Green roofs help to reach the principles of smart growth and positively affect the urban environment by increasing amenity and green space and reducing community resistance to infill projects. The temperature moderating effects of green roofs can reduce demand on power plants, and potentially decrease the amount of CO2 and other polluting by-products being released into the air. The plants on green roofs can capture airborne pollutants, atmospheric deposition, and also filter noxious gases. This can play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting urban areas to a future climate with warmer summers. Green roofs can also help reduce the distribution of dust and particulate matter throughout the city, as well as the production of smog. UHI is also mitigated by the covering some of the hottest surfaces in the urban environment - black rooftops. The light absorbed by vegetation would otherwise be converted into heat energy. Through the daily dew and evaporation cycle, plants on vertical and horizontal surfaces are able to cool cities during hot summer months and reduce the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Green roofs reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and also delay the time at which runoff occurs, resulting in decreased stress on sewer systems at peak flow periods Green Roofs not only retain rainwater, but also moderate the temperature of the water and act as natural filters for any of the water that happens to run off In winter, green roofs can retain between 25-40% of the precipitation that falls on them In summer, green roofs can retain 70-90% of the precipitation that falls on them With green roofs, water is stored by the substrate and then taken up by the plants from where it is returned to the atmosphere through transpiration and evaporation Prolonging the service life of heating, ventilation, and HVAC systems through decreased use Using recycled materials in the growing medium Prolonging the life of waterproofing membranes, reducing associated waste Green roofs can contribute to landfill diversion by: Urban greening has long been promoted as an easy and effective strategy for beautifying the built environment and increasing investment opportunity GRHC members are an excellence source of green roof expertise, and a resource manual is available from GRHC's Green Infrastructure Store. Hence, all technical performance details provided will vary by region, climate, building, design, and green wall type. Please note: while there are similarities among green roofs, each installation is unique. Green roofs offer many public, private, and design-based benefits.
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