Green Roof: Benefits and Policies in Toronto

This article discusses the benefits of green roofs in Toronto, including economic, agricultural, and social benefits. It also covers the policies and bylaws governing green roofs in Toronto. The article explains the different types of green roofs and their benefits, including reducing stormwater runoff and improving air quality. It also discusses the potential for green roofs to increase food production and create natural habitats for wildlife. The article concludes by highlighting the positive impact of green roofs on the economy and society of Toronto.

Running Head: GREEN ROOF 1
Urban field trip
Institution: George brown college
Date: Week 11
Professor: Michael Long
Course: geography

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Executive summary
A green roof is also known as the living roof. This is the type of building, which is covered by
the vegetation. The coverage by the vegetation may be partially or completely over the roof
depending on the type of the farming method used on the specific roof. This may be intensive or
the extensive methods. The plantations should be of the waterproof membrane since it carried
out on the roof. However, on the roof, some of the additional activities may be included like
additional layer which is a root barrier and some of the unique systems of the irrigation are in
cooperated. The green roof may be of the certain type, that’s rooftop ponds whose main works is
to treat greywater. In addition, the green roof is characterized or composed of the following that
is soil, drainage, vegetation, roof barrier and irrigations system. Green roof system just like the
ceiling on the roof, it provides the coolant temperature of the room. Since it lowers the
temperature of the room and absorbing the heat of the island it acts as the beauty of the landscape
and it also provides comfort especially to the people who stay within the room hence creating
habitat for the wildlife and insulations with the aid of the improving the absorptions of the
rainwater. It can fit anywhere like some of the municipals building, some of the industry's top
roof and even some of the building which is meant for the garage. Green roof normally makes
good use of the plant's natural functions thus treating suburban and urban air.
Furthermore, green roof as indicated earlier it may consist of the intensive which entirely
involves a thick and a minimum depth which may support a large variety of the plants. Intensive
normally requires more effort in terms of maintenance. However, extensive methods require
shallow depths which is fewer ranges as compared to the intensive roof method. It requires little
maintenance as compared to the intensive. Green roof adds some of the thermal resistance by
reducing some of the energy which is being used by the house, which results from the heating. It
also limits the chance of the heating from the island by speeding the evapotranspiration.
Sometimes it may reduce the cooling to a higher percentage than normal. This is quite possible
since it acts as the passive solar heat reservoir.
Green roof system may act as water management. This is quite possible since it can minimize on
the stormwater runoff. It has increased the chances of the roof to hold water by the roof substrate
then later being taken by the plants where it later returned to the atmosphere inform of the
transpiration and evaporations. It reduces the rate of runoff of the rainwater on the roof and
slows down the amount of the water running off from the roof. Most of the green roof is installed
to comply with law and regulation with respects to the government demand of the fees, which is
regarded as the stormwater runoff management.
The green roof has also the ecological benefits, that's it create natural habitat as part of an urban.
This is possible since if it installs in long stories, it is of more beneficial as it attracts birds,
insects, bees and even some of the butterfly and this enhances the diversity of species. The green
roof may also serve as the green wall and carbon dioxide filtering which aids in the diseases
control. It may also help in lowering the rate of the metal pollutants in the rainwater hence acts
as the filter pollutants
Moreover, it helps in the carbon sequestrations, this is an additional environmental benefit of the
green roof ability to sequester carbon. Mostly carbon is stored in the pants tissues and naturally
absorbed by the roots exudates. This can be improved by alternating the plants' species in every
seasons and increment of the substrate depth

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Lastly, the green roof may adversely help to insulate the house against sound hence making it
sounds proves. This is possible since the soil helps to cease the frequency as well as plats
frequencies. If the green roof is installed correctly it may enhance the LEED points of the roof
and thus increases the agricultural space of the roof.
In the city of the Toronto, green roof has increased food productions which have resulted in
the high standard of living and particularly increased life standard of the people of Toronto as a
whole. In addition to that, it has reduced the footprint environmental of the city and enhances the
stability of the urban centres. Due to the benefit that people of Toronto do get from the green
roof, has made it easier for them to get jobs in the farms and boost their skills.
Introduction
The green roof is one of the urban techniques which is characterized by roof planting
design practices. It involves an extension of an above grade roof, built on top of a human-made
structure, that allows vegetation to grow in a growing medium and which is designed,
constructed and maintained in accordance with the Toronto Green Roof Construction Standard.
It commonly consists of the three layers for insulation, vegetation beside drainage which is
installed over the conventional roof. Besides that, it also consists of the drought resistance crops
with a low cost of the maintenance. This articles will focus on some of the economic,
agricultural, social benefits that people of the Toronto do get from the green roof system. It is
categorized into two subsection that is, an intensive and extensive system based on the method
and plant used in each case.
Social benefits of the green roof system.
Green roof system has multiple benefits, this includes biodiversity, the standard of living
and improving the living standard through the agriculture. These positive Impacts have
contributed a lot to live of individuals specifically to the people of Toronto. In addition, since
there are a lot of the works to be done on the field, many people find themselves at least in the
field for some of the prospects benefits. This may consist of checking of the fruits in the field
and so many things. This has boosted the economy as the number of people idling around the
country is few as compared to some of the countries with vast populations and few jobs to offer
to her people in returns. However, due to the low dependency of the people, has promoted high
population growth in Toronto as a whole. Due to the green roof system in Toronto, many
infrastructures have been constructed and some of the social amenities have been improved
which boosted the social set up of the population in general. Moreover, health has been improved
due to the improvement of the social amenities across the country. These social factors have
improved and heightened the societal quo class of the different people in Toronto.
Economic benefits of the green roof system.
The green roof system is an urban modern method of farming. It requires some of the space to
be allocated for it to be carried out. The green roof has economically improved the living
standard of the people of the Toronto. Due to the high demand of the product both locally and

