Every now and then we find studies comparing green roofs verses white roofs. It seems like and up-stream battle for the green roof industry against the big profits that are being made in the roofing industry with reflective water proofing membranes. All manufacturers of roofing material know that a reflective membrane will sell easier and with a higher profit than a traditional black tar roof. It is cheaper in production, and with the right crew, easier to install as well. In addition, because of the environmental benefit (discovered by LEED), the pricing can be more expensive.
Covering this membrane with a green roof should increase the profits – so we think. In reality, it isn’t the case because the lack of horticultural understanding and human’s natural fear of nature make it a high risk factor or even a potential lawsuit. Stockholders and risk managers for large roofing manufacturers offer green amenities (because this is good for their image), but never pressure these offers. Unfortunately, for roofing companies, protecting the revenue and profits is of higher priority over the environment and real sustainable practices.
It is no secret that selected manufactures support Universities in order to preform research on reflective membranes verses green roofs. These manufacturers tell the researchers precisely what to say and do so their reputation thrives. Since research jobs are not plenty full and Universities have the same economic pressure as roofing manufacturers, the results of this research may be questionable.
In a recent selective or reductionist study at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the so-called scientist went a step further. Writing a paper, clearly motivated by manufacturers, they described their data as somewhat sparse – does that mean worthless?
We still try to understand:
“Somewhat” = to a moderate extent or by a moderate amount
“Sparse” = thinly dispersed or scattered
We at Green Roof Service LLC/Green Roof Technology don’t need simplyfied research that says “maybe yes” and “maybe not” in the same sentence without consideration of the entire picture. Many people in the green roof industry don’t have a scientific backing, but it is a great gift that they have common sense and understand that bringing back nature to where it previously resided is way better than covering the earth under a white burial shroud.
The bear in the stream catching the battling salmon can’t extinguish the species – as long as the water is clean. If the water is polluted because of the lack of nature in our built up Cities, there won’t be any salmon left and the bear will shortly become extinct as well. Responsible research and researchers can help keep our waterways and neighborhoods clean.
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