Our Greener Life

The idea of using living materials for a roof is not a new one. Applying it to modern buildings, however, is relatively new. How is the ancient art of a living roof compatible with modern building methods? And why would anyone choose a living roof for his or her home?

The Living Roof – What Is It?

A living roof, also known as a green roof, can be constructed on an existing roof or incorporated into a new structure. It can be used on commercial or private buildings. A corrugated, aluminum sheet is placed on the roof, followed by a waterproof membrane. Some builders will then apply a sheet of foam and another waterproof membrane. Drains are incorporated into the design.

Over all of the weatherproofing layers, about 4 inches of soil is placed and various greenery is planted. Many green roof builders like to focus on native plants for their rooftop “garden.”

So what are the main advantages and disadvantages of having a living roof? Read on to find out.

Advantages of a Living Roof

* Less Reflective Heat – The sunlight and heat that are reflected off of urban buildings’ roofs can greatly increase the temperature within a city. Green roofs eliminate the reflective factor, absorbing and utilizing the sun’s light.

* Insulation – Earth is a good insulator, and having four or more inches of it on your roof will keep your building cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

* Protection – The soil and plants on a living roof protect the roof structure beneath from the elements, thus preventing the wear and tear (and the subsequent leaks) that can result from exposure to the weather.

* Wildlife – Green roofs provide wildlife habitat, especially if native species are planted. Particularly in urban areas, living roofs can act as an oasis to wildlife.

* Clean air – Plants clean the air, soaking up carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen. The air around your structure will be cleaner as a result, and the more living roofs that are planted, the cleaner the air over a wider area.

* Absorption of rainwater – This helps control storm run-off, which can cause problems when it is excessive. It can also be a source of pollution.

Disadvantages of a Living Roof

* Initial expense – Living roofs can be expensive to construct. Some of the cost can be offset, though, in the savings on heating and cooling, or if you grow your own food on the living roof.

* Maintenance – Like a garden, a living roof will need some maintenance. It might need watering during a dry spell, or fertilizer may be necessary. Choosing native plant species will reduce the amount of maintenance.

* Weight – Soil is heavy, and some roof structures cannot support it.

Living roofs are beautiful, green structures that combine the necessities of building with the beauty of a garden.

Have you ever thought about the fuel it takes to get food to the grocery store? Produce from large farms is harvested using gas-powered machinery. It is then transported – often hundreds or even thousands of miles – by airplane or truck to your local store. That’s a lot of fossil fuel for a head of lettuce!

Another consideration is the safety and nutrients in food. The longer food sits, the more chance there is that it will be exposed to dangerous bacteria such as salmonella. If food has been processed and shipped for long distances, it is usually sprayed with preservatives to keep it “fresh” during the long journey. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often coated with wax to prevent them from drying out during transport. In the meantime, nutrients are lost as the foods sit for long periods.

If you’d like to cut down on your food mileage, here are some ideas that can help.

Grow your own food
This is not necessarily the enormous task it may seem like at first. You don’t need vast amounts of sunny acreage to make a fruitful garden. If you do have a moderately-sized or large yard, however, consider sectioning off part of it for a garden.

If not, try container gardening. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries are particularly suited for pots or containers. Get creative; you don’t need to spend a lot of money on commercial flower pots. Use flower boxes for lettuces, old pots or buckets for strawberries or tomatoes, and hanging baskets for cucumbers. Many herbs and even vegetables can be grown indoors in sunny windows.

Forego the imports where you can
Tropical fruit is, of course, grown in the tropics, and unless you live there, the tropics are a long way from home. This includes canned and dried tropical fruits as well.

Buy locally grown food
Not only will you get seasonal vegetables that are well suited to your body’s needs, but you’ll support your local community. And, of course, you’ll reduce your food miles. In fact, if there is a farm nearby where you can pick your own produce, that’s even better. Carpool with friends and gather your own produce by hand – no need for gas-guzzling harvesters.

