Green Roofs Npr

Instead they re like green skins layers of vegetative matter that grow directly on.

Green roofs npr.

The increased urbanization of towns and cities has resulted in less green space and more impervious surfaces. We took a field trip to the largest green roof in new york city. Can you collect water runoff from a green roof. Npr s ketzel levine reports.

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. Modern systems help mitigate the heat island effect create habitats filter pollutants sequester carbon and even increase agricultural and amenity space. Large enough green roofs such as commercial vegetative roofs may even reduce the risk of local flooding during heavy rain. With green roofs that water instead of going into the drain and polluting the environment ends up just evaporating the atmosphere through the leaves of these plants.

A green roof also helps control storm water runoff and retention. Green roofs soak up stormwater reducing its impact on local plant and animal habitats. Precipitation generally runs off the roof of a building into gutters and flows into a storm sewer. 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.

Grhc develops and protects the market by increasing the awareness of the economic social and environmental benefits of green roofs green walls and other forms of living architecture through education advocacy professional development and celebrations of excellence. A green roof is a roof that has grasses or plants all over it and the idea is not new. And then there s what scientists call the heat island effect which basically means that cities are significantly warmer than the surrounding areas. Commercial green roofs are not roof gardens.

Green roofs are also known as vegetative or eco roofs. This absorption of stormwater also improves local water quality. Npr s chris arnold reports. But now some of those roofs are going green.

Many of them can t take foot traffic. Green roofs for healthy cities grhc is the north american industry association for the green roof and wall sectors.