According to the U.S. EPA, “Green roofs provide shade and remove heat from the air through evapotranspiration, reducing temperatures of the roof surface and the surrounding air. On hot summer days, the surface temperature of a green roof can be cooler than the air temperature, whereas the surface of a conventional rooftop can be up to 90°F (50°C) warmer.” Benefits of green roofs include: reduced energy use; reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions; improved human health and comfort; enhanced stormwater management and water quality; and improved quality of life.

The following resources provide a weath of information on green roofs:

• Greenroofs.com: An information-rich portal on green roofs. In addition to news, job listings, events, and an extensive section on the basics of green roof technology (Greenroofs 101), the site offers a student forum where students involved with green roof research can post projects and papers, and network with each other and companies. The Greenroofs Student Projects Database is an international searchable database of green roof case studies; an online form allows you to submit information on your own green roof project for potential inclusion in the database. The Greenroof Directory is an online guide to manufacturers, suppliers, organizations and students involved with green roof technology or promotion. The Research Links section provides information on green roof studies being conducted by universities, private companies, and public or governmental affiliates. The Marketplace is a listing of products related to green roofs and roof gardens. The site also features columns, such as the “Ask Ed” plant Q&A column.
• Green Roofs for Healthy Cities: The mission of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is to increase the awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roof infrastructure across North America and rapidly advance the development of the market for green roof products and services.
• Green Roofs Tree of Knowledge: An extensive searchable database provided by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities on research and policy related to green roof infrastructure. Contains information on: the performance of different species of plants and growing media; the full range of the social and biophysical benefits from green roof implementation; private and public economic benefits flowing from the social and biophysical benefits; innovative policy tools used to support green roof implementation from North America, Europe and beyond.
• GreenSave Calculator: Developed by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and the Athena Institute, this calculator lets you compare roofing alternatives over a specific time period to determine which has the lowest life-cycle cost.
• City of Chicago City Hall Rooftop Garden: This portion of the City of Chicago web site describes the green roof atop City Hall. The site includes a link to a Guide to Rooftop Gardening; information on monitoring the rooftop garden’s benefits; a photo gallery showing the evolution of the rooftop garden; information on the design on the rooftop garden; lists of plants used; and a maintenance plan for the garden.

For more resources on green roofs, see the Green Roofs section of the GLRPPR Green Building Sector Resource. If you are aware of case studies or other resources that should be listed in this Sector Resource, please contact Joy Scrogum or share the information in the “Comments” section of this post.

• Open spaces such as local, state and national parks, conservation easements and buffer zones and transportation rights-of-way.
• Sites with buildings including industrial, retail and office parks, military complexes, airports, botanical gardens, streetscapes and plazas, residential and commercial developments and public and private campuses.

The Initiative site provides a copy of the report Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks – Draft 2008, which focuses on measuring how a site can protect, restore and regenerate ecosystem services – benefits provided by natural ecosystems such as cleaning air and water, climate regulation and human health benefits. This report contains over 50 draft prerequisites and credits that cover all stages of the site development process from site selection to landscape maintenance.

Case studies, dates for upcoming presentations on sustainable sites, and information on the Initiative’s areas of focus (Why Sustainable Sites?; Hydrology; Soils; Vegetation; Materials; and Human Health & Well-being) are also provided.

On September 29, the Governor also signed AB 1879 and SB 509 related to green chemistry. “AB 1879 establishes authority for the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to develop regulations that create a process for identifying and prioritizing chemicals of concern and to create methods for analyzing alternatives to existing hazardous chemicals. It also allows DTSC to take certain actions following an assessment that range from ‘no action’ to ‘restrictions or bans.’ The bill also establishes a Green Ribbon Science Panel made up of experts to provide advice on scientific matters, chemical policy recommendations and implementation strategies, as well as ensuring implementation efforts are based on a strong scientific foundation. Moreover, it expands the role of the Environmental Policy Council, made up of the heads of all California Environmental Protection Agency boards and departments, to oversee critical activities related to the implementation of the green chemistry program. SB 509 creates an online Toxics Information Clearinghouse, a web-based database, to increase consumer knowledge about the toxicity and hazards of thousands of chemicals used in California every day.” A Green Chemistry Initiative has been established to develop policy options for implementing a green chemistry program. The initiative’s goal is to evaluate the health risks of chemicals and possible alternatives in a systematic way, rather than on a case-by-case basis. Read the full press release here.

• Wind Power: According to Sustainable Energy Ireland, “wind energy provides electricity to the equivalent of 40 million European citizens, and wind farms in Ireland supply enough clean green power to support over 146,000 users.” Their web site provides an interactive map of existing wind farms in Ireland (as of April 2007). A recent post on the Green Tech Blog (“Ireland: Where Wind Power is King” by Michael Kanellos) discusses the great potential for further wind farm development on the island, both on and offshore.
• Cultivate Living and Learning Centre: The Cultivate Centre in Dublin serves as a hub for environmental activities and ideas. Their web site provides a green map of Dublin; environmental workshop listing; a directory of schools, businesses and other organizations in Ireland that are teaching or training and have principles of sustainability rooted in their mission and strategies; information on energy issues and climate change; and a host of other resources. The themes addressed in their educational programs include green building, permaculture and organic gardening, renewable energy, energy conservation, and rethinking urban design and planning.
• Cleaner Greener Production Programme (CGPP): This program of Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency encourages Irish business and industry to produce goods and services in more environmentally friendly ways. That agency defines “Cleaner Greener Production” as “the application of integrated preventive environmental strategies to processes, products and services to increase overall efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment, for example: (1) Production processes: conserving raw materials and energy, eliminating toxic raw materials and reducing the quantity and toxicity of all emissions and wastes (2) Products: reducing negative impacts along the life cycle of a product, from raw materials extraction to its ultimate disposal (3) Services: encouraging and supporting the development of higher environmental performance in the service sector, by incorporating environmental concerns into designing and delivering services.”