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GREEN ROOF AND GREEN MATERIALS

GREEN ROOF AND GREEN MATERIALS

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Introduction

Green roofs have increasingly become attractive and common practice in the modern garden designs and an important segment of the architectural design of a building. A green roof refers to the vegetative layer or stratum grown on a rooftop. It not only removes air by the process of evapotranspiration but also provides shade. In the process, green roofs reduce temperatures of the roof surface as well as that of the surrounding air. A green roof can be installed on private residences, industrial facilities, and commercial buildings among other types of structures. Green roofing has become very popular in the United States. By June 2008, more than 8.5 million square feet of green roofs were in progress or fully installed. The practice is beneficial particularly on grounds of helping to avert risks resulting from air pollution and gas emissions from greenhouses. Similarly, green roofs can potentially reduce various forms of stress and apprehension due to heating or heat waves particularly during summer. In essence, green roofs tend to boost comfort of people inhabiting the building by substantially reducing heat transfer via building roof. Different types of green roofs are designed for specific purposes. The tremendous growth in green buildings has also affected the materials for building green roofs. Modern constructions have distinctive types of green roofs, which has also been vital to determining the nature of materials in green building. The thesis of this essay focuses the fundamental gains resulting from the adoption of green roofs, the influence on architecture and design, and impact on vegetable farming.

Green roofs reduce overall energy consumption by the building because they can absorb large amounts of heat. They also reduce emissions of green gas and pollution to the atmosphere. In reality, green roofs can potentially lower any production activities that may result to greenhouse gas emission and air pollution essentially by curtailing the demand for air conditioning. Similarly, the vegetation can also eliminate greenhouse emissions alongside air pollutants. Moreover, they act as insulators of the building by reducing the amount of energy required to trigger heating as well as cooling. In the same way, a reduction in the amounts of heat transferred through the roof inside the building by green roofs can conceivably increase comfort and reduce heat wave stress. Furthermore, green roofs improve water quality and enhance the management of storm water. For instance, the urban areas have continuously experienced problems of storm water runoff after a heavy downpour. The surface runoff can result to widespread soil erosion. With the introduction of green roof technology, it has become much easier to slow or reduce storm water runoff in these environments.

Apart from managing storm water, green roofs will also help in filtering pollutants from rainfall. In the same way, a green roof can provide a habitat for several species in addition to giving an aesthetic value. Accordingly, it improves quality of life. Before installing a green roof, it is necessary to consider the nature of the building first. For instance, the installer should determine whether the building is meant for residential or commercial purposes. Incidentally, every building type has distinctive techniques as well as rules that guide installation. The initial costs of purchasing and installing green roofs is always higher compared to cost of conventional materials. The net benefits of green roofs are obviously higher than conservative roofs.

The green design is one of the fundamental elements of a sustainable architecture. Many of the architects are keen to creating structures than appear to be part of the ecosystem. For instance, the ancient Greeks experienced the problem of low volumes of fuel resources. Hence, they invented new-fangled strategies that are still applicable in the contemporary world today. A case in point was their effort to position buildings such that they (buildings) captured or caught the sunrays. In addition, the knowledge of architecture will help achieve the most accurate design. Similarly, architects will attempt to design buildings depending on the specifications or data they obtain from the owner. Having the knowledge of the whole idea of green roofs right from the outset will help the architect come up with the correct design. Lastly, green roofs and green materials highlight and reflect the incredible innovation and development that has become an essential tenet of modern architecture and architectural designs.

Green roofing has further influenced vegetative farming. The mechanism or method of establishing has a positive implication on modern-day farming activities and practices. For instance, the concept employed to create and develop a green roof is almost similar to the procedures involved in vegetative farming. Apparently, vegetative farming is the practice that involves removal of part of a plant, and putting it in the soil to grow a new plant. Nevertheless, the materials for green roof should be natural and renewable locally. It should also be non-toxic. Apparently, low embodied energy material such as willow cuttings for slope stabilization or rammed earth for a retaining wall however; these materials may not be feasible in all situations. They may not be able to perform to the current construction standards, construction workers may not be skilled in techniques to build structures with these materials or they may not be appropriate for the scale of construction or requirements.

