18
Jul
Let’s take a few minutes to look at this aspect of gardening. First, glance at the interstate. What do you see? Despite the rising fuel costs there is little change from when fuel was reasonably priced. There are still a lot of cars, probably more SUVs, and tons of semi trucks. Focus in on the semis for a second. Now think, many of those semis are bringing in grocery items from various parts of the country and world. There are, in my opinion, at least two things wrong with this picture: 1) the food they often truck in is not the best quality, it’s nothing like you can grow; 2) diesel exhaust accounts for approximately 26% of the total hazardous pollution in the air, and 66% of the particulate pollution from on-road pollution. Those truck create noise and smog; they’re just not good for us or our environment. One way that we can do our part in not contributing to bringing those big trucks through our area is to buy locally grown produce from local suppliers. By reducing the demand it is conceivable that the trucks, who bring in the supply for the demand, will drastically reduce also.
Okay, so you don’t really want to pay the higher prices for the premium produce from the farmer’s market. How are you going to do your part? There’s that ugly patch of nothingness out in the back landscaping. Why don’t you turn that spot of uselessness into a lushious garden that gives you top-notch vegetables for not much more that your labor? This would be the best option because you would, at the same time, not demand anything from the suppliers who use the semis to truck the produce in, and reduce your own air pollution by not going to the grocery store or even the local farmer’s market. I would imagine that if you had a green roof this would also be a wonderful area to transform into a productive garden. Gardening can be very therapeutic. You can pull up weeds when you angry, and watch the plants grow when your meditative. They’re a great way to work out stress.
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3
Jul
This is another green roof category. It is not as common, and there is not a whole lot about it out there, so I thought I’d mainly do some linking. The best summary of semi-intensive green roofs that I have come across is: “This combines the benefits of lower maintenance and accessibility to the green roof area.”
Here are the links:
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30
Jun
These are not nearly so labor-intensive as intensive green roofs. They do still need occasional maintenance, such as: irrigation during extreme drought, weeding until the plants become well established, and occasional application of fertilizers. Extensive green roofs are usually installed more for environmental benefits rather than for the enjoyment of the general public.
The soil depth for extensive green roofs is much shallower than most intensive green roof: 3″ to 7″ as opposed to 8″ to 4′. Because of the extreme conditions of many roofs the plants for extensive roofs are typically low growing and very drought and sun tolerant. The plant foliage is usually 2″ to 6″ long and designed to provide maximum ground cover, water retention, erosion resistance, and respirative transpiration of moisture.
Click on the thumbnail for larger view of the diagram.
These roofs can be installed over various roofs, but it must first be inspected to ensure that it can bear the load of a green roof. If it is installed on a flat roof another layer must be added to drain the excess water away from the root zone. The best roof slope for extensive green roofs is between 5 degrees and 20 degrees, but, if a grid system is used, they can also be installed on slopes up to 45 degrees.
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27
Jun
In general, there are two types of green roof: intensive and extensive. Occasionally a third, semi-intensive, is added to that list. The depth of the planting medium and the amount of maintenance required determines which category the roof falls under.
Generally intensive roofs are characterized by thick soil (8 inches to 4 feet), heavy weights, and elaborate plantings. The plants usually include shrubs and trees. Rooftop ponds, incorporated into the overall design, would also fall under this category. Intensive green roofs are installed primarily over concrete roof decks to enable them to withstand the weight requirements. The roof needs to be able to support from 80 to 150 pounds per square foot.
Intensive green roofs require significant maintenance, but they are beautiful. These are what generally come to mind when you mention green roofs in the city. They are usually park-like and accessible to the general public.
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26
Jun
Green roofs, also known as eco-roofs, vegetated roofs, living roofs, and greenroofs, are becoming increasingly popular, although the market is weak and still underdeveloped in North America. They incorporate high quality waterproofing, root repellent system, drainage system, filter cloth and lightweight growing medium to make an economically sound, and psychologically easing environment right in the middle of the city. Rooftop ponds are another form of green roofs. These are often used to treat greywater. Vegetation planted in containers on the roof are not considered true green roofs, but there is some debate in this area.
Overall, green roofs are expected, when build and maintained properly, to increase the roofs life span two or three times! However, they do have much higher structural demands than traditional roofs; not all buildings can be retrofitted with green roofs.
These roofs can retain up to 75% of the rain water and gradually release it back into the atmosphere. This significantly cuts down on the pollution that goes back into the surrounding ecosystem. Installing a green roof isn’t cheap. The cost is five to thirty-five dollars a square foot and more. There are many benefits though. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it also reduces sound, and can reduce your summer cooling and winter heating losses by 26%!
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