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We've all heard of slate roofs, tiled roofs even thatched roofs. But green roofs? They are more than a trend. One of the first roofing Greens in Europe was created in Switzerland in 1914 and are now recognized as a great benefit to the environment. Thousands of square feet of otherwise redundant space can be planted to absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, insulate our buildings and much more.
Roof of the world's largest green is more than 10 acres and a half. It covers the entire roof of the Ford truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford created the ceiling for environmental reasons, firstly, to provide stormwater retention. Water keeps the plants and evaporates into the atmosphere. The green roof also cools down the factory, building and protecting the workers too heat.
The City of Toronto is big on green roofs – there are now over 100 with more to come. It is believed that if the 8% ceiling in the city is green then the temperature can be reduced by up to 2 degrees. That significantly reduces the effects of global warming and urban "heat islands".
And there are other reasons why they are a response to climate change. Green roofs are good insulators – reducing the need for energy for heating and cooling buildings. Of course, plants also absorb carbon dioxide, emissions of which are increasing, and releasing oxygen, providing a more clean and healthy atmosphere.
Research has been conducted that suggest that people in cities are less stressed and more productive in a "green" the environment. Some have suggested that human beings need green as much as food and water for their welfare. No concrete jungles someone feel at one with the world.
In Switzerland and Germany, any roof of a certain size has to be green by law. In fact, the benefits of green roofs are now so evident that some governments premises of the world are providing builders with incentives to install them. In the U.S., Chicago and Atlanta are encouraging their use.
The Mayor of London and the architect Richard Rogers (of fame the Pompidou Center in Paris) are actively encouraging the proliferation of green roofs in London. The Corporation of London, the governing body local city of London, has recently granted a series of business planning applications provided that the builders incorporating green roofs. This follows the success of the business district of Canary Wharf, which includes 6,000 square meters of green roof – some of the 160 meters in height, the highest in the world garden designed for biodiversity.
Other examples in the UK are the roof of the Library of the University of Nottingham and the Horniman Museum in south London. There even a school in North London, North primary Haringey, which has seen parents, teachers and students come together and transform a roof used to be a smoking area teachers secret!
There are countless examples of successful green roof projects throughout Europe, Scandinavia and North America. In Japan there is a very beautiful example of a garden stratified roof for a residential block. And Australia is doing a lot of research about how to promote green roofs, including climate arid.
So it seems to be a green roof revolution taking place around the world, and all the right reasons. As urban expansion reduces the surface of land available for parks and gardens, local authorities and national governments are looking to the heavens to introduction of green areas for aesthetic and therapeutic. But to combat the effects of climate change and to maintain or even increase biodiversity in our cities.
About the Author:
Expert roofer India Cooper explores how roof gardens are aiding the environment around the world. To find out more please visit http://www.ratedpeople.com/find/roofer
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Roofs are Helping the Planet and Go Going Green!
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