Speaking of seasonal produce, buying food when it’s in season reduces food miles. If you live in New York, for example, and you want strawberries in mid-January, you will have to buy berries that have been shipped from somewhere much warmer (and farther away). A better option is to stock up and freeze or can your own summer strawberries and use those to assuage your January berry craving! You’ll save money buying produce in season, too.

If you are concerned about the environment or just want to save money (or both!), you are probably looking for ways to reduce your electricity use. Here are 20 suggestions and tips for getting those utility bills down and shrinking your carbon footprint.

1. Hang your clothes up to dry, either indoors or out.

2. Cool your home with fans and open windows in the summer.

3. Check your home’s insulation, and seal any cracks as necessary. Apply weather stripping to doors and windows, and insulate your attic if it is not already.

4. Turn your refrigerator down (but not so far that you find food spoiling too quickly – that, of course, is also wasteful).

5. Turn your thermostat down before you go to bed and when you leave the house.

6. Invest in compact fluorescent light bulbs. If you are able, have skylights or sun pipes installed.

7. Turn off lights during the day and when you leave a room.

8. Have dinner (and other meals!) by candlelight.

9. Cook outside whenever possible. Patio grills are relatively inexpensive. Or you can go to a local park or forest that has public grills or fire pits.

10. Open the curtains and shades and let sunshine warm and light your house. Close curtains and shades in the summer to keep hot sunlight out, or use sheets of removable window tinting. This will cut your electricity use by reducing the need to run your central heat or air conditioning.

11. Use a pressure cooker to reduce cooking time and stovetop temperature, thereby reducing the time your stove is on.

12. Use a crockpot on low to cook long-cooking foods like roasts – it takes less energy to run a crockpot than a stove.

13. Use timers on your lamps.

14. Sweep whenever possible instead of running the vacuum cleaner.

15. Make sure you change the filters in your heating and cooling system as often as the manufacturer recommends.

16. Look into alternative energy sources for your home – you may be able to install solar panels, a small wind turbine, or, in the near future, a magnetic generator to generate electricity. Even installing a small solar panel or wind turbine that will run one appliance will save electricity.

17. Landscape with trees and shrubs that will shelter your home from the wind in the winter and provide shade in the summer.

18. Insulate your water heater. Your power company can probably assist you with this, and may even provide the bubble wrap-like insulation for your water heater.

19. Turn your water heater down to 120. This is also a good protection against accidental burns.

20. Unplug electrical devices when they are not in use, especially those electronics that have a rechargeable battery (if it’s blinking, it’s using electricity).

Does the thought of swaths of plastic Easter grass and dozens of plastic eggs make the environmentalist in you cringe? Here are some ways to make Easter green without festooning the planet with fake grass!

1. Give your children a decorative cloth bag with a set of child’s garden tools, seeds, or other gardening supplies instead of an Easter basket. A bucket of sand box toys or “nature kit” bag are other alternatives.

2. Choose eco-friendly materials for Easter baskets, such as hemp or jute. Or purchase hand-made, fair trade certified baskets that you can find other uses for after Easter (how about toy storage?).

3. Make your own Easter basket from materials around the house, such as hand-decorated bags, totes, wastebaskets, laundry baskets, etc.

4. Fill the baskets with biodegradable material that can be composted, such as natural straw, hay, moss, or simply grass from outside. You can also shred up the Sunday funnies or colorful scrap paper. Shred some of those colorful catalogues and magazines that come in the mail.

5. Make your own treats for the basket – bake special cookies, cupcakes, and candies.

6. Re-use what you have. Do you already have plastic eggs from last year, from well-intentioned friends, or from your children’s school projects? Glue them onto a round frame to make a wreath. If you already have plastic grass, use it as a base for a centerpiece or creative springtime scene.

7. Decorate using scrap paper and junk mail – cut out bunny shapes and string them onto colorful yarn, or cut out Easter shapes into a chain.

