Green Roofs

The Green Learning Station is home to four types of vegetated roof systems, or green roofs, which you are welcome to visit and explore. They are (see A Green Roof Glossary below for definitions):

  • Extensive built in place, 4″ of growing medium, planted with plugs – on the southeast corner of the GLS roof

  • Extensive biodegradable tray, 3″ of growing medium—on the west side of the GLS roof

  • Intensive built in place, planted with annual and perennial vegetables, 12″ of growing medium—on the northeast corner of the GLS roof

  • Extensive sloped built in place, 2″ of growing medium, planted with sedum carpet—on the east side of the cottage

A green roof bed growing edible plants.

A Green Roof Glossary

  • Extensive: a shallow green roof, usually less than 6″ of growing medium

  • Growing medium: soil engineered to be light weight and absorbent, usually comprised of expanded shale (halite), sand and compost

  • Intensive: a shallow green roof, usually more than 8″ of growing medium

  • Plugs: small plants with a root area the size of your thumb

  • Sedum: a large genus of flowering plants that are succulents (they store water in their leaves) and tend to be drought tolerant and prefer well-drained soils, also known as stonecrops

  • Sedum carpet: a coconut fiber mat embedded with soil and planted with sedums that can be rolled out onto a roof, giving it instant plant coverage

One of the Civic Garden Center's green roofs.

Why plant a green roof?

Green roofs use spongelike soil and plants to suck up rain. This keeps it out of our sewer system and decreases combined sewer overflows, in which a mixture of raw sewage and rainwater overflows into our local waterways. But that’s not all! They also:

  • Act like a sweater for a building, insulating it from changes in temperature and creating a sound barrier

  • Create habitats for insects, birds and even lizards

  • Take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen

  • Provide beautiful and unique views

  • Increase usable green space in urban environments

  • Reduce the heat island effect, which occurs when human activity in urban areas creates significantly higher temperatures than in less populated, less developed surrounding areas

One of the Civic Garden Center's green roofs.

What now?

If you’re interested in learning more about the Green Learning Station’s green roofs, come by for a visit or check out our green roofs resource. You can also explore the building’s other green features.