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What's a Green Roof?
A green roof is a rooftop that
is covered with living plants. They come in many shapes and sizes—some
span acres while others just a few square feet. They may be covered
with sedums, grasses and wildflowers or ornamental flowers and shrubs.
Green roofs have shown up on top of offices, schools, factories and
private homes. Not only are they beautiful, they're also functional.
The presence of a green roof can stabilize a rooftop's temperature,
decreasing heating and cooling costs significantly. Air quality is
improved, storm water runoff is reduced and it can even provide a
habitat for wildlife!
 Burpee
Museum has transformed its carport roof into a green roof containing
over 2,000 plants! This roof used to get really hot on sunny days and
shed gallons of water into the parking lot on rainy days. Now that
it’s covered in healthy green plants, it reflects heat and absorbs
rainwater. This cools the surrounding air and reduces runoff that
would otherwise flow into sewers—or drip onto visitors’ heads! In
addition, the rooftop plants filter the air we breathe and provide an
attractive spot for local birds, insects and butterflies. The best
view is from Burpee's biology exhibit on the third floor, Windows
to Wilderness. Come see Rockford's first green roof!
Burpee Museum would like to thank ABC Supply Company, Inc. for their
generous donation of this green roof. It uses the GreenGrid™ System—an
easy-to-install modular system available from Weston Solutions, Inc.
In a year or two all the plants will grow in and the grid system won’t
even be visible, but it makes maintaining the plants (and the roof
beneath) much easier. |
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