How to show you care in an eco-friendly way

Instead of buying your significant other an overpriced, unrecyclable box of chocolates from the drugstore 30 minutes before your date, why not prepare ahead of time for Valentine’s Day with these eco-friendly gift ideas?

 

Top Tips

• Friendly Flowers. Look for fresh, organic flowers from your local farmers market or at your favorite store. Flowers are often imported from other countries that may not have pesticide regulation which can translate to one dangerous bouquet.
• Fair Trade Chocolate. Buy organically grown, fair trade chocolate; this ensures that companies practice responsible work ethics as well as sustainable production.

Other Considerations

• Keep them Growing. Instead of buying your Valentine a bouquet of flowers, consider buying potted ones that will last for more than just a week.
• Dine-In Date. Save some gas and forget about going out to eat. Treat your Valentine to a homemade organic dinner- it’s a little more personal, saves you some money and the Earth.
• Green Greetings. Instead of buying a Valentine’s Day card, make your own. And if you do end up buying a card, make sure that it is made from recycled material.

Benefits

…to your health

Buying responsibly grown products means less exposure to potentially harmful pesticides like DDT for and the people that grow them.

…to your wallet

A potted plant that will last many years can cost you less than a dozen red roses. Dining in can also save you since you won’t be spending money on transportation, dinner itself and tips.

…to the Earth

Responsible and sustainable farming of flowers and cacao mean significantly less pesticide run off and contamination of our water, wildlife and ecosystem damage which ultimately gets back to you.

Further Reading

Pesticides

Eco-Friendly Thanks

Send the Write Message

Go Green and Give Green…

Convenient and green

Washing dishes at the sink can be a Zen-like ritual–or at least a way to get your hands warm and your fingernails clean. But automatic dishwashers have their benefits, too, and not just for the busy and the lazy. Used wisely, modern automatics consume less water and energy than washing dishes by hand.

Today’s best energy-efficient dishwashers have soil sensors that automatically adjust power and water use based on how yucky your dishes are. Most offer an internal booster heater that raises the water temperature inside the dishwasher to about 140°F. This allows you to save energy and money by reducing your home’s water heater temperature to 120°F or so. So sit back, enjoy your friends and family, and–for a few blissful minutes–let your dishwasher help you save the planet.

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Top Tips

At home

• Wash smart. Don’t pre-rinse your dishes. Just scrape off the biggest food scraps into your compost bucket. Modern dishwashers and detergents can take care of the rest. Pre-rinsing can waste as much as 20 gallons of water, according to Energy Star. If your dirty dishes sit overnight, use the dishwasher’s rinse feature–it uses much less water than hand rinsing. In addition, always run your dishwasher with full loads and use the water-saver setting.
• Air dry. The “air-dry” setting just uses a fan rather than the electric heating element for the “heat-dry” setting. It takes a bit longer but saves you money.
• Wash light. If your dishwasher doesn’t have soil-sensing technology, use the “light wash” or “china/light” setting unless you have a very dirty load.
• Turn down the heat. If your dishwasher has an internal booster heater, turn down your home’s main water heater temperature to 120°F.

When shopping, look for

• Energy efficiency. Dishwashers that have earned the government’s Energy Star label use energy at least 41% more efficiently than dishwashers that only meet the federal government’s minimum energy standards. But even among Energy Star dishwashers, energy consumption varies widely. When shopping, look for the yellow and black EnergyGuide label required by the federal government. It will tell you how much energy that particular model will use in kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/yr), allowing you to do an apples-to-apples comparison of different dishwashers. Or you can compare dishwashers’ Energy Factor (EF), another measurement of the dishwasher’s energy efficiency. A higher EF is better. The federal minimum EF for dishwashers is 0.46. Energy Star qualified models currently must have an EF of at least 0.65.
• Low water use. Energy Star dishwashers use about one-third less water than other dishwashers–averaging 4 gallons a cycle, compared to 6 gallons for other new dishwashers and 8 to 14 gallons for older models.

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Other Considerations

When you buy a new dishwasher, be sure to recycle your old one rather than trashing it. Dishwashers contain a lot of steel that’s recyclable. To find out where to recycle your old dishwasher, contact your city’s recycling department or go to Earth 911.

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Benefits…

to you, your wallet, and the Earth

Assuming you don’t pre-rinse the dishes, using an Energy Star dishwasher instead of hand washing will save you 5,000 gallons of water, $40 in utility bills, and 230 hours of your time-every year! If your dishwasher was manufactured before 1994, replacing it with an Energy Star model can save you more than $30 per year in utility costs and more than 1,000 gallons of water. So, if you have an older model that requires you to do some pre-washing, shop away knowing a new model can save you $70 per year and a whole lot of time!

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Common Mistakes

• Supersizing. Don’t buy a supersized dishwasher. If you don’t cook much and rarely fill up the dishwasher, consider buying a compact model (18″ instead of the standard 24″) or a dishwasher drawer–you’ll save energy and water. But if you use the dishwasher often, you’ll save energy and water with a standard-size dishwasher rather than running a compact model more frequently.
• Location. If you’re remodeling your kitchen, try not to place the dishwasher too close to the refrigerator. Dishwashers produce heat, which can make a nearby refrigerator work harder to stay cold.

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Getting Started

• Check with your local energy and water utility companies–some offer rebates for purchasing energy- and water-efficient appliances.
• The Energy Star website also provides a list of Energy Star dishwashers and their energy

Original Published in Sierra Magazine

By Bob Schildgen

Not too many years ago, natural and organic foods were smiled on as the quirks of cranks and hypochondriacs. Advertising exhorted Americans to rush their food from supermarket to belly with the least possible aggravation. Meals, whether from a just-add-water pouch or a drive-through, were meant to be convenient and fast. The slogan to promote throwaway beverage containers–”no deposit, no return”–summed it up. Not only was preparing fresh food too much hassle, but even taking an empty back to the store was also a burden to be lifted.