The roof is apparently the lid or occupies the top of a habitable structure that keeps the unwanted weather elements away and helps maintain the most comfortable conditions and temperatures for human habitation. Since humans continue seeking shelter, overhead covering to protect them from the sun, wind, rain and snow is necessary. This has evolved from natural materials such as leaves, thatch, and sod to durable materials like slate wood shingles, asphalt shingles, and now the present-day green roof systems. It is easier to build and maintain green roof systems that are on a flat or slightly sloped roof decks. The primary benefit of constructing roof systems on low-sloped roof decks is its applicability as water retention systems, reduction of heat gain and the ability to develop usable open spaces in urban areas without taking up more land.

Architects, especially those specialized in landscaping would try to determine the infrastructural needs to support the building and site programs. For instance, the architect will need to calculate the water retention capacities of differing growing media at various depths on a site-specific basis. Moreover, they would quantify the mass of growing media and vegetation at various moisture levels and incorporate variant insulating values into the sizing of heat, cooling and air conditioning systems. Contractors must deviate from the practice of cost estimation, project sequencing and selection, and installation of construction materials. In the same way, clients must be courageous in their programming. They must be vibrant in their expectations, commitment and able to finance the project through completion occupation and occupied maintenance.

A shift from localized use of materials to a more centralized large-scale production and global distribution from highly processed materials to highly processed ones. Site construction materials of the twenty first century must respond to an entirely different set of forces and global climate change, air pollution, rising fuel costs, ecological destruction and loss of diversity. The forces are rapidly driving and shaping the site, and construction industry through the swiftly growing sustainable development. To address the goal of sustainable development, the construction material production and construction industries must shift their use of resources and fuels from non-renewable to renewable.

Conclusion

The harsh reality about the adverse effects of global warming has influenced the escalating demand for environment friendly construction techniques and farming methods. For instance, various treaties and conventions such as the Kyoto protocol for green house gas reduction have immensely shaped the environmental policy frameworks adopted by such nations. The practice is beneficial particularly on grounds of helping to avert risks resulting from air pollution and gas emissions from greenhouses. Policy on waste reduction and recycling globally, and to a smaller degree in the U.S. are enhancing campaigns aimed at salvaging recycling and manufacturing exchange industries. In essence, policies are restricting the amount of emissions per state or country. Thus, countries have a responsibility to reduce emissions through recycling. In short, green roofs have fostered the realization of the goal of reducing environmental pollution through planting vegetation on rooftops.

List of References

Hopkins, Graeme, and Christine Goodwin. 2011. Living architecture: green roofs and walls. Collingwood, Vic: CSIRO Pub.

Luckett, Kelly.. Green roof construction and maintenance. New York: McGraw-Hill.2009.

Meisel, Ari.. LEED materials: a resource guide to green building. New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press. 2010.

Werthmann, Christian. 2007. Green roof: a case study. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Green Revolution and the Economy

Green Revolution and the Economy

Introduction

As the years progressed, human effect on the earth has had an immense impact on declining biological communities and has adversely influenced biodiversity of regular untamed life. (Agarwal, 2010) Going green was a thought made considering the nature’s domain, serving to reuse what we have and save the regular assets and untamed life we have left, so that our reality can keep existing as it improves today and maybe even later on. (Barbier, 2011) Many organizations have started to get on to this new development and are perceiving that purchasers need to be a piece of the change. (Hamdouch & Depret, 2010) Supply and interest must be inspected simultaneously to figure out if green products really profit in the American Economy. (Hamdouch & Depret, 2010) Also, a lot of people new green products like the Toyota Prius are landing available changing the way buyers contemplate monitoring assets. (Brand, 2012.) The green transformation can be utilized as an as a part of profundity study to figure out what suppliers and customers truly esteem in the offering and purchasing of merchandise and how productive these new earth agreeable products are. So what are these “green products?” According to Joel Makower, Author of Strategies for the Green Economy, everything started with a development towards preserving the nature’s turf. In the last piece of the twentieth century, consciousness of what was excited by government officials and nationals much the same who accepted that the time had come to take care of the contamination that was persistently harming the nature’s turf. In this way started the green development. The Environmental Protection Agency was shaped in 1970 to start to make laws and regulations that would at last change the standard of American natural mindfulness. (Ciocoiu, 2011) For the first run through, the air, water, and even industry of the United States was controlled by this new drive.

