June 22, 2009
Green roofing offers eco-solution to global warming

by Angela Cavallari Walker

 

Last week the United States Global Change Research program released a report on expected climate changes. One of the many findings was the effect that global warming will have on the Northeast region of the U.S.

 

According to the report, the average temperature in the Northeast has already risen 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and double that amount in the winter months since 1970. This drastic change is expected to produce increased flooding from heavy downpours of rain and an extended growing season. As a matter of fact, the Northeastern part of the U.S. has seen a 58% increase in heavy rainfall over the past 50 years. A major contributing factor to flooding is runoff. Runoff is defined as excess precipitation that is unable to evaporate, filter, or be stored back into the environment.  

 

 

Heavier rainfall and reduced snowpack will result in rising sea surface temperatures and sea levels. Other expected changes include: storm surges, loss of natural habitats due to flooding, and extensive property damage. The are of New York most susceptible to flooding and other weather related catastrophes is its coastline. To date, the state of New York has insured a whopping 2.3 trillion in coastal property alone. 

 

The results from this report focused on zero changes to our current emission output. Environmental alternatives to slow this climate change progression are already available to consumers and businesses today. One easy and simplistic change that you can make is by installing a green roof system . A true green roof system is defined by a building that is completely or partially covered by soil and plants and is installed over a waterproofing module.

 

One green roofing company, LiveRoof , works with suppliers and designers like Nature's Cradle Nursery, www.naturescradlenursery.com, and others throughout the United States  to bring roofs to life, literally. Founded in 1983 by author and Horticulturist  David MacKenzie, Liveroof provides a sensible solution to combatting global warming. 

 

The process is quite simple and has been around since the late nineties. Here's how it works: modules (made from recycled plastic containers) are filled with LiveRoof's proprietary soil and nutrients. Each LiveRoof plant is grown to about 1 inch above the module, and then delivered and installed to your specifications. 

 

The solution is both economical and environmentally efficient. Benefits include:

 

- A reduction in heat. The plants act as a terrarium and draw in the heat resulting in reduced temperatures during the summer months. 

 

- Combats flooding. Plants absorb the rainfall-which reduces storm water runoff. 

 

- Aids in removing carbon dioxide from the air. Plants take in the carbon dioxide (needed for the photosynthesis process) and in return release oxygen. 

 

- Filter pollutants and metal from rainwater. 

 

- increased lifespan of buildings.

 

- Noise reduction. Plants and soil are natural insulators. Plants help block higher frequencies while soil blocks lower frequencies. 

 

 

There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to the challenges of changing our environment for the better. Simply go back to your roots. For more information on green roof systems and suppliers click here . 

 

No silver lining in latest climate change report       June 15th

Where it’s hot now, it will become dangerously hotter.  Drier regions will become bone-dry and nearly uninhabitable.  These are just a couple of dire predictions from the U.S. Global Change Research Program in its first assessment of what Americans can expect over the next 10, 50, and 100 years.

The report marks the first climate-change assessment during Barack Obama's presidency. The data, which was compiled by 13 federal agencies and several major universities, break down the predicted effects of global warming in the U.S. by region and state. According to the report, Americans can expect temperatures to rise anywhere from seven degrees Fahrenheit to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2090. The assessment mirrors predictions made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  back in 2007, and includes the following:

-Drought Issues

Frequent flooding in northern areas, while the south and southwest become drier. 

-Heat Index Changes

Areas of the U.S. such as Washington, D.C., will stay brutally hot for longer periods of time, averaging 90-degree-plus temperatures for a full three months.  Even worse, states such as Florida and Texas could expect at least 160 days over the 90-degree mark. 

-Northeastern Exposure 

Popular ski vacation destinations in the northeast area will become a thing of the past. All cold-weather industries would shift north to Canada. 

-Weather-related Deaths

Deaths attributed to temperature – such as the 1995 Chicago heat wave  that resulted in 600 deaths – will increase dramatically.  

Perhaps the most chilling part of this report is the damage that has already occurred over the past few decades. Sea levels have risen by more than 8 inches in some coastal areas of the continental United States, which could mean that areas such as the Everglades could be under water by the end of the century. 

A bill sponsored by Democratic Representatives Edward Markey and Henry Waxman could be voted on by the House of Representatives as early as next week. But you don't have to wait on Congress to do your part. For more information on how you can reduce your impact on the environment click here 

 


Our intelligent use of intelligent energies will allow humanity to thrive in a shrinking world.  Refusal to mitigate and eventually abandon our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels will drive humanity towards extinction.  The true cost of raping the Earth of ancient sunlight, of plundering her stored energy, has never before been accurately incorporated into our process for assigning value.  Recently the cost of burning fossil duels has become increasingly apparent in the form of natural disasters.  If there were an appropriate economic model that could describe this obvious phenomenon, we would all abandon fossil fuel consumption immediately.
This failure, the failure to properly account for the depletion of our natural resources, has enabled humanity to commit grave sins against Mother Earth.  We are here now to make amends.
One way to mitigate the effects of flooding here in the New York is to build Live Roofs.   The system has a myriad of other benefits as well. 


Nature's Cradle Nursery helping Bronxville, NY Highschool students intsall a Live Roof.

Our intelligent use of intelligent energies will allow humanity to thrive in a shrinking world.  Refusal to mitigate and eventually abandon our dependance on oil and other fossil fuels will drive humanity towards extinction.

                         

 

Right now this website provides basic information on a variety of very important issues.  We will build this site together.  As we grow, the functionality of this site will increase.  We will add features and content that will enable us to take more direct action.