Greening the planet and still being human?

There is a lot of talk about greening the rooftops to cool the earth and in countries like Germany there has been quite a lot of progress in this but it is still a long way from being common due to the nature of various countries' weather conditions and housing regulations, not to mention tremendous prohibitive costs. So for most of us it is still in the dream basket but well worth taking a look at. In Australia, for instance it does not snow in any of the major capitals so the need for a roof to be any stronger than that needed to support the weight of a grown man for repairs and maintenance is just not required. Green roofs are about as heavy as a good snowfall so they need to be at least 3-4 times as strong as this to support the weight of wet earth and plants to have any of the real benefits that greening a roof can provide. Still, it is slowly becoming the pleasure and aesthetic of the wealthy to think about this when creating an environmental house. So a roof garden, that they may never even visit, may now be thought of and included in the budget that can reduce heating and cooling costs while absorbing water run off that might otherwise run uselessly back to sea together with all the muck of the streets.

In some ways this is a little like the aesthetic creation of the Asian pleasure garden that may only be visited by a select few in its lifetime. I believe these gardens added a realm of beauty to the dreams and consciousness of many as they became part of the historical fabric of a culture that reminds us of the beauty and possibility we have within us. This link, from a canadian group, provides a series of simple points to think of if you are considering this for your home. Or for more detailed links and broader knowledge why not download the eBook Elegant Solutions for Addressing Climate Change from our website: wwwsickclimate.com