8. For your Easter feast, serve eco-friendly meats such as organic ham and free-range turkey. Serve vegetables from local farmers or from the wild – cooked dandelion greens are an early spring tradition that goes back many years.

9. Dye eggs using natural dyes -mix a tablespoon of white vinegar per cup of boiling water and add onion skins (yellow), red cabbage (light purple), shredded raw beets (deep red), spinach (light green), coffee grounds or tea (brown), etc.

10. Use free-range eggs or, better yet, obtain your eggs from a local farmer or urban chicken-keeper. If the eggs are brown, you can use eco-friendly paints on them instead of dyes.

11. Fill your children’s Easter baskets with enduring wooden toys (such as puzzles, trains, or cars), pocket-sized board games, a deck of cards, dominoes, etc. Take your child’s personality into consideration rather than just giving the “usual” stuffed bunny and plastic trinkets. Then you can build a basket theme around your child’s interests.

All of these ideas will help reduce waste this Easter season.

There seems to be a growing interest in earth-based buildings these days. There are several possibilities for the attraction – earth-based structures are eco-friendly, the building material is plentiful, and as the toxic nature of conventional building materials becomes more well-known, many people prefer the non-toxic nature of natural building materials. Poured earth is one type of earthen construction that is enjoying a resurgence.

What Is Poured Earth?

It sounds like a fancy term for mud, but it’s more than that. Like concrete, poured earth uses a combination of aggregate (hard, inert, binding material) and dry cement. Many people confuse the terms “concrete” and “cement” – they are not the same. Cement is a component of concrete, not vice versa.

When concrete is mixed, the aggregate is sand and gravel, which is mixed with dry cement and water. Poured earth uses soil as the aggregate, which is then mixed with dry cement and water. Thus, poured earth is somewhat akin to concrete (not cement).

The soil used in poured earth structures needs to meet certain specifications, which require testing to discern. If you are planning to build using poured earth and your soil does not meet the specifications – say it’s too high in clay – then soil amendments, such as lyme or magnesium oxide can be added to bring your soil up to specification.

How compatible your soil is for poured earth will determine how much cement you will need to mix in – the less clay, the less cement is needed. Mixing in a material known as flyash can reduce the amount of cement you need.

What Else Do You Need?

* You will need some way to pour the earth as you would concrete, such as a traditional cement mixer or concrete pump. Try to rent or borrow one from a local construction company.

* Frames are necessary to hold the poured earth walls as they dry. You can use concrete frames, steel, or wood.

* Plaster, cob, or other finishing material will be needed for indoor and outdoor walls.

Is It Expensive?

Initially, yes, it is a bit more expensive than conventional construction. At this point, poured earth structures are customized buildings, which makes any project more expensive. Bear in mind, however, that poured earth buildings are inexpensive to maintain (more on that below). Also, as poured earth becomes more widely known and utilized, the cost will likely go down as standard types develop.

What Are the Advantages of Poured Earth Buildings?

* Poured earth buildings are extremely durable, comparable to concrete.

* The thick walls of poured earth create a peaceful interior.

* Poured earth is free of chemically-treated wood, synthetic insulation, formaldehyde, and other toxic building materials.

* The durable nature of poured earth means that it is highly resistant to the wear and tear that occur in typical homes. It is very low-maintenance.

* Heating and cooling are aided by the radioative effects of the earthen walls, which have “inherent thermal mass.” They absorb heat and release it gradually, making the internal temperature inexpensive to maintain and far more constant.

* Fast construction is another advantage of poured earth buildings.

Once you construct a foundation, the frames are erected and filled with the poured earth mixture. For extra insulation, some builders will construct a second wall with a space between the two, which is then filled with eco-friendly insulation. After the walls dry and “cure,” you can finish them with plaster or cob (a mix of mud and straw). Then the interior and exterior walls can be painted as you like.

Image credit: www.greenhomebuilding.com