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SLIDESHOW: Living plants out-last, out-perform roof shingles

Many Rodale Institute staff members cooperated in recent days to construct the farm’s first green roof, providing an early crop this spring. The innovative installation pushes the edge of the chosen living-roof technology due to its relative steep roof angle.

Using a type of low-growing and maintenance-free sedum, the living system is carefully designed to outlast a typical roof, while slowing runoff from severe rainfall. It also provides a cooling effect to the building—and the surrounding air—in summer. So says William Heasom, P.E., president of Down to Earth Design Foundation (www.toearth.org), a non-profit organization focusing on engineering for regeneration.

For Eileen Weinsteiger, garden manager at the Institute, the roof promises to add beauty, color, texture and fragrance, and may even encourage wildlife, birds and butterflies. Here are some of the elements in the roof, and some steps in its construction on the pavilion, shown here behind a redbud in full bloom.


(Photos by Chisako Fukushima and Greg Bowman)

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This is Really Incredible

This looks like a truly incredible and imaginative green roofing technique. But are there any practical problems that would make people hesitant to turn their roofs literally green??

Nicely done! You just gave

Nicely done! You just gave my a great idea for my house, I really want some more green, it looks more beautiful and cozy this way. I hope I'll find a good Dallas roofer to help me with this.

It can sure exist in

It can sure exist in Northern NY state: there are several examples of green roofs in my home town of Quebec City (USDA zone 4), particularly on the roof of a public building in the Maizeret Arboretum, close to the St.Lawrence river. That roof has been in place for at least 10 years and after the plants were established, it requires very little attention. As I recall, they planted sedums and grasses, and low growing flowers from USDA zones 4 and less.

green roof

wonderful article - wonder if it can exist in Northern NY state? Our farm is just starting to grow veggies and have a few chickens in addition to our main mission of organic beef and crops. Thought I'd try a green roof on a horse shelter.....?

Love it!

This green roof is awesome! I saw my first green roof in Dearborn , MI when I recently toured the Ford F-150 pickup plant. Ford's grounds are a wonderful testimony to what a major industrial site can do to restore the vitality of the and and make it once again viable habitat for all forms of biota.

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