Margaret Atwood on Green Roofs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 8.06
Reading Toronto "looks at the city through the eyes of many of its most creative artists and arts institutions" . Author Margaret Atwood, both an artist and an institution, contributed to its Idea Bank:
Idea Bank - Bloodless Organic Flowers Grown On Tops of Warehouses
Given that:
• Pollution and pesticides are a problem
• Flowers grown in many countries have no pesticide standards
• More pollution is caused flying the flowers here
• There are many flat-roofed warehouses and business buildings
• Flat roofs heat up horribly
• More pollution is caused cooling the buildings in the summer
• Green roofs cut down on cooling and heating costs and thus cut pollution
Therefore:
Someone could make a nice business combining the installation of green roofs and the using of the space to grow organic local flower varieties. No good in winter, but the building would still benefit from improved insulation.
Once the roofs were in place, the building could actually rent the space for growing, thus profiting twice.
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Add a greenhouse to a green roof and you have the possibility of adding space heating to the building below as well as many other possibilities.