Approved by the French Parliament in March, the new law will apply to all new buildings in commercial zones. This is not the original proposal by French environmental activists, which called for complete roof cover by greenery, but is still a huge step toward more sustainable cities and infrastructure. The Socialist Government made the law less of a financial burden for business owners by only requiring partial roof cover by either plants or panels.
The main benefits green roofs include improved air and water quality as well as reduce GHG emissions and pollution. The life span of green roofs generally extends two to three times beyond traditional roofing materials.
It is widely known that green roofs have been proven to reduce “heat islands” by providing shade, removing heat from the air, and even reducing the temperatures of the roof surface, which in this ever changing and heating climate cannot be something to be frowned at!
In the US the Environmental Protection Agency stated
“Green roof temperatures can be 30–40°F lower than those of conventional roofs and can reduce city-wide ambient temperatures by up to 5°F. In addition, green roofs can reduce building energy use by 0.7% compared to conventional roofs, reducing peak electricity demand and leading to an annual savings of $0.23 per square foot of the roof’s surface. These temperature reductions and energy efficiency benefits are a key contributor to the growing popularity of green roofs in the United States.”
Here at Sedum Green Roof we are keen to share the important benefits of green roofs and why the UK government should start to look at the rest of the worlds legislation.
Being surrounded by nature and rolling pastures of Wiltshire, we can see first hand the profound risks posed by climate change to our environment. So we’ve put it at the heart of our business.
We ensure all our products are sustainable and recyclable while minimising waste in all our products.
ALL our Raw materials are recycled and British (except for the recycled plastic tray but we can’t get that manufactured here un the UK sadly.
Time to start shouting from our Green roof tops!
If you are planning a green roof project small or large just contact us and we are more than happy to advise you.
More info about green living roofs can be found here
