Green Roofs Npr

Many of them can t take foot traffic.

Green roofs npr.

Large enough green roofs such as commercial vegetative roofs may even reduce the risk of local flooding during heavy rain. Green roofs are also known as vegetative or eco roofs. Green roofs have become natural fits for many public buildings as well thanks to large scale environmental and financial benefits such as energy efficiency storm water management sound insulation and the development of habitats for birds and other urban creatures. This absorption of stormwater also improves local water quality.

Commercial green roofs are not roof gardens. Instead they re like green skins layers of vegetative matter that grow directly on. Npr s ketzel levine reports. And then there s what scientists call the heat island effect which basically means that cities are significantly warmer than the surrounding areas.

Although there are no precise definitions of them an extensive green roof has a shallow growing medium usually less than six inches with a modest roof load limited plant diversity minimal watering requirements and is often not accessible. Green roofs for healthy cities grhc is the north american industry association for the green roof and wall sectors. Then we imagined what the city could be like if all of its roof space was green. A green roof is a roof that has grasses or plants all over it and the idea is not new.

Modern systems help mitigate the heat island effect create habitats filter pollutants sequester carbon and even increase agricultural and amenity space. Can you collect water runoff from a green roof. Precipitation generally runs off the roof of a building into gutters and flows into a storm sewer. The increased urbanization of towns and cities has resulted in less green space and more impervious surfaces.

In the most basic sense green roofs are a layered combination of vegetation and membrane over a building that can help insulate and provide water management. But now some of those roofs are going green. A green roof also helps control storm water runoff and retention. They fall into three main categories extensive intensive and semi intensive.

Npr s chris arnold reports. Green roofs soak up stormwater reducing its impact on local plant and animal habitats.