roofs, an article described how Con Edison divided the training center’s roof into three parts: a traditional dark roof section, a section painted white, and a green section with plants growing on it.

After their study, they concluded that the green roof, home to 21,000 plants on a quarter-acre section, keeps heat in the building during the winter, reducing the need for heating, and keeps heat out during the summer, reducing the need for air conditioning. Green roofs also reduce rainwater run-off and absorb pollution, cutting down on the amount of urban sewer overflow.

The green roof reduces summer heat gains by up to 84% and winter heat loss.    Do you have a green roof story you’d like to share or pictures you can send in? 

Careful mowing your roof! 

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