Green Roofs

[Uke_Mochi]

Here are the basics for a green roof:
1) a membrane to seal the existing roof
2) a frame to house the following substrates, media, and plants
3) a layer (or several) to keep roots from permeating the sealing layer
4) an absorbent layer to retain moisture
5) a "media mix" to plant your plants in (the examples i've seen are close to the expanded clay and pumice commonly used in hydroponic systems, the more lightweight, the better)
6) drought-tolerant, (relatively) shallow-rooted plants (seedums are quite popular)

Now, this is a simplified list. Many commercial roofers that install green roofs have specific systems that they employ - usually engineered to comply with insurance company specifications.

This is an area that is expanding as more and more large architectural projects seek LEED certification. Personally, I think Europe is way ahead of us with this.

More soon!

[MoniDew]

I adore the Italian villa style houses with garden rooftops. I wish we built like that here, too!

At the moment, I could use a new roof. I just lost all my shingles in a storm a couple months back, and my insurance company is giving me a ridiculously hard time about it! What would they think of me doing this to my roof?! HAH!

[gardenjoinery]

Subbing to this post. We are working on some models with green roofs, and I want to learn more. We want to do a green roof when we build our house.

[Blossome]

Thank much for the info.

[Uke_Mochi]

Here is an article that was brought to my attention by one of my (expanded) area's "eco-farmers":
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/02/spoiled-organic-and-local-so-2008
I post this to this thread because, along with the insightful commentary on how the industrial food machine is in trouble, it brings to light some potential alternatives for feeding the masses, one of them being doing massive crop plantings on top of already existing structures, like your friendly neighborhood big box store.

As I try to find my niche in this "new world order" I keep coming back to the problem of how to get joe schmoe to go along with these great ideas that we have. It's articles like this one that keep me motivated to try new ideas, and support the people who are truly making a go of theirs.

[Aspen]

Hub and I have admired green roofs for years. We are planning an expansion to our chicken coop which will have a shed roof. We decided that it would be fun to put a green roof on the shed roof. I will need to research and look for materials, but I think this is something we can do!

[gardengirl72]

I am a fan of the 2x2 plastic tray method and the hay bale method of greening roofs. I've always wanted to make some videos on the subject, but it is not always feasable to have a green roof on existing homes. It is also not something that anyone can just do as a weekend project. Their are so many types of green roof systems that require certified installers and cost a substantial amount of money. It needs to be required on new construction. These black roofs act like black tar in cities and just make it warmer in the cities than it should be in the summer. I have about 6000 square feet of pretty flat roof on my office building that I want to 'green'. I will convert it as soon as I can and video tape it, but not everyone has flat concrete roofs. DO you know if they can be installed with any pitched roof or is there a limit?