Welcome to the Blog

Understanding green roofs starts with understanding their power to heal our cities – and what happens when we don’t steward them carefully enough.

 (PSST! Download our free green roof stewardship infographic to share with colleagues and friends!)

One of the questions we get most often here at Ecogardens is Why green roofs?

And we get it. Most people aren’t as familiar as we are with the stormwater retention benefits of an extensive green roof, of the pollution-fighting power of plant roots, or the cooling effects of a blanket of green atop a formerly bare cement rooftop.

The good news is, more people are learning about green roofs today – and getting interested in the possibilities they wield for a healthier tomorrow.

In this infographic, we take a look at the explosion in green roof square footage across the US and Canada in the last few years, their incredible ROI-capturing power, their energy savings and property improvement value, and more.

Check it out below!

Green roofs come in many forms, depending on the site, climate and owner intent. So what are those differences, and which is right for you?

Expecting green roofs to solve climate change single-handedly is like expecting any one football player to win the Super Bowl for his team. It’s a severe burden, and probably an unfair one.

However, neither would you dismiss a good player’s role in his team’s chances that year. We need all the tools we can get to find success.

(We’re not calling football players tools, by the way. Just FYI.)

But while we wouldn’t want to send them off on their own to do all the work, green roofs really are one of the best ways to address climate change. They:

• Insulate buildings so they use less energy
• Reflect sunlight, raising the planet’s albedo and keeping it cooler overall
• Help to fight the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon increases the temperatures of cities, which puts more demand on the energy grid and impacts human health
• Capture stormwater runoff and keep it out of streets at peak runoff times
• Give birds, pollinators and other critters a place to live
• Increase the number of native plants in our world

We could go on and on. (And on.) Instead, let’s assume we’ve convinced you of their amazingness and move right along to the question of which one is right for you?

Choosing between extensive and intensive green roofs is an important question in the decision-making process, so let’s take a look at the definitions and benefits of each.

Looking for green roof plants that will protect your building, attract wildlife, soak up stormwater and look beautiful? Here are some of our favorites to put on your list today!

So you want a green roof, and you love the idea of natives. Yet after hours of fruitless searching for sedum that evolved in the Midwest, you have come up with exactly ... one option.

Sorry, friend. That’s because there is only one sedum native to our area. (But it’s a pretty great one! See below.)

Many people throw up their hands right here, assuming that they have to therefore accept non-native alternatives on their rooftops. But that’s not the case at all. In fact, there are plenty of choices for native green roof plants. Here are 40 of our favorite to peruse today.

(Want a free download to take with you and share with friends? Get it here!)

Green roofs are unique environments, so you can’t just throw a batch of soil up there and call it good. What media should you use instead? And does it need to be customized or not? We answer those questions here.

Thinking about a green roof? There are a lot of factors to consider, as you already know.

What will you plant? How do you want it to look? Can you, like, eat breakfast on it and stuff?

Well, that all depends. Not only on your space and your vision, but on what kind of plants your particular ecosystem can support and the benefits you hope your green roof will achieve.

And that in turn depends a lot on the media you use.

Many people ask us whether or not they need custom media for their green roofs, so we thought we’d take a crack at answering that today.

We’re all for a good green roof. In fact, at one time, Ecogardens boasted the world’s largest monitored rooftop right here in Chicago. But soon, the medal for largest green roof globally will pass to Paris.

Paris is known for many things.

Baguettes. Hunchbacks. Rats that can cook.

It will soon be known for something else: the world’s largest green roof.

According to Forbes, the city – which woke up to the benefits of green infrastructure decades ago and is a world leader in pledging to install greenspace – will shortly be home to a 150,000-square-foot rooftop oasis.

Making the decision to install a green roof on your garage, deck, municipal building or commercial structure is a big one, with a lot of factors involved. Here’s a quick look at the reasons why you would.

Green roofs have, like, a great rap.

Everyone knows they look awesome. Most people know they’re “good” for the environment, even if they’re not clear on how. And many people are aware of their amazing abilities to soak up stormwater and clear pollution from the air.

While green roofs are one of the absolute best stormwater solutions we have in our cities today, though, you might not feel as good about the costs involved.

Which leads to a big question: Should you get a green roof? Or save that money for, like, a hundred classic Nintendo 64s?

(We don’t know. Just a thought.)

Luckily for you, we’re here to answer that question today.

Building a green roof is a complex process that involves many stakeholders and experts. Here’s a quick breakdown of whom you can expect to work with on a green roof project.

So you’re ready for a green roof.

Maybe you’re in it for the energy savings. Perhaps you dream of taking your weekend cocktail on a rooftop patio surrounded by cute little plants. Maybe you just live for those bucolic duck moments … 40 stories up.

We’re cool with any and all of that – and we’d love to help.

First, though, it’s important to understand how the process works and who’s involved. Let’s take a look now.

Green roofs require specific materials in order to protect the building roofing/waterproofing, retain/detain, and drain stormwater, and grow healthy plants. Here’s a quick rundown.

Looking at a green roof, it’s easy to imagine someone just stuck some plants and a little soil on top of a bare rooftop, dusted off their hands and called it good.

Because we can’t see underneath the surface, we often forget to think about the rest. Indeed, some professionals fail to use the proper materials or install green roof layers in the correct order.

That, we hardly need tell you, is no Bueno. No Bueno at all.

As with everything else, the first step is understanding. So here’s a quick look at the layers of a green roof, so you can be sure yours is performing and protecting as best it can.

Growing media nourishes green roof plants and helps detain stormwater, but what form does that media take – and which is best for your roof?

Which media to use while building or maintaining a green roof is a question with many possible answers today. While choice is a good thing, it also leads to confusion and analysis paralysis.

Don’t worry; we’re not judging. “Analysis paralysis” is sometimes our middle name.

Yet in the case of green roof media, we can’t afford that. Choosing the best media type during the initial stages of green roof design is critical for the roof to function at its best, detain and retain stormwater with maximum efficiency, and enable future stewardship.

So here’s your brief primer on the best green roof media type, so whip out that notepad (or the tablet that’s already wired to your brainstem) and let’s get started.