Green Buildings... No, Really Green

Starting off with a tangent, The more I read Business 2.0, the happier I am. It is nice to see that green ideas are becoming a viable and valuable business practice. Each issue is filled with more articles about eco-friendly initiatives.

The one that really caught my eye was within the Future Vision section and entitled "Greening the Concrete Jungle." Several major cities in the United States have begun to maximize their surface space, covering the roofs with hardy plants, such as sedum and prairie grass.

And because of their efforts, heat and air conditioning costs are lower, rain runoff is reduced, and more oxygen is produced. There are another benefits, but from a business standpoint, the greatest comes from a 10% decrease in energy costs. The practice has been more widely adopted in Europe, but is taking root (pun?) in the States. Chicago has 2.5 million square feet of downtown roof space. And square footage is growing at 125% annually.

As the human population grows and consumes more natural resources, we have had to become more resourceful in our endeavors to preserve our way of life and the air we breathe. In that effort, the article talks about a Canadian company, G-Sky, who has begun to offer green walls for those who want to further maximize their space. Each square foot cost $1oo (not sure if that's Canadian or not) and puts less stress on the structure than it's roof counterpart. The founder of the Toronto-based industry association, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Steven Peck puts it perspective, "For every roof out there, there are four walls."

The article presents an interesting example, If a 10-story Los Angeles building were to cover its entire facade and roof in green plants. Its annual electric bill would decrease its annual electric bill by $80,000 dollars and increase the amount of carbon extracted from the air from 0 to 40 tons. Depending on the footprint of the building, the intitial cost would be over $144,000 (200'x200' footprint). This would mean it would take a couple years to recoup from the initial cost. However, the goal of green roofs and walls is long term and in my mind, well worth the cost now to allow for a healthier tomorrow.

Definitely worth further reading, check out G-Sky's website for further details on the benefits of green roofs.

2 days, 2 runs...