World Green Roof Day Date in the current year: June 6, 2024

A green roof, also known as living roof, is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered in vegetation. The two principal layers of a green roof are a waterproofing membrane and a growing medium; additional layers may include a root barrier to block plant roots, a drainage layer, and an irrigation system. Green roofs are suitable for various types of buildings, ranging from small garages to large commercial, industrial and municipal buildings.

Green roofs should not be confused with roof gardens. A roof garden is a garden on the roof of the building that can be created using various technologies: green roof, container gardening, hydroponics, aeroponics, etc. While green roofs can function as a roof garden, not every green roof is a roof garden, and not every roof garden is a green roof.

Green roofs have a wide range of benefits for buildings, people, and the environment. They absorb rainwater, provide insulation, cool the air and thus reduce urban heat island effect, keep buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter, absorb carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen, create secure habitats for wildlife (insects and birds) and promote biodiversity, and provide a more aesthetically pleasing landscape. Roof gardens can be used for recreational activities and give people access to green space in areas where parks are scarce.

Green roofs also have financial benefits. They can significantly extend the lifespan of a roof because vegetation provides shielding from physical damage and UV radiation, increase the real estate value, and help reduce energy use. In some regions, owners of green roofs are offered tax abatement, grant funding, and other financial incentives.

World Green Roof Day (WGRD) was launched in 2020 by Chris Bridgman and Dusty Gedge, experts in sustainable green roofs and board members of the Green Roof Organization (GRO), an independent not-for-profit trade association that represents the green, blue and biosolar roofing industries in the United Kingdom.

World Green Roof Day was created to celebrate the technology, innovation and architectural design that enables to grow plants on top of men-made structures through a combination of engineering and ecology. Its main goals are to educate the general public on the numerous benefits of green roofs and to bring together professionals in the green roof industry (architects, planners, developers, suppliers, installers, maintenance crews, etc.) to promote sustainable solutions that help fight the climate change.

There are many ways to get involved with World Green Roof Day and promote sustainable urban infrastructure. You can learn more about the benefits of green roofs and share the facts you’ve learned with others, share your experience with green roofs if you have any, attend a green rooftop event near you, share pictures of gorgeous green roofs on social media, and post about the day with the hashtags #WorldGreenRoofDay and #WGRD to spread the word.