Literature Review

By the 1980’s, organizations were getting onto the development. Numerous started to decrease the measure of waste they created in any case so they wouldn’t need to stress over clean up and transfer costs later on. This period in time was viewed as the conception of developments like “waste diminishment,” “contamination avoidance,” and “vitality productivity.” (Hamdouch & Depret, 2010) More and more organizations started to join the transformation, chopping down expenses by keeping waste products low and in the end another thought dawned on industry – Green products. In the event that organizations could fundamentally cut expenses by decreasing waste, imagine a scenario in which they could make products that obliged less crude materials in any case. Alternately imagine a scenario where assets could be reused and reused to lessen ecological effect and spare themselves cash. As organizations contemplated this, they started to investigate their own particular inventories and products to comprehend the ecological effects of their products. (Jiahua, Guiyang, Yan, ShouXian & Qianyi, 2010) The 1990’s denoted the start of maybe the most critical thought of all manageability. As Makower puts it, “this intergenerational Golden Rule” (Jiahua, Guiyang, Yan, ShouXian & Qianyi, 2010) turned into the primary objective of businesses as the race towards genuine maintainable quality: “the capacity to proceed with one’s business operations inconclusively,” (Jiahua, Guiyang, Yan, ShouXian & Qianyi, 2010) turned into the genuine test of proficiency. This thought of supportability would permit organizations to spare gigantic measures of cash in the event that they could make sense of how to keep the cycle from terminating by giving the right assets in the right mix of approaches to diminish, reuse and reuse hence cutting expense. This “‘Green will be green'” idea (as authored by General Electrical Chairman Jeffrey Immelt),” (Krugman, 2010) served as a method for perceiving “that ecological speculation can accomplish more than enhance how the money adds up. It can help to develop the top line through advancement, new markets, and new business open doors.” (Krugman, 2010) This is the point where manageability turns into a reality. Organizations started to understand that by making products that post for the welfare of the earth, they can make a benefit. Fundamentally, organizations discovered another approach to build their profit, as well as the soundness of the nature’s turf. The production of these green products is not all that basic in light of the fact that making sense of approaches to cut expenses and avert squander all happens in the supply/business end of considering.

Utility of these products should likewise be mulled over to make new products productive in the industrial facility, as well as helpful to shoppers. Commercial enterprises need to make helpful products that both profit the earth and the organizations that market them, and are something that customers need to purchase. Organizations must be helped that in the creation to remember each product to be sold, the are two sides: supply and interest. For the ecological end of business, these are frequently alluded to as manageable supply and interest. On the supply side, organizations must concentrate on the products themselves, the assets that are obliged to make these products, the natural effects of these products and any conceivable funds. When the supply side is tended to, the interest side must be considered to guarantee that shoppers will really need to buy these products. The interest side is regularly variable and relies on the consistency of purchasers and their needs and needs. On the off chance that an product can be made that is both earth cordial and effective, and is attractive to customers, the objective of practicing environmental safety is effectively possible. Both sides are just as essential in the advancement of an product for it to be worth the additional inconvenience to make a green product. (Krugman, 2010)

Numerous green product developments have wretchedly fizzled, on the grounds that while taking care of ecological and natural issues, they didn’t tackle any issue a customer had. A decent sample for this happened in the 1990’s when Dupont made another kind of polyester which was reused from old materials. The hypothesis was immaculate – taking old polyester and making it new would cut their expenses and spare assets. Notwithstanding, it worked out that in actuality the reused polyester was more costly than recently made polyester, and despite the fact that it brought down the ecological effect of Dupont, purchasers simply weren’t occupied with paying more for the reused material. (Krugman, 2010) tending to an alternate issue of outline in the battle to wipe out solvents and unstable mixes created really taking shape of attractive sound tapes, researchers at 3m found they could make tapes utilizing water-based solvents that had an ostensible natural effect. Then again, when the tapes were tried in ordinary utilize, the new tapes dissolved making them undesirable and illogical to customers. Still further moving down the confirmation that undesirable products won’t offer is the “milk-container for a green earth.” Retailers made another milk-container that would utilize less materials as a part of development as well as fit together nearly for business transportation and capacity obliging less general vitality. Shoppers, notwithstanding, would not purchase this new drain container as a result of its badly arranged shape for pouring drain and its short of what tastefully satisfying outline. By and large, the containers were not a win in light of the fact that shoppers would not purchase milk containers that were not valuable in regular life. (LI & ZHAO, 2010)

