Yeah, I know green roofing materials is not usually mom's domain. But when the roof is leaking whoever is available to stop the leak is the man (or woman) for the job around my house.
We had a little bit of a storm that tore our old shingles to the point of no return which made me start research green roofing options. Since our old roof is shot, looks like we will be working on our green home from the roof down rather than from the ground up, so bear with me.
When I questioned our roofing guy about earth friendly roofing materials, his reply was that his company does not plant gardens on roofs of houses and even if he did, our home would not support such a system. Well, ok, there went option number 1.
He went on to ask why would anybody in their right mind consider turning their roof into a lawn.
Well, Mr. Roofer Guy, here are a few reasons that plants should have a place on every available roof whenever possible.
1. Plants can provide insulation for the house. While retaining warmth inside of the house the environment stays cooler.
2. Plants soak up toxins like carbon dioxide and provide oxygen.
3. These green roofing materials effectively reduce noise pollution by creating a muffler or sound barrier.
4. A garden on the roof can provide fresh salads greens, fruits and vegetables. Gardening in the city can't exactly take place in the concrete of the sidewalk, now can it?
5. Plants are a feast for the eyes and a salve for the soul. Yeah, I know this isn't about reducing oil based roofing but you have to wonder if stressed out folks might benefit from a trip to their roof garden after a long day.
My mission to use green roofing materials for my house is not going to be anything fancy or fun that involves gardening. Light colored metal roofing is looking like the best (most affordable) choice for me in my current location.
But you can bet if I ever build another house, my roof is going to be more than just a moisture barrier; I'm going to tackle major environmental issues by gardening in the clouds!
Tuesday
GREEN ROOFING MATERIALS
Posted by Unique Baby Gear Ideas at 10:37 AM
Labels: cleaner environment, current environmental issue, green building, green home, major environmental issues
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7 comments:
I was touring in the north of Scotland recently and saw a few properties that had 'planted' roofs. One of them was short grass with what looked like wild flowers in it. I know there are benefits to be had, but it just looked so great, I'd do it for that reason alone.
its true and terrible even last year we have lost a lot of expensive things in felling down of roof and the water of rain destroyed everything that was in the house that time.
If you have a garden on your roof, do you aim to cover the entire roof? or just a small part of it? I have seen this sort of thing at restaraunts and upperscale homes/ condos but never on a median income house that I can remember. better save room for solar panels too! ; ]
What happens after you place your soil and plants the roof develops a leak? To find a leak, especially on a flat roof, there's a very good chance you may have to take up the entire garden to find the sourc of the problem.
I am a fan of Green roofing technology. Great to see you guys helping to promote and inform about it
We need the public to catch onto this stuff.
For roofing we should rely on some reputable roofing company .Gulf Coast Supply is a leader in manufacturing metal roofing and components, serving all of Florida and Southern Georgia.
http://www.gulfcoastsupply.com
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