Green Industry ECOnomics - LandcareNetwork.org

Why Green Roofs
Ecological benefits
• Cool and humidify the surrounding
air, creating a more
pleasing microclimate and
potentially reducing the “heat
island effect” in urban centers.
• Provide natural habitat for
animals and plants creating
biodiversity, providing an
attractive area for wildlife, such
as birds, butterflies, and insects.
• Reduce dust and smog levels,
absorbing nitrates and other
aerosol contaminants out of the
air and rainfall and capturing
them within the soil.
Technical benefits
• Retain stormwater. Depending
on the design, a green roof can
reduce stormwater runoff by 50
to 90 percent. Green roofs also
greatly reduce and delay the
peak flow of precipitation,
minimizing the impact on
municipal sewer systems.
• Add thermal resistance. Green
roofs have been proven to
reduce heating and cooling
costs up to 25 percent on a
two-story structure.
• Reduce noise levels. Extensive
green roofs, those with 3–5
inches of soil mix, greatly
diminish the noise level, which
is important for buildings near
freeways, airports, or manufacturing
facilities.
(Benefits, continued next page)
Their importance, along with all other
energy and resource conservation initi a-
tives will grow as funds from the massive
stimulus bill passed by Congress in
late 2008 flows into the economy. President
Obama, his administration, and
Congress have a decidedly more “green”
agenda than lawmakers and administrators
of the previous administration. This,
of course, translates into more service
opportunities for suppliers and contractors
that can advance this agenda.
Green roofs to multiply
“Because of the stimulus package’s
energy-savings components, there ought
to be a lot more green roof construction,”
said Heller. “The package is definitely
strong on green and a lot of cities have
already been pushing for more green
roofs. There’s going to be more money
devoted to green roofs. For example,
New York City offers owners a one-year
property tax credit of up to $100,000 on
new green roof construction.”
Heller got his first experience with a
green roof on the business end of a
shovel, so to speak. Now, 12 years later,
his company, Greener By Design, is one
of the foremost installers of green roofs
in and around New York City.
“I was working with a landscape architect
who was designing a garden that
you plant directly on the rooftop of a
hotel,” Heller recalls. “They wanted a
garden area there because all the elevator
banks of the hotel looked out onto
the roof, but the budget and weight restrictions
did not allow for a conventional
planter-based roof garden.
70 Green Industry ECOnomics