Critical Analysis

It can likewise be demonstrated that if promoted right, green products can be an effective and valuable expansion to the stock of an organization. Take the Dutch Boy’s Twist & Pour paint jars, for instance. Not just are Dutch Boy’s new paint jars earth more secure by giving simpler transportation and more time span of usability, yet they likewise are engaging purchasers in light of the fact that they have less demanding pouring spouts and agreeable holds. On top of these points of interest, the screw-top jelly paint longer serving to eliminate the waste delivered by left over paint. (LI & ZHAO, 2010) So how do green products function in this present reality? The thought of green products is an outstanding one as assets and landfills are drained by the second and biological communities experience the ill effects of contamination as organizations wrench out products that exploit the copiously rich world we live in. (LI & ZHAO, 2010.) Green products help to decrease human effect by contemplating noticeable natural issues and making their own particular arrangements by utilizing less assets and reusing old products as opposed to arranging them into more landfills. (LI & ZHAO, 2010Although the nature’s turf advantages from a large number of these green business hones, so as to be profitable, organizations must have the capacity to additionally profit financially. In place for these products to profit organizations financially, we must come back to the thought of utility – do shoppers truly feel there is more esteem to an product with lower natural effects? Numerous studies have been carried out to focus the impact that the name “green” has on buyers. As per Gfk Roper Consulting, seventy-nine percent of buyers in the United States say that the natural practices of a business impact what they will prescribe to others about products and administrations. In the event that an product is thought to be better for the nature, four out of ten Americans are ready to pay more for their buys. Around the world, in excess of sixty percent of customers would pay higher costs, eleven percent all the more generally, for products and administrations that are lower in their greenhouse gas emanations, says Accenture.

Fifty three percent of Americans reviewed by the examination firm TNX would be ready to pay more for natural cordiality.” The Imagepower Green Brands Survey expresses that inside one year, shoppers are relied upon to twofold their using on green product and administration buys to about $500 billion every year. About nine in ten Americans view themselves as “cognizant shoppers” in that they like to purchase from organizations producing vitality productive products and honing earth agreeable business says the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report. (Mendona, 2009) So unmistakably, to American buyers and purchasers around the world, the green name on the products and administrations they purchase does account, to some degree, for the extent to which they will pay and what they will expend accordingly expanding request by around ninety percent for green products. Indeed in the retreat in excess of 82 percent of purchasers still purchase green products only for their marks and decreased natural effects. (Mendona, 2009) So now that we realize that purchasers are eager to pay, have organizations truly spared cash by changing to green practices with a specific end goal to get the stamp of support from their buyers? In just the most recent fifteen years, in excess of seventy-two percent of Dupont’s commitments to a dangerous atmospheric devation have been cut recently by lessening the measure of waste they create and the vitality they utilization. It has spared Dupont over $2 billion in ten years. (Mendona, 2009) The organization 3m cut waste by sparing in excess of 2.2 billion pounds of poisons since the start of its anticipates in 1988. The organization spared over $1 billion in funds in just its first year. (Mendona, 2009) However, later examination with 3m uncovered that their eco-proficiency funds has not expanded after some time as swelling and financial development have changed their general minor pay. (Mendona, 2009) Energy productivity has additionally spared Staples over $6 million in only two years by concentrating power controls. (Mendona, 2009) Not just are buyers ninety percent more inclined to purchase from organizations that practice ecologically agreeable business, yet these practices alone can spare an organization an enormous measure of cash in a moderately short measure of time. There are a few markets that have made genuinely inventive products that purchasers are ready to pay more for – frequently up to twenty percent more. (Mendona, 2009) These products are a piece of what is thought to be the new 21st century green business sector. One such product that has ended up to a great degree conspicuous in the last few years is the cross breed auto. Half breed autos were made because of the ceaseless key issue of shortage. With gas costs on the ascent at the end of the day and less and less revelations of oil, there expected to be an answer for not just spare the few assets that are left on the planet, additionally to spare cash for customers and makers indistinguishable. (Mithas, Khuntia & Roy, 2010.) One of the most perceived trailblazers of this new wave of advancement was Toyota with its want to make the ideal 21st century vehicle – the Prius Hybrid.

Conclusion

Going green is an idea a thought made by numerous individuals cooperating to spare the nature’s domain from being devastated because of the over- use of common assets and the dangerous outflows of processing plants into the earth bringing about the defeat of the once perfect scene around us.( Mithas, Khuntia & Roy, 2010). From the straightforward ways that organizations have developed environmental awareness by joining electric yield and lessening waste Mithas, Khuntia & Roy (2010) to the auto business, where half and half autos like the Toyota Prius have risen guaranteeing less carbon emanations and more noteworthy mileage (Agarwal, 2010.), there has been another mindfulness for ecological protection all through the economy. Regardless of the somewhat higher expenses of making these “better for natural force” products, the economy is profiting from their long haul supportability and pay offs as products are utilizing less assets and costing less to keep up together. (Agarwal, 2010.) Going green has helped the earth by enhancing ecological consciousness of United States industry and the presentation of naturally sound and reasonable products and administrations into the economy that buyers need to utilize and purchase.