To learn more and get some helpful hints, watch this video from GreenEnergyTV.

Today natural foods have become so mainstream that some of us former eccentrics are feeling uncomfortably normal. Millions of people now know how their diets affect the environment and their own health. There’s even a “slow food” movement to counter industrialized farming and assembly-line products. But translating that knowledge into practice isn’t easy. If you need help changing your eating habits, here are ten inexpensive ways to put those bold ideas on the dinner table.

1. Eschew meat-centered meals

Americans consume 185 pounds of beef, pork, and poultry per capita each year. It would be better for our health and the environment to knock back fewer bacon burgers, steaks, and chicken wings. Just follow the example of Thomas Jefferson, who ate meat “as a condiment to the vegetables which constitute my principal diet.” Our third president made it to 83, a pretty good run for his period in history–especially when you consider the stress he endured because of financial problems brought on by his inept farm management. (George Washington was a much better farmer, although, ironically, he was done in by agronomic diligence: He caught a fatal case of quinsy after riding around inspecting his plantation in bad weather.)

2. Buy Organic

Organic farmers and ranchers are not allowed to use chemical poisons on their crops and livestock, and, in general, are better stewards of the land. Yes, you will end up paying more for your meals because it usually costs more to produce food organically. But if you follow the rest of the advice on this list, you should be able to reduce your costs enough to make up the difference.

However, eating organic is not a cure-all: With multinational food conglomerates moving into organics, it is sometimes preferable to buy from conventional local producers who treat their land well and whose products travel short distances to market.

3. Support Local Farmers

Small farmers–those who are left–need all the help they can get, thanks to decades of failed agricultural policy. If you’re close to one of the country’s 3,700 farmers’ markets, make it part of your shopping routine: Its suppliers don’t have to ship their products halfway across the continent or the world. If you can’t make it to the market, consider community-supported agriculture, which provides subscribers with regular deliveries of delectables from area producers. LocalHarvest has a searchable online database of CSA farms.

4. Cut Back On Process, Packaged Foods

Food packaging accounts for 30 million tons of waste annually. Much of it is for display–or contains products you’d be better off without. Microwave popcorn is a fine example. Popcorn is the result of painstaking efforts by Native corn breeders in Mexico about 6,000 years ago. (Archaeologists have found popcorn thousands of years old that still pops.) Instead of leaving well enough alone, the food industry gave us microwave popcorn in individual nonrecyclable packages that each hold a mere 3.5 ounces and cost seven times more than popcorn in jars–and deprive you of that comforting rattle of kernels exploding against the lid of a kettle.

5. Seek Green Variety

Anybody who claims vegetables are boring should visit a Mediterranean country. On Crete, where people have the longest life expectancy in the world, they eat 26 kinds of wild plants. Yet we’re stuck with 3.5 million tons a year of iceberg lettuce. It takes 36 calories of fossil-fuel energy to grow and ship 1 calorie of iceberg lettuce. “We might as well be shipping baggies of water back and forth across America,” says author Bill McKibben. For alternatives, consider easy-growing arugula, endive, chard, chicory, dandelions, mustard, collards, kale, and Italian parsley.

6. Be Picky With Fish

Fish is still a healthy choice, despite the news that the world’s fisheries are being strained and that some seafood may contain dangerous levels of mercury or dioxin. The trick is to try tasty but less popular alternatives that eat lower on the food chain, like sardines, or sustainably farmed varieties like trout. Consult the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood guide and the Sierra Club’s “Mercury Survival Guide“.  (Sierra Club Green Home Note:  You can download the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood guide right here.  Just click on your region of the country – Hawaii, West Coast, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast.  If you happen to live in the Midwest, you can also download the Right Bite Wallet Card of preferred fish provided by our partner, the Shedd Aquarium.  In addition to containing ocean fish, it also contains advice on lake fish.)

7. Shop in Style

“Paper or plastic?” How many billions of times must the country’s weary grocery clerks repeat this tiresome question? Next time you hear it, cause a stir by righteously chirping, “Neither” and whipping out your reusable cloth or string sack. And for all the fuss about bags, remember that it takes a lot more oil to drive to the grocery store than to make those bags. So, if possible, leave the car in the garage and make human-powered shopping trips part of your fitness program.

8. Make Your Own

Most of the best recipes on Earth were created by peasants who wouldn’t be able to read the directions on a modern food package. Yet I have witnessed PhDs microwaving TV dinners while complaining how complicated it must be to make what the processed-food wizards are trying to imitate. The truth is that cheap, healthy, and tasty meals, from cereals to sautés to soups, can easily be made from scratch. Individually packaged instant oatmeal, for example, costs about $3 to $4 per pound, while plain old oatmeal, sold in bulk, costs 79 cents per pound, leaving you plenty of resources to experiment with oatmeal cuisine. Try swirling your initials in maple syrup over a steaming bowl if you’re feeling adventurous and concerned about presentation.

9. Grow Your Own

Lawns surrounding 85 million U.S. residences take up almost 25 million acres. Digging up just a fraction of this real estate to grow chard, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes would be a marvelous development. You’d save money on food, and some of the millions of gallons of oil used to ship it from farm to market. Apartment dwellers take note: An amazing amount of produce can be grown in containers or window boxes, especially greens you can cut and grow back. For tips, browse university agricