Suntory Creates Synthetic Soil

Suntory, the Japanese company better known for whiskey and other beverages, issued a press release announcing it had created a way to grow green roofs and green walls without soil.

From the press release: "Suntory brings its unique roof-greening system, Midori no Yane (literally, green roof), and wall-greening system, Hana no Kabe (literally, wall of flowers) onto market on March 3, 2008. "

The synthetic soil, known as Pafcal, is made from urethane and is far lighter than organic soil. Wisegeek.com notes: "It looks much like regular soil, and can be used for a variety of planting products. The material is meant to help meet new Tokyo building regulations, which insist that any new building over a certain size limit must have a roof garden to offset carbon dioxide production. "

Let's raise our glasses to Suntory for creating a lighter weight material for growing and promoting green roofs.

Beijing is Trying to Control Pollution with Green Buildings

In a previous post titled, "Bejiing Worst Smog in a Month - Green Roofs Can Help!" I wrote how the Chinese government is concerned that the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be spoiled by air pollution.

That concern is becoming a reality, with the government expanding its restrictions to a broader geographic surrounding Beijing. Aside from these restrictions, the government is taking positive steps to improve air quality through green buildings.

National Public Radio (NPR) did a story about green buildings and green roofs in Beijing. You can listen to the story here. It outlines that China surpassed the US in becoming the world's single largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) and "The government has set ambitious goals for reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency by 2010."

To that end, the Chinese government is focusing on its buildings, as they consume half of the electricity in China. It is well known that green roofs can aid this effort by reducing utility costs by up to 25%. Additionally, the green roofs on these buildings well help reduce fine particulate air pollution and reduce CO2 levels in the city.

These steps toward energy efficiency and pollution control are noteworthy. In addition to green roofs and green buildings, China would do well to improve the pollution controls on their factories and power plants.

Green Roofs are Old School

well-worthy.com

As I mention in the introductory post, green roofs have been around for quite a long time. In many cases, using grass or other vegetation for roofing was out of necessity.

In this video from National Geographic, we learn that the ancient settlers of the Faroe Islands used green roofs, and that tradition has continued through today.

While I may repeat this in many if not all of my articles, one of the best reasons for green roofs is that they are cost effective and energy efficient. While it is also good that green roofs remove carbon dioxide and filter fine particulate matter, as well as reduce storm water runoff, if something isn't cost effective, it won't be widely accepted.

Cleaner Air For Cities

The air quality of the world's largest cities is a tragedy. If you are among the many people who believe there has to be a cost-effective, sustainable, and relatively simple way to have cleaner air in cities, you have come to right place. People since the Babylonians have enjoyed both the aesthetic value and positive environmental qualities of green roofs. In the simplest terms, a green roof is a roof that has plant life on it. The plant life helps to cool structures, capture stormwater (reducing runoff), as well as reducing carbon dioxide from the air. Additionally, the plant life on the green roof can help remove particulate matter from the air.

In recent years, as fears of climate change have reached a fever pitch, many have looked to the cost-effective proposition of green roofs. This blog seeks to study and promote the concept of green roofs, as well as adding to the literature and science.