Grow your own roof: As this year's Chelsea Flower Show opens, learn how to get one of its key looks Daily Mail UK, by Staff London, UK. "Green roofs have been popping up everywhere at the Chelsea Flower Show in recent years. The idea is simple: instead of using hard materials such as concrete, why not grow plants on that surface? Green roofs also help keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter, and they have great aesthetic appeal. The RBC New Wild Garden, winner of a Silver-Gilt medal at 2011’s Chelsea Flower Show, attracted a lot of attention for its roof planted with a mixture of wildflowers, sedums, herbs and flowering perennials, all selected to enhance biodiversity..." [5.17.13]
Why Manhattan's Green Roofs Don't Work--and How to Fix Them Scientific America, by Amy Kraft Manhattan, NY. "City rooftops covered with vegetation are seen as a way to reduce the urban heat-island effect and cut energy usage--but so far, the results have been unimpressive...Krista McGuire has taken sedum’s inadequacy as a challenge. The assistant professor of biological sciences at Barnard College wanted to see if a variety of native plants could survive on green roofs and how well they would deliver the desired benefits..." [5.17.13]
Which Hotels Have Solar or a Green Roof? Check Out TripAdvisor SustainableBusiness.com, by James Anderman US. "If you're looking for a hotel or B&B to stay in, you might want to check out TripAdvisor's Green Leaders website, where hotels across the US are ranked on sustainable practices. You can find out if they have solar, electric car charging, a green roof and composting among many other features. Developed in partnership with the EPA's Energy Star, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the United Nations Environment Program, hotels apply to be accepted into the program. Once evaluated, they are given LEED-like ratings - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum..." [5.16.13]
Green roofs, living walls springing up around Windsor CBC.ca, by Staff Windsor, Canada. "Spring has sprung in Windsor. That means greener grass - and greener roofs and walls, too. According to the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Association, there has been a 24-per-cent growth rate among industries installing green roofs...St. Christopher Catholic School in Windsor has a green roof that's visible from some parts of the school's second floor. Teacher Mike Kosty said it improves the quality of life in the classroom. This is a wonderful sight," he said. "Here we are and we feel like we're outside just by looking out the window..." [5.10.13]
Green Roof Project Brings Earth To Sky At Texas A&M Texas A&M University, by Staff College Station, TX. "The stark, gray rooftop of the Langford Architecture Building on the campus of Texas A&M University will turn green in the months and years to come as students and professors from three academic disciplines come together to create a green roof...Green roofs help cool rooftops, conserve energy, prevent urban flooding, provide wildlife habitat and create urban green space,” says Bruce Dvorak, a professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, and one of three faculty members leading students in the rooftop planting project..." [5.9.13]
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