Milwaukee made the top 10 in the second annual green roof survey by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the North American green roof industry association.
Chicago, which has policies in place to support green roof installation, implemented the most square feet of green roofs in 2006 of any city, according to the survey. The second-place city was Washington, D.C.
“My goal is to make Chicago the greenest, most environmentally friendly city in the nation and we are leading by example in our green roof development,” said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in a news release. “With over 1 million square feet of green roofs completed in Chicago and another 2 million in development, our city has truly embraced this practice as a way to help conserve Chicago for future generations.”
The other cities in the top 10 are Wildwood Crest, N.J.; Dulles, Va.; Kansas City, Mo.; Phoenix, New York City, Portland, Ore.; and Columbus, Ohio.
Green roof infrastructure involves the use of plants, drainage systems and waterproofing on the top of the roof. If you’re planning to install these on your roof, you may want to hire a roofing contractor first to inspect your roofing system and ensure it can support your green roof. Business owners who are taking steps towards sustainability may consider updating their commercial roofing systems to accommodate green roof infrastructure or even solar panels.
The benefits of green roofs include a reduction in storm water run-off, because the plants absorb the water; lower energy usage because the green roof keeps the building cooler and reduction of the urban heat island.
The survey indicates that there was a green roof growth rate of more than 25 percent over 2005 in the U.S., representing more than 3 million square feet installed in 2006.
“The green roof industry is growing rapidly in response to the pressing need for cleaner air, better storm water management, improved energy efficiency and more usable green space in our communities,” said Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. “Green roofs have really captured many people’s attention as a beautiful way to help fight climate change and save money. Green roofs deliver more public and private benefits than any other green building technology, so we anticipate that strong growth will continue into the future.”
