Most people would consider themselves lucky to have a roof over their head…unless of course, that roof continually drips, leaves water spots on your beautifully painted walls, and stains your ceiling funny colors.

Had this been my apartment, I probably would have sulked about my bad luck, left my landlord an angry voicemail, and then packed my bags to go sleep under the stars. Fortunately, this was not my dwelling and the tenant-in-residence did not follow my example. Instead, Danna Olsen stayed up late into the night learning all she could about green roofs and began a quest to have one installed on her apartment building.

Green Roof Components

The term green roof can have a variety of meanings. In a broad context, it refers to any roof equipped with a green technology such as  solar panels, white reflective roofs, recycled building materials, or vegetation. Danna is pursuing the latter, which is also referred to as a living roof. According to GreenRoofs.org, there are two main ways to install a living roof. They can be  ”modular, with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, interlocking grids, or, each component of the system may be installed separately.” It’s not that one way is better than the other, but rather the method used depends upon the infrastructure and layout of the roof.

In recent years, green roofs have become increasingly popular in the United States due primarily to their energy-saving capacities and environmental benefits. Living roofs provide a natural habitat for many plants and animals, serve as a local food source depending on the plants grown, decrease water runoff, act as an “air conditioner” by absorbing excess heat, reduce outside noise, filter dust, smog, and other fine particulates, and visually enhance the landscape.

Because of this many cities, including Milwaukee, Chicago, and Toronto, have adopted city-wide green roof policies. Exactly when Madison will jump on board with these efforts is another story, but because of efforts like Danna’s, it is a story that is being heard more and more.

A Green Landscape

When Danna contacted Madison Property Management about her leaky roof, they were quick to respond to not only the maintenance request, but also to her green roof proposal. MPM is a property management company, meaning that they do not own the properties that they rent. Because of this, they lack the license to make physical changes to the buildings, but are able to interact and pass along the information to building owners. Danna presented MPM with considerable material regarding the benefits of green roofs, instillation requirements and options, existing green roofs in the city, builders equipped to install green roofs, and available funding options.

Their enthusiastic response convinced Danna that there were others interested in the subject. Because of this, she is planning a Green Roof Informational Session in the foreseeable future. Her goal is to discuss with property owners, managers, and tenants the benefits of green roofs and the feasibility of changing Madison’s rooftop landscape.

Be sure to check back soon for the meeting date, location, and time.