References

Agarwal, B. (2010). Gender and green governance: the political economy of women’s presence. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Barbier, E. (2011, August). The policy challenges for green economy and sustainable economic development. In Natural resources forum (Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 233-245). Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Brand, U. (2012). Green economy–the next oxymoron? No lessons learned from failures of implementing sustainable development. GAIA-Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 21(1), 28-32.

Ciocoiu, C. N. (2011). Integrating digital economy and green economy: opportunities for sustainable development. Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, 6(1), 33-43.

Hamdouch, A., & Depret, M. H. (2010). Policy integration strategy and the development of the ‘green economy’: foundations and implementation patterns.Journal of environmental planning and management, 53(4), 473-490.

Jiahua, P., Guiyang, Z., Yan, Z., ShouXian, Z., & Qianyi, X. (2010). Clarification of the Concept of Low-Carbon Economy and Analysis of its Core Elements [J]. International Economic Review, 4, 88-102.

Krugman, P. (2010). Building a green economy. The New York Times Magazine, 5.

LI, N. X., & ZHAO, Y. (2010). Some Considerations on the Low-carbon Economy.

Mendona, M. (2009). Powering the green economy: The feed-in tariff handbook. Routledge.

Mithas, S., Khuntia, J., & Roy, P. K. (2010). Green information technology, energy efficiency, and profits: Evidence from an emerging economy.

Green House Effect Summary

Green House Effect Summary

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The Green House Effect Summary

There has been a lot, which has been said about the green house gas effect. It is a global issue that has attracted the attention of many people because it affects people’s lives in one way or the other. In this summary, I will talk about how radiation is an important aspect of the green house effect. Furthermore, it will focus upon the issues raised by some authors concerning this phenomenon.

In the summary I looked at the information presented by John Houghton who focused on gases that absorb the wavelength radiation. These two gases are carbon dioxide and water vapor; they are known to be good emitters of radiation. For example, black is known to be a good emitter as well as an absorber. The author claims that “absorbing gases in the atmosphere absorb some of the radiation emitted by the earth’s surface and in turn emit radiation out to space” (Houghton, 2009). This means that the two mentioned gases have a role to play in reducing the green house effect that takes place on the earth. Later on, when carrying out research about this intriguing topic I came across a book titled ‘The Greenhouse Effect’ by John Ardill and Stewart Boyle (1989). The authors claim that in the future, radiation will not be as effective as it is today. This is because human beings continue to engage in activities that threaten the absorption of gases. For example, cutting down of trees in the Amazon forest will have adverse effects on the radiation levels existing on earth.

A balance between the outgoing and incoming radiation has to exist in order for radiation to occur well in the atmosphere. John Houghton even came up with a useful diagram that effectively explained this point. Clouds are known to reflect radiation that originates from the sun and then directs it into space. At the same time, clouds emit and absorb thermal radiation and this creates a greenhouse gas blanketing effect. The two known effects work in an opposite manner as one is thermal radiation absorption, and the other is solar radiation reflection. Houghton claims that “the net effect of clouds in the total budget of radiation results in a slight cooling of the earth’s surface” (Houghton, 2009). This means that in order for the earth to always be cool, there has to be a significant number of clouds in the sky. In the book ‘Future Weather and Greenhouse effect’ by John Gribbins (1982), it is predicted that earth will have extremely high temperatures in the future. Gribbins has also come up with a diagram that shows how radiation will be low because of the existence of very few clouds.

In conclusion, it is evident that there is a lot that people can say when talking about the green house gas effect. It seems that they key issue is radiation that affects the temperature levels on earth. Houghton has proven that water vapor and carbon dioxide have a role to play with regards to the absorption and emitting of gases. Also, the other authors, Gribbins, Ardill and Boyle seem to concur with the information presented by Houghton. They all believe that radiation is an issue of concern that should be controlled in order to reduce the green house effect. Indeed, there is still a lot that can be learnt from this issue and the earth needs to be protected for future generations.

References

Boyle, Stewart. & Ardill, John. (1989). The Greenhouse Effect. Scotland: New English Library.

Gribbin, John. (1982). Future Weather and the Greenhouse Effect. New York: Delacorte.

Houghton, John. (2009). Global warming: The complete Briefing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Reay, Davy. (2013). Green House Gas online. Retrieved from http://www.ghgonline.org/

The United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/” http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/