I'm all about making our built environment more sustainable, green, and beneficial-but there is a point where the green movement becomes too "out there," losing it's appeal. Do people want to live in a home that is completely covered with plants? Maybe a small niche, but I think there has to be a more mainstream focus in the creation of new techniques and materials. Otherwise, this movement will not shake the ground.
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From CNNMoney.com:
Green roofs aren't the future: They're already here. In Chicago, 2.5 million square feet of downtown roof space is now covered with hardy plants such as sedum and prairie grass--the better to lower heating and air-conditioning costs (by 10 percent or more) and dramatically reduce rainwater runoff.
The Windy City's rooftops aren't alone: The total square footage of green roofs in the United States is growing at the healthy rate of 125 percent a year.
Now some entrepreneurs are placing bets on something even more forward-thinking: green walls. "They're taking off way faster than green roofs," says Chad Sichello, president and CEO of G-Sky, a Vancouver, British Columbia, company that offers both.
