Green roofs have been used for thousands of years in different parts of the world, from Scandinavia to the ’soddies’ of the treeless American plains. In their traditional form they are simply houses with sod roofs. Sometimes the entire house is made of blocks of thick sod, as they were in the American west, and sometimes it is only the roof that is of that material. In either case, a thick layer of living sod provided excellent insulation. So good, in fact, that it is still sometimes used today.

For the most part, however, green roofs today are not simply a layer of sod on the roof. They are made up of manufactured layers, which usually include waterproofing, drainage and growing mediums.

The intensive type of green roofing allows for traditional gardens, including vegetables and other large plants, but requires considerable maintenance. By contrast, what’s called extensive green roofing consists of relative thin layers of roofing materials and requires little to no maintenance.

Both types of green roofs offer considerable advantages, especially in cities, where they are valuable in combating water run-off problems and the problem of the concentrating heat that occurs when large areas of green are paved over. They also offer considerable savings on heating and cooling costs and the intensive type can become wonderful restful retreats for harried office workers and executives. Finally, green roofs help improve air quality, taking a number of pollutants out of the air and provide a good habitat for plants and wildlife.

What about green roofs for single family homes? Well, according to researchers at Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research, green roofs cost about twice as much as regular roofs, but last at least twice as long. If you are considering a green roof, you might want to start with a smaller project, such as putting a green roof on a garden shed. You can find plans for several sheds at LivingRoofs.org.

I am working my way through several books on solar energy, trying to find the best one to recommend to readers. Thanks to a friend who is interested in racing and has investigated biodisel, however, I can make this recommendation for those who are interested in learning how to make their own biofuel. Biodiesel Basics and Beyond by William Kemp is his personal choice among the books he has studied, covering, as he says, both sides of the sometimes controversial issues around home-brewing of biofuel.

Author: Kimberley Ward

What is “grey water” and why should it be captured? Wouldn’t that be unsafe? What are the benefits? This article will try to answer these questions in our first of several “Focus on Green Homes” articles.

First, grey water is not actually grey-colored. After being filtered it looks just like regular water. However, it is not potable water and should never be used as such.
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