Green Roof Technology Gaining Ground Nationally and Locally

Urban rooftops become cool gardens (image: howstuffworks.com)

President Obama recently tapped California author and activist Van Jones for the newly created post of Special Advisor for Green Jobs. The goal is to create jobs in new green industries that will contribute to energy savings and improve the environment. One of Jones’ top priorities is the promotion of “green roof” technology, whereby commercial and residential roofs are covered with living plants. Among other benefits, the planted areas are cooler in summer, saving energy by reducing the need for air conditioning.

As part of his Earth Day activities earlier this week, Jones did a video walk-through of a green roof installation in Washington, DC by the non-profit organization DC Green Works:

Green Jobs for a Green Future from White House on Vimeo.

Green roof technology is gaining momentum in the Northeast, especially on commercial and municipal buildings in high density urban areas because the plants are so effective at reducing “heat island effect.” According to the EPA “On a hot, sunny summer day, roof surfaces and pavement can be 50 to 90 degrees C. hotter than the air, while shaded or moist surfaces remain close to air temperature.” But city or country, green roofs, in addition to creating significant energy savings, provide other important environmental side benefits. The plants remove carbon dioxide from the air while the soil absorbs and filters rain water, so what goes back into the environment is cleaner.

Green roof construction is relatively low-tech (image: egrfaculty.villanova.edu)

That aspect has caught the attention of Cornell University’s Marine Program in the town of Southold on Long Island, NY. The organization is dedicated to cleaning up Long Island’s waters and restoring the area’s once vital shellfish industry. Both Cornell and Suffolk County’s Storm Water Management Program are excited about the potential of green roof technology to reduce the harmful effects of runoff on Long Island’s shellfish. Cornell’s Mark Cappellino travels to area schools to educate local kids about creating a green roof, which just happens to make a perfect school science project.

One such roof project is underway at Cutchogue East Elementary School. The 5th grade science class meets periodically in the school’s science lab to fill large, shallow planters with potting mix and specially-chosen ground cover plants, like sedum, which are tough enough to withstand the rigors of a rooftop environment. As the expanses of green roof increase over time, they will help the school save energy and contribute to a cleaner local environment. Cutchogue East’s Science Coordinator, Peg Dickerson, hopes her kids’ green roof will inspire imitators in the community. One of her students, Kimberly Scheer, 10, said, “We want to come back in a few years and see it all green.”

Students at Cutchogue East Elementary School prepare green roof planter boxes. (images courtesey Cutchogue East Elementary School)