EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment | Research & Development | US EPA
While the city of Denver, Colorado is famous for its mile-high elevation, employees working in the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional headquarters there are thinking slightly higher. The LEED-certified office building they occupy downtown is topped with a “green roof,” some 40,000 plants growing in a network of two-foot by four-foot modular trays. The roof is the focus of a collaborative research project exploring the practicability and environmental benefits of cultivating green roofs in such high, semi-arid climates.“Even before we moved into the building, we worked with the developer to help design a workspace that that could serve as model for minimizing the environmental footprint of the typical office building found in an urban setting. Our green roof is the most conspicuous—and I think the best—part of that effort,” explains EPA regional scientist Patti Tyler, the project manager for the green roof research project.
Green roofing is all the rage these days…especially on commercial buildings. The effects of a traditional roof include increased stormwater runoff (which we pay for through the Stormwater Enterprise), decreased wildlife habitat, and an increased heat-island effect. Green roofs, however, provide an answer to all three of these problems. A green roof is comprised of living plants in place of tar/gravel/asphalt roofing. The technology has been around for literally centuries, but the practice is just now beginning to gain transaction with developers and builders. The EPA building in Denver provides a great example of green roofing, and they even offer tours. The Colorado Springs real estate area could certainly benefit from the addition of a few green roofs! Why not blend the city in with the landscape of the mountains? Sounds like a good idea to me!
