Day 26 - Green roofs

I’m not a big gardener.

Let me rephrase that. I am a terrible gardener. I have a black thumb. Anything I plant immediately dies, and then weeds grow there. You should see my lawn.

So I can’t imagine growing things on the roof. But today I got a newsletter from a hotel we stay at in the Adirondacks every year. They’ve been working to lessen their environmental impact for the past few years, and have done some amazing things. The most recent is their “green roof.”

I had never heard of this, but apparently, it’s a growing trend. No pun intended.

Green roofs, or vegetative roofs (VRs), reduce heating and cooling costs by insulating the building, can be used to grow fruit and vegetables, and filter pollutants out of the rainwater and air, among other things.

Of course, they are expensive (around $14 to $50 a square foot, depending on what type you get), and not practical in areas prone to drought. But they are definitely an interesting concept.

For more information about green roofs, check this out:
http://www.greenroofs.net/

If you can’t green your roof, try planting a new tree, or a few plants around your house and yard, either in the ground or in pots. Replace portions of your high-maintenance grass, which needs to be watered (wasteful), fertilized (pollution), and mown (fossil fuels) with low-maintenance ground cover.

Here’s a great article about replacing your lawn in the St. Petersburg Times:

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/03/01/Homes/Lawn_begone__Replacin.shtml

For information about what types of plants are native to your region, try:

www.Lesslawn.com

Isn’t it amazing what you can find on the internet?!

Tip 26 – Replace your resource-sucking lawn with plants and hardscaping.