It is summer time and your office just finished getting a Green Office Makeover, the first critical step in making your business green. You’ve asked your Eco-Consultant to tell you about innovative ways to further green up while cutting costs, and she has recommended green roofs and green walls, green features that not only beautify your building, but also save you money.
Green roofs are basically roofs with soil supporting plant life. They can be intensive (with more than one foot of soil) or extensive (with 2-6 inches of soil). Similarly, green walls support plant life and can make your office building seem fully integrated with its natural environment. Both of these features provide incredible benefits to your office building if well built. These include:
- Insulating from energy losses and sound, reducing energy bills during the summer;
- Reducing air and water pollution;
- Reducing stormwater runoff;
- Reducing urban heat island effect;
- Open green space and natural habitat;
- Increasing the service life of the roof membrane;
- Increaing the building’s property value; and
- Potential production of fruits and vegetables.
Both of these features are ideal for your office building. They will give your building a green spin and at the same time cut your costs. The payback period for the investment is usually reasonable, so that you will save money over the lifetime of these features. If you want to learn more about how you can build these features in your office building, contact your local Eco-Consultant. If you haven’t yet, make sure you get a Green Office Makeover first.
