Study Shows Green Roofs Capture Carbon
posted by: GinaMarie Cheeseman 44 days ago
Recently, Royal Dutch Shell PLC received $865 million from the Canadian government for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Green roofs, rooftops with plants, can capture and store carbon, according to a new study by Michigan State University in East Lansing. The technology to build green roofs already exists, and they can be created for much cheaper than a CCS project.
David Sailor, an engineer at Portland State University in Oregon said of the study, “Their argument is that the carbon sequestration in plant biomass should be considered one of the co-benefits of a green roof. Taken along with other co-benefits, you start to tell a very compelling story for green roofs.”
"The key to fighting global warming is capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in new reservoirs that weren't storing carbon before," lead researcher Kristin Getter said. "In the whole scheme of things, green roofs are not the one answer to sequestering carbon, but they will certainly help."
Michigan State researchers began the project by measuring the amount of carbon stored in vegetation on 12 green roofs in Michigan and Maryland. They also measured the amount of carbon stored in an experimental roof on campus. The study pointed out that roofs are “typically unused spaces” which provide a “unique opportunity to sequester carbon.”
If all the commercial and industrial rooftops in the Detroit metropolitan area had green rooftops, they would be able to sequester the amount of carbon comparable to removing over 10,000 midsized SUV or trucks off the road for a year, according to the study.David Sailor, an engineer at Portland State University in Oregon said of the study, “Their argument is that the carbon sequestration in plant biomass should be considered one of the co-benefits of a green roof. Taken along with other co-benefits, you start to tell a very compelling story for green roofs.”
The study sited several barriers to “widespread acceptance” of green roofs in the U.S. including:
- Lack of awareness
- No technical information on how to build them
- Lack of government incentives
- Limited quantifiable data about the benefits of green roofs
Read more: global warming, green roofs
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want to give you so much money(cant)
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It's a great idea...SO:: even tho tons of folks (below) have commented on 1 weakness-- that it's not easy to build this onto your roofs-- well i have to disagree.
JUST COMPARE this scenario to ALL other complex /expensive methods of dealing with pollution & green-house-gases!
C'mon--- students, architects + engineers will have NO problem coming up with ways to make this work for many types of houses/buldings;
Tthis is EASY compared to the expensive R&D for developing solar cells on roofs, for example.
ALSO:: instead of funneling HUGE amounts of money to BIG corporations,,,
this idea will create LOCAL jobs + income for lots of businesses & individuals,
contractors, builders, landscape-architects, sales of hardware & plant related materials,,
the list is HUGE ;-)
OH gee ---not to mention how much it will ALSO help
with LOTS of heat /climate problems in Southern states & areas in which hi-tech solutions are difficult to implement,
etc.
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Not to Curb Your Enthusiasm, but consider the mold and damp? Here's a recipe for Mold Remediation specialists to make a Bundle! How many 100's of millions did Shell Oil receive from
the Canadian Government for this experiment?
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If I plant grass on my roof, will I get a fine from Code Enforcement if I don't mow it? If so, how do I get up on the roof with a lawn mower & how do I mow without falling off?
Seriously though, I think that green roofs are a great idea. I wonder if having one would reduce my A/C bill?
Bruce Anderson, the green roofs don't just store CO2. If you remember back to your elementary school science classes, Photosynthesis consists of plants taking in CO2 and releasing oxygen. Here's the definition from Dictionary.com.
"The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct."
Yes, we need to reduce our CO2 emissions big time, but green roofs will help to eliminate some of what's in the air already. We cannot completely eliminate CO2 as it's part of our breathable atmosphere but we have too much of it & that's what's causing global warming.
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having plants on roof may sound cool, in fact it will make the roof cooler. but one must ensure the roof is sturdy enough to carry its load, otherwise we are looking at an accident waiting to happen! the greening of roof will address the problem, but not stop the problem. we still have to manage our co2! lessen production of big cars, do away with cars more that 10 years old, let's go back to the way we were, with the barest but only the essentials.
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I'm thinking those who live in trailer houses could put up very strong shed type structures right over their homes and make the rooves of those planting spaces. It would also protect the trailers from hail and strong winds, give shade in the summer, and if one enclosed the shed walls with glass or plastic, provide a buffer against the cold in winter. Something like this could be incorperated into the low income houseing weatherization program. Trailers are big energy wasters, and eventually,if one wanted to, the trailer could be pulled out from under the shed structure and the structure turned into the frame of a new house. I think stuff like this makes more sense to regular people than all this carbon sequestering mumbo jumbo, no offense intended. People need to grasp how 'green' rooves would make a difference to their comfort level as well as energy bills.
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roof (roof, rf) n. , pl. roofs There are several free dictionaries in the Internet. Why are we wasting our time discussing something that is beside the point? BTW, don't you think growing plants on roofs is a cool idea?
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Hmm That is Very Interesting . A Roof That Captures CO2. Nice. Though Like Another Said We Need Away To Be Rid Of It Safely Not Store It. What if We Could Some How Brake It Down Separately To Oxygen & Carbon. If You Could Separate The Oxygen From The Carbon. That Would Be Nice. But Still Getting Rid Of The Carbon. Hmm. That Stinks We Still Have An Unwanted Chemical. Surely There Something That Can Safely be Done With The Stored CO2. Any Ideas Any One?
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definitive answers:
plural of roof = roofs
to sharpen the appetite = to "whet" (vis-a-vis "whetstone" (a rectangular piece of carborundum on which to sharpen blades).
A green roof may comprise grasses and many different types of succulent (moisture-retaining) plants. It can be anything from 3"-12" in depth, either flat or very slightly sloping. In order to adapt an existing dwelling for a green roof one must employ the services of a specialist "green roof" company or a qualified architect - it's definitely not a "Do It Yourself" type of project! However, if you want to help save the planet, the benefits will far outweigh the cost and effort involved. A green roof will retain up to 75% of rainfall (so avoiding a huge run-off into the drains in downpours); will hold pollutants in its soil; will reflect heat back into the atmosphere (especially useful in big cities); and will attract and house many insects and birds (possibly even some endangered species). There are no negatives about a green roof.
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Juanita and Whini, ,
My dictionary, Webster's II, doesn't state the plural of roof. It does say roofers instead of roovers, but it is not the same I understand.
By the way instead if the word wet the appetite, the spelling is "whet" the appetite, which means to sharpen or to hone.
Isn't the English language complicated. Hope you don't take this personally as I am just joining in the conversation with no ill motive. Needed to look up "whet" just to make sure. You will have me looking up rooves in more places now but spellcheck just red lined the word.??
About the article, I live in the Albuquerque area and the Mayor suggested a year or two ago about planting on roofs and everyone jumped all over him because it is basically desert here and it would take lots of water to keep green. Doesn't matter that Intel built a huge plant here that uses millions of gallons a day and dumps who knows what back into the drainage system. PBS did have something about the green roofs, and growing a kind of algae to fuel cars that could supply the whole nation in just a small area of New Mexico because it is most always sunny here. These ideas seem to grow so slow. Me thinks the oil industry is trying to keep alternative energy on the shelf.
Have a good week-end.
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