by L.B. Woodgate

Created on: September 14, 2010

In an economy where we’ve become dependent on fossil fuels as a source of energy, we are faced with the prospect that increased CO2 emissions from spent oil and coal will add to the natural levels of CO2 in the atmosphere; creating a greenhouse effect where our planet becomes warmer more rapidly than humans and other animals species will be able to adapt to.  We can offset this likely man-made imbalance by incorporating new technologies and practices in our lives that not only reduce our dependence on fossil fuels but will help reduce the accumulated CO2 emissions that industrial processes have already put there, helping to redirect the potentially hazardous consequences that could drastically diminish essential resources like food and water supplies. 

Green roofs can be a part of this solution.  By adding a 5 to 7 inch layer of soil substrate to flat and low pitched roofs, with a water-resistant membrane below it, the environmental benefits will effect lower fuel costs, reduce landfill waste, provide cleaner air, neutralize the effects of industrial emissions and add beauty to many inner city cultures where concrete and glass make up much of the scenery that exists for residents there.

The high insulation factor of a green roof will reduce the need for A/C cooling in the summer and heating fuels in the winter, much like the sod roofs of the old western prairie houses served to battle the heat, high winds and blistering winters of the American mid-west.  With the combination of soil and plants in this poorly utilized space on buildings and homes that receives the bulk of the sun’s rays, this solar energy can now perform the means by which CO2 is exchanged for O2 – photosynthesis.  As we have removed carbon-absorbing trees and plants to build high rises, housing developments and shopping malls, the means to replenish oxygen are eliminated.  Green roofs will bring back a part of that ability for nature to provide an essential element that sustains all life forms. 

Natural wear and tear on an average roof requires a change of conventional shingles about 5 - 6 times for a home that survives 80 years.  The roof is the most abused part of your home as it takes a daily beating from intense heat and frequent climatic abuse like rain, hail and snow.  Green roofs eliminate this expense and keep materials like sheathing, under layment, flashing and shingles from going into our shrinking

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