Did you know that yesterday, December 3, was “National Roof Over Your Head Day?”  I didn’t, but now I’ll put it on my calendar for 2010.  Similar, I guess, to Thanksgiving, on this day we are supposed to appreciate the things we have, starting literally with the roof over our heads.  For most of us, a roof over our head means living in a home that protects us from the elements, keeping us warm, dry, safe, and cozy.  Lots of us take this basic necessity of life for granted, forgetting that so many people in the world are homeless with no shelter.  We’re all about greenroofs here, but of course we have to have a roof first before we can green it!  As we enter the holiday season, let’s remember those less fortunate by contributing our time, goods, or money to those in need.

Ben from Listicles says we should be doing things to help others who aren’t so fortunate, like making a donation to a shelter.  But on a lighter note, he writes, “We should also be thankful for things we don’t have, like unwanted and inappropriate objects on those roofs over our heads.”  So they compiled some such examples of “10 Odd Things on Roofs” that you probably don’t want over your head, either, and I just had to share more of these:

See the rest of the Listicles photos here.  So how about a National Greenroof Day?  You never know, it could be coming one of these years!  Here’s one of my own favorite Odd Things You Don’t Want on a Roof:

~ Linda V.

Aramis sent me this interesting greenroof photo yesterday from ”Pictures of the Day“ (August 13, 2009) in the Wall Street Journal Blogs:

“A worker mowed the grass roof of a government building near Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, Thursday. (Bob Strong/Reuters)”

Very cool photo!  I don’t know if I’d like to be the maintenance guy, though.

Torshavn Harbor, by Erik Christensen, Faroeislands.dk

Situated in the North Atlantic halfway between Scotland and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are composed of 18 hilly islands covering about 1400 sq. km and remain relatively unknown.  The Vikings founded the first parliament on the Tinganes peninsiula in Tórshavn in 825 AD, and the name of the city means Thor’s Harbour, named after the god of thunder and lightning in Norse mythology.  The Faroese usually refer to their capital simply as Havn – harbour, and with a population of about 19,000 (2008) the city is carpeted with many traditional sod covered roofs. 

Skansin in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, June 25, 2004, by Erik Christensen, Wikipedia

Tinganes is the old part of town, and small wooden houses covered with turf roofs are a common sight.  The oldest one dates back 500 years.

Turf Roofs Everywhere in Torshaven, photo by Jon Fossa, faroeislands.dk

I’ve only enjoyed seeing photos of this rugged, picturesque archipelago nation, but have never visited (not yet, at least).   Have any of you?  Tórshavn appears to be a charming medieval city and we’d love to have someone knowledgeable write a Guest Feature on it for Greenroofs.com, especially about their extensive use of turf roofs and how (if at all) their methodology has changed throughout the years.

Please let me know if anyone is interested!

~ Linda V.

Tinganes in Torshavn, photo by Erik Christensen from Faroeislands.dk

Faroeislands.dk
Wikipedia