Mayor Menino Raises the Green Roof on Runoff

Harvey the Hoverfly II

by Daniel E. Walsh  Author of Our Sunday "History & Reflections" Series

When I come home feelin' tired and beat
I go up where the air is fresh and sweet (up on the roof)
I get away from the hustling crowd
And all that rat-race noise down in the street (up on the roof)
On the roof, the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Let's go up on the roof (up on the roof)

~ Goffin and King

Harvey the Hoverfly* is a little confused. He and his antecedents have hovered around the Hub for eons. Until quite recently things had been tough and growing tougher for the average hoverfly to do what hoverflies do. Pesky humans and their swatting -- unfortunately for the hoverflies, they look like wasps, only smaller, and folks like to whack them.

For the flies in this urban setting there are fewer places to land; there is smoke and bad air to contend with and that music! What’s the point? Why it’s enough to poke your eyes out, all 5 of them! That’s the question raised around the haunts of the hoverfly. But, now I’m into something good, hums Harvey. This is nice - freedom up in the air and plenty of Bailey’s Gold to land on and a surfeit of aphids to eat, say the flies. Hoverfly heaven. From Yarmouth Town to Brockton the buzz abounds. What could be causing all this Diptera fluttering and excitement? Why, it’s the green roofs popping up around Boston!

In addition to the comfort they bring to our striped hovering insect friends, green roofs bring huge savings and multiple benefits to the city. Storm water run off is improved as the specially selected roofs’ plants and soil hold water. That water does not run down the street assimilating chemicals that find their way into the treatment plant and then leach into the water system. There are cost savings that can be earned through tax incentives and grants in some cities.  Storm water runoff is measured and charged according to gallon volume by many large municipalities. The roofs last longer than asphalt roofs although initial costs are higher. Very little maintenance is required; sensors are in place to detect leaks. A green roof cools the air. With a variety of plant arrangements the roofs are quite aesthetically appealing.

The plants used for green roof such as Bailey’s Gold (sedum floriferum) are usually from the sedum family. The word is from the Latin sedo ('to sit'), because these plants tendency to grow anywhere a seed can sit and find a scant amount of soil. Not surprisingly, a green roof requires a hardy plant that spreads outward but is not too tall and needs no trimming; the thickness of the soil needed is extremely important as it affects the weight of the roof. The plant scheme on most roofs does not require a deep layer of soil, though there are grass roof designs that do. These plants are imports, for the most part, and in nature are found growing in tight places such as sidewalks and walls. They must also be able to retain water and manage through drought conditions. These plants attract the hoverflies and that is why they are sometimes planted as a garden border to fight pest aphids. The flies’ larvae like to nosh on aphids.

Mayor Menino, in his 13-year commitment to the greening of the city, has made Boston the 3rd greenest city in North America, according to Popular Science Magazine. In his tenure as mayor, green roofs have proliferated around the metro part of his ongoing commitment to make Boston a showcase of urban sustainable living. Apex Green Roofs has built the green roofs at the WGBH building. The Rowland Institute at Harvard, The Simmons College School of Management, Cambridge School of Weston, and The Four Seasons Hotel - just some of the buildings sporting a new green ‘do.'

Green roofs aren’t for every structure. Supporting the weight of the roof is a major concern. But buildings with green roofs attract attention and not just from the hoverin’ hoverfly. Folks like looking at them; they are something to marvel and a big upgrade from the drab precedents. The roofs impact a city’s heat island effect; that is a phenomenon that affects the climate around a large metropolis. Green roofs alleviate the heat around them in a dramatic difference than conventional asphalt or rubber-based roofs.

All of these developments are a boon to humans and to wildlife like Harvey the Hoverfly and his winged companions alike. Mayor Menino’s Boston is going green and it’s not just from Celtics banners; this is a green you can see from the air and feel in the air. A cooler more attractive city with less storm water runoff to worry about – now, that’s creating a happy buzz around this town!

* Most folks call the yellow striped flies flower flies; I call them hoverflies like our British cousins. Harvey the Flower Fly?

Comments

[Justin Bieber Shoes]

So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :)

[Hello Kitty Watches]

Thanks, Luc. It's great to know there are kindred spirits out there. Keep fighting the good fight!

[Coach Carryalls Bags]

*A long time ago and far away there lived a King and a Queen . They were very happy, for their first child, a girl, had been born.

[Whitney Dailey]

Want to learn more about Green Roofs?

"LiveRoof® is a pre-vegetated, modular green roof system designed by horticulturists to economically and environmentally outperform all other mat and modular systems."

I work for a fast growing green company called PlantedRoof.com. We are certified LiveRoof® Installers, the only 95% pre-vegetated green roof modular system - the day of installation!

Some of the most important benefits to a LiveRoof® system are:
• Reduces storm water runoff by up to 90% annually
• Will help you achieve LEED certification by providing over 20 points
• Potential 200-300% extension of a roof's lifetime when installed on top of a new rubber membrane roof
• 25-40% savings on energy cost for the floor immediately below the roof
• Maintains a natural ambient air temperature on the roof, canceling the Urban Heat Island Effect

Feel free to contact me at whitney@plantedroof.com to further discuss any Green Roof initiatives you may have now or in the future.

www.plantedroof.com