The green roof (rooftop garden) is a vegetative layer on the rooftop. It has many benefits like shade, reduction in heat, and temperature of the surrounding air. Green roofs can improve the overall atmosphere of Urban areas with limited vegetation, particularly during the summer season. Green roofs can lower the temperature of your rooftop by 30-40 °F.
Green roofs have been around for ages. Now these are making a comeback with the need for more plants after the havoc of deforestation and urbanization.
Green roofs can be extensive or intensive. Extensive green roofs have a thin layer of soil for plants with shallow roots. The intensive roof garden is a deep layer of soil to sustain higher plants with deeper roots.
Installing green roofs is pretty simple. All you need is a little adjustment to your rooftop and it will be ready to grow your favorite plants. Make sure your roof can take the weight of these plants including the pots, potting soil, water, and other things that you might want to add to your green roof. It is recommended to add a protection board to protect your roof. Keep the growing medium as light as possible without ignoring the plant’s growth.
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Save energy with green roof
Green roofs will reduce the need to install insulation for summer or winter. Green roofs insulate the rooftops and keep buildings hotter in winter and cooler in summer. This will save energy for cooling or heating the buildings throughout the year.
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Save money with a green roof
By reducing energy expenditure and insulation costs, you can save money with green roofs. Using evergreen vegetation will stay lifelong so you won’t need to buy seedlings again and again.
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Urban sustainability with green roofs
Green roofs are the nature-based solution for the urban heat island effect. They provide evaporation, insulation, and shade. This eliminates the need for cooling or heating. The green roof and green walls are also beneficial in reducing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather conditions. This also reduces air pollution and heat-related illness.
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Aesthetic appeal
Buildings and houses with green roofs look amazing to the eye. Greenery adds an aesthetic beauty and value to the infrastructure making it a visually pleasant element for everyone to enjoy.
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Reduce rooftop runoff
Vegetation in your green roof absorbs rainwater and stormwater preventing it from reaching the streets. This also leads to a lowering of the temperature of your building. This prevents flooding and damage to public and private properties. Moreover, runoff from urban and suburban areas washes off pollutants into the water bodies. This runoff damages aquatic life and affects water quality. All these problems can be solved with green roofing which can slow the flow of water to some extent.
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Roof life expectancy increase
A green roof will increase the lifespan of a rooftop by protecting rooftop material from direct UV rays, rainwater, and extreme temperature fluctuations.
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Adding up greenery:
Green rooftops not only benefit your house but also add greenery to the area.
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The lifespan of green roofs:
Green roofs are expected to last up to 40 years which is twice as long as conventional roofs.
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Make use of unused space:
Urban areas lack vegetation and have lesser space for cultivation and plantation. Most of the space is taken up by some kind of infrastructure. Usually, the rooftops are left as it is without the contribution of anything to nature. Green roofs make use of this unused space and make it a home for birds and insects. This allows plants and animals to thrive even in urban areas.
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Biodiversity and Habitat for Pollinators:
Green roofs serve as new urban habitats for pollinators and contribute to plant biodiversity.
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Community gardening projects:
Installing green roofs you can play your role in achieving bigger goals like Community gardening projects. Such projects reduce pollution and add greenery to urban and suburban areas.
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Air quality
Another benefit of green roofs is improved air quality. There are many plants that have air-purifying properties. They absorb toxins and pollutants along with absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen. This greatly improves the air quality of the surrounding.
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Green roofs allow water to evaporate back
Plant roots absorb water from the soil beneath and transport it to the stem and leaves. From there, water molecules are evaporated out to the atmosphere through tiny openings in the leaves called stomata. Plants on green roofs absorb much of the rainwater and allow it to evaporate back into the atmosphere without falling into sewages.
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Neutralization of acidic rainwater
Another important function that green roofs perform is the neutralization of acidic rainwater and increase its pH.
