Green Roofs

It's nothing new, but with this brutal summer coming, it's something to talk about. This article by the New York Times points out the temperature difference on a black roof, white roof, and green roof.

"At 1:45 in the afternoon on August 9, 2001, the temperature in Chicago was in the 90s. Eleven stories up, on the roof of City Hall, the surface temperature of the black tar measured 169 degrees. But Mayor Daley, environmental innovator — yes, that Mayor Daley — had done something interesting. The year before, a section of the City Hall roof had been painted white.  The surface temperature there was between 126 and 130 degrees. And much of the roof of the building had become a garden — 20,000 plants in 150 varieties, chosen for their abilities to thrive without irrigation and stand up to Chicago’s notorious wind. The surface temperature of the green roof varied between 91 and 119 degrees."

I googled some photos of green roofs and got two amazing photos I have to add with links. Funny thing is, both came from different websites, Sierra Club Green Home and Eco Geek, but both websites have both images. The Eco Geek has some other great images, including some goats eating a green roof :)

I encourage you to read the New York Times article. Imagine what the temperature in a city would be reduced to if every roof was either white or a green roof. Yes it's costly per square foot, but imagine the reduced electricity bills for air conditioning, the reduced amount of run off...