Green Roofs Aren’t Just for the Environment
By Lucy Stott
GREEN ROOFS, also known as living roofs, provide shade, remove heat form the air, capture airborne pollutants, and reduce stormwater runoff, among numerous other benefits. Photo courtesy of PS 41 in Greenwich Village.
“As long as you have a roof over your head, everything will be okay” is an expression that conjures the image of safety and practicality. For many, roofs are merely a practical architectural feature, but for others, they are more. My Bronx-born grandfather often spoke of his roof as an urban oasis. He played on it with his siblings because, somewhat ironically, his mother thought it was safer than being on the streets. He slept on it when the August nights made his apartment sweltering. He recalled the laundry flapping in the wind on clotheslines strung by women in his building. And his family used their roof as a backdrop for their family photos since they were lacking in beautiful bucolic backdrops in his neighborhood. Today, we are still thinking of creative and beneficial uses for rooftops beyond storage of mechanical equipment and a place to mount cell phone towers. One of them is building green roofs.
Green roofs, also known as living roofs, are a vegetative layer grown on a rooftop. Green roofs provide shade, remove heat from the air, capture airborne pollutants, and reduce stormwater runoff, among numerous other benefits (Greenroofs.org). Perhaps most importantly, green roofs mitigate the heat island effect, meaning that the plants absorb light that otherwise would have been soaked up by the roof’s surface. Therefore, green roof temperatures can be 30-40°F lower than those of conventional roofs, and can even reduce city-wide ambient temperatures by up to 5°F (EPA). In addition to the environmental benefits of a green roof there are economic benefits, such as job creation (installation, repairs, planting and upkeep), lowering energy costs and adding value to the property as they can be an attractive marketing feature for rentals and sales of residential and commercial space (National Park Service).
I was fortunate to have attended a NYC public elementary school, the Greenwich Village School, that had a beautiful green roof. As a student, this green haven was not only an aesthetic asset, it was a peaceful outdoor classroom for us. I can so easily recall sitting on the roof surrounded by plants, flowers, vegetables and all the visiting birds and butterflies, listening to my teachers. My first-grade science teacher, Vicki Sando, who championed the school’s green roof project and still manages it, would talk to us about what was growing there. It wasn’t just a roof to us: it was also a yoga center, a dance studio, an artist’s workspace, an outdoor cafeteria and a music room. Our green roof was magical. Two summers ago, I asked Vicki, if I could intern with her and help her conduct research regarding green roofs. I assumed that we would be collecting quantifiable data and looking at the green roof’s environmental impact, but I was wrong. We were measuring the social-emotional impact of green roofs, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We found that green roofs were an invaluable resource during COVID for students of all ages. The environmental benefits were indisputable, but we discovered the roofs offered much more. We learned that green roofs served as safe havens and escapes for many children, and provided space for movement and hands-on learning, which especially helped neurodiverse children such as those with autism and ADHD. Furthermore, for autistic children, green space was directly associated with reducing anxiety symptoms (Larson 2018) Having a place where children could remove masks and practice social distancing during this stressful time was extremely advantageous.
In urban settings like New York City where I grew up, green space is limited relative to the population. Many playgrounds resemble parking lots more than playing fields. Adding green roofs to schools, offices, senior centers, hospitals, libraries, and residential buildings will create so much more opportunity to enjoy and benefit from these spaces. Lower-income populations in urban areas, which often disproportionately lack parks, would especially benefit from reduced energy expenses and the creation of more recreational and educational spaces. A study conducted by the University of Technology, Sydney showed that those who visited a green roof for 30 minutes or more at least once a week reported greater social wellbeing. Accessible green roofs can benefit all. Expectant mothers residing in areas with abundant green space recorded an 18–23% reduction in depressive symptoms compared to those with limited access to green areas (McEachan 2016). In the case of elderly communities, green spaces, such as green roofs, offer extensive possibilities for connection, social engagement, and physical activity, thereby enhancing both mental and physical well-being (Enssle and Kabisch, 2020).
Although the skyline has expanded exponentially since my grandfather slept on his Bronx rooftop, what has not changed is the necessity for the creative utilization of space, in particular outdoor spaces. Green roofs are great for the environment, but we need to broaden our perspectives on how they can help society. My school’s green roof is very different from my grandfather’s concrete haven, but I think we would agree that, “As long as you have a green roof over your head, everything will be okay…”
Lucy Stott is a freshman at Dickinson College in PA, and was born and raised in the West Village. Prompted by an assignment for her environmental science class, she wrote this Op-Ed about the importance of green roofs.
