What are Green Roofs and What Are The Benefits of Having One?

You may have heard of a new type of roof that is taking the country by storm and helping the environment in the process. The type of roof I am talking about of course is the Green Roof! A Green Roof contains everything you will find in a normal roof. There is however one major difference that sets it apart from other roofs in the neighborhood: it is covered almost entirely with vegetation. Because of this, it has been named the eco-roof. In essence, it protects your home from bad weather and storms all while providing oxygen back to the environment and also providing a little place for wildlife such as birds and other small creatures to nest. Because the vegetation can grow extremely thick, it acts as an insulation against heat, allowing for the house to stay cooler in the warmer months. This also allows for lower electricity bills as you are not constantly having to run your air conditioner to stay cool. A green roof can also extend the life of a standard roof by around two years.

A green roof can also improve the mood of people that are around it and people that spend time tending to it during working hours at their office or as just a space to get away and take a deep breath at home when you need to. Offices are taking advantage of their green roof and using it as a place to hold their meetings versus spending this time inside a dense, dreary and drab gray office. They find it refreshing to instead be surrounded by bright colors and the smell of fresh flowers. The fresh air allows their mind to concentrate more on what is being said, They become more engaged and when they return to work, they are more productive.

Green roofs have been around for years, but have only recently started becoming popular. They are now being used in various cities and are even being specifically designed to help different types of wildlife grow and thrive. People enjoy them because they act as a natural noise reducer, they attract butterflies and bees and other insects that are good for the environment. They also contain a drainage system that reduces the runoff of rainwater.