Green Learning Station

Green Roofs

tallinum roofThe Green Learning Station is home to four types of vegetated roof systems, or green roofs. The types of systems you can see on our site are:

  • extensive built in place, 4″ of growing medium, planted with plugs
  • extensive biodegradable tray, 4″ of growing medium
  • intensive built in place, planted with annual and perennial vegetables, 12″ of growing medium
  • extensive sloped built in place, 4″ of growing medium, planted with sedum carpet.

Why plant a green roof?

vegetable roofGreen roofs use sponge-like soil and plants to suck up rain, keeping it out of our sewer system and decreasing combined sewer overflows. But that’s not all, they also:

  • act like a sweater for a building: insulating it from changes in temperature and acting as a sound barrier
  • create habitat for insects, birds and even lizards
  • take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen
  • provide beautiful views for those overlooking them
  • increase usable green space in urban environments
  • reduce the heat island effect.

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 (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