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nationally, the agriculture of Toronto has increased dramatically to support the needs of the
people. The selling of the farm produce from the green roof has boosted the Toronto economy
where there a vast increase job opportunity which has enables most whom are been jobless
(Stovin, 2010). There is a significant increase in the green roof system to food productions in the
city of the Toronto which involves great multiple growing methods and designs. Some of the
riparian places which have been excluded for so long have been put in place to realize the food
production through a green roof system of farming.
Agricultural benefits of the green roof.
Green roof system of farming in the cooperated new system of farming with a unique
method. This method is environmentally friendly being it reduces the stormwater runoff and
energy consumptions. In the farming method which is required by the bylaw states that the
suggest depth for planting should be 100mm which is likely to provide a reduction in runoff
(Jaffal, Ouldboukhitine,& Belarbi,2012). This has enabled the performance of the production of
the agricultural produce in a good manner. The main objectives of the bylaw policy are suitable
for the city forms of rooftop gardening that do not fit the criteria required of the setup.
Cultural benefits of the green roof.
Many countries, after the successful method of farming by the Toronto government, have
decided to implement the new system by adopting the culture of Toronto and the way of life.
(Williams, Rayner and Raynor,2010). Due to the adoption of the culture, the smooth trading
system by the Toronto government and some of the neighbouring countries have developed thus
boosting the trading system and implementing some of the new policy and system of government
learned from different places. However, several influxes of the immigration have been
witnessed, as many people tend to seek jobs in various department in the city of the Toronto thus
improving the quality of the productions and creating room for innovations in every field not
only in the agricultural department (Williams et al,.2010).
The policy that governs the green roof in Toronto.
The green roof bylaw was instituted in May early two thousand and nine. It was laid in
with a clear aim of calculating the production yields and some of the total roof space which
could be required to accommodate the product. However, it was designated for the renewable
devices which merely include some of the private terraces and outdoor amenities space nearing
residential places. According to the bylaw of the Toronto, if the intensive green roof is only one
to form then rooftop garden may be allowed to further incentive to pick it or may directly grant
financial from the city or any other source like the campaign to alert various choice that could
compensate for any extra cost. Green roof plot which is offered at a cheap price and affordable
may make the potential buyers to buy them if the population increased due to the high demand of
labour in the farm (Castleton et al, 2010).
Conclusion
According to the Toronto policies of the bylaw, it leaves with no doubt how it seems to be
more ambitious in addressing some of the core issues at a time. However, some of the greater
concerns are not considering the potentials gain and potential from the increased food
production. They this initiative should be one that is not affected by restrictive policies. This is
because they're some of the opportunities that should be exploited by the green roof that can

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increase food productions by using the same policies. As it is summarized above, green roof
system has great impacts more specifically to the people of Toronto. Some of the benefits of the
green roof system are to create natural habitats which hamper wild animals. as it clearly stated
above, green roof attracts beneficial birds, insects, and even butterfly which is benevolence of
the beauty to the environment. However, green roof created chances to the farmers as they can
sell their products both locally and internationally which replicate in economic improvement,
through the bylaw and some of the policies which are set in place by the Toronto government has
made it possible for both socio-economic and cultural set up of the people of the Toronto to
change entirely both agriculturally and economically. Through green roof system of farming in
Toronto, several ideas on improvement of the system of the farming have being a witness and
improved. This has boosted the life standard of the people of the Toronto more particularly to the
youths, which constitutes the large part of the populations of the Toronto by getting jobs in
farms.

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References
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savings and the potential for retrofit. Energy and buildings, 42(10), 1582-1591.
Dunnett, N., & Kingsbury, N. (2008). Planting green roofs and living walls. Portland, OR:
Timber Press.
Jaffal, I., Ouldboukhitine, S. E., & Belarbi, R. (2012). A comprehensive study of the impact of
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