From this article, I learned a ton about the positive effects of green roofs. I always thought green roofs were beautiful, but I never before appreciated the true values and services they provide to our ecosystem. I really think that every building in New York City should have a green roof. In this class, I am constantly thinking about how we can convince society to make the necessary efforts to conserve our ecosystems. The combination of health benefits as a result from the reduction of air pollution, the conservation of energy (and the reduction of related costs), lowering the urban heat, and the longevity of roof membranes are just a few of the many benefits that come from these green roofs that would convince people to make the investments in them. If more people were aware of the benefits of green roofs, I truly believe that they would be more common. One of the major problems when it comes to urban ecology is the lack of vegetation in cities. It is a very complicated issue, because there is no space for plants and it would be very difficult to kick people out of their homes and knock down buildings to build a park. Green roofs are a great solution, because they allow people to live in an urban environment, while adding a significant amount of needed vegetation. In cities, since there is not a lot of vegetation surrounding the homes, why not put the vegetation on top of homes?
As mentioned, one of the biggest benefits of green roofs is the reduction in air pollution. Air pollution has become such a big problem in cities. I was startled by the fact that 9,500 premature deaths and increased health care costs resulted from air pollution (2102). One of the reasons people do not care about the environment and about reducing pollution is because people do not think pollution will affect us for a long time. However, this shows that it is already a bigger issue than most people think. Green roofs can help reduce the pollutants in the air and lower the associated health problems. They can also reduce carbon dioxide concentrations and improve air quality. The burning of fossil fuels releases a ton of carbon dioxide into the air, which results in higher temperatures and the greenhouse effect. Another thing I found interesting about green roofs was that since they last 45 years, compared to the 20 year lifespan of conventional roofs, we would actually be reducing the amount of roof membranes in the landfills (2104). I am also doing my term paper on noise pollution, so it was nice to read about how green roofs can help with noise reduction.
It is important to remember that, although green roofs help reduce a lot of problems, they cannot be the only solution. Many people may not think it is cost effective, and as great as they are, it is going to take a lot more than green roofs to make up for the amount of damage humans do to the environment. Until we have a major cultural shift and a change in attitude, it is almost impossible to get rid of pollution and solve the many other environmental problems that we have today.
