Greenroofs Contribute To Cleaning Our Air – Beautiful!
As our cities grow so does their respective carbon footprint. More people translate into a higher volume of new cars, the need for new buildings, which in turn, increases the need for energy. The picture that is painted here is not very encouraging from an environmental perspective. The good news is that Ecoroofs can absorb a great deal of the pollution created.
The absorption takes place via the plantings on the ecoroof. Plants absorb the pollutants through their leaves and eventually convert pollutants to nutrients. Plants can then reuse the nutrients as food. Both the density of coverage and the types of plants used can vary the amount of pollutant absorption hence the selection of species should be thoughtfully considered in efforts to maximize the absorption rate.
In a publication recently written by Portlands’ Bureau of Environmental Sciences, titled ‘Cost Benefit Evaluation Of Ecoroofs 2008‘, we find that .04 pounds per square foot of carbon particulates are consumed on average by ecoroof plantings. When applying this number to our 7,188 square foot Central City Library Ecoroof in Portland, Oregon, 288 pounds of carbon is consumed annually!
This statistic is certainly encouraging and with persistent promotion of ecoroofs world wide, we can, as a community, create a cleaner environment. The more square feet of ecoroof we create the easier we will all breathe! How much carbon can YOUR roof clean?
Daniel Edwards, ASLA, LEEP AP
Macdonald Environmental Planning, PC
(503) 224-1225
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So that's why we have clean air in the winter. All the mossy roofs are sucking out the carbon.
I feel this is a great idea and will help with several issues before us. Most notably is the overflows into the river. I heard on KXL yesterday that the City is giving out grants to people looking to add a ecoroof to their building. If this is true, then finally I feel somebody in government is doing a good thing with our tax dollars.
How can businesses learn more about ecoroofs?
A lot of roofs out there! How many juggle; collecting sun’s power, collecting water and absorbing pollution.
Why not make use of the empty space, instead of it just being a place to absorb heat
Hi Tim,
That’s a great question as there are so many rooftops that are not used out there. I do have to say that by putting a greenroof on a building I consider the roof to be “in use” at that point. The reason being is that greenroofs are aesthetically pleasing to people using buildings adjacent to the building the greenroof is located most times. Also more and more, a section of the rooftop is dedicated for viewing the greenroof. Also rooftop gardens are becoming more and more popular as an amenity to tenants.
Daniel Edwards
Macdonald Environmental Planning
We’re planning to start a bed and breakfast this year and I’m glad I stumbled into this post. I think having an eco-roof for our inn is a great idea.