The Green Roof

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The Green Roof 04/29/2013 Abstract A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. Container gardens on roofs, where plants are maintained in pots, are not generally considered to be true green roofs, although this is still left for debated. Green roofs serve several purposes for a building, such as absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, creating a habitat for wildlife, and helping to lower urban air temperatures and mitigate the heat island effect. There are two types of green roofs: intensive roofs, which are thicker and can support a wider variety of plants but are heavier and require more maintenance, and extensive roofs, which are covered in a light layer of vegetation and are lighter than an intensive green roof. The term green roof may also be used to indicate roofs that use some form of green technology, such as a cool roof, a roof with solar thermal collectors or photovoltaic panels. Green roofs are also referred to as eco-roofs, oikosteges, vegetated roofs, living roofs, and green roofs. Introduction Over the past one-hundred years, it has been said that the world’s temperature has risen one degree Fahrenheit. The temperature is expected to rise another two to three degrees over the course of the next one-hundred years. There are many options for one to utilize, to get aboard the green wagon, one being the green roof. Green roofs are a good investment with average return on investment being around 20 years, which is significantly lower than the 80 years needed to get your money back on a hybrid car. The return may even double; due to the average life span of a green roof is over forty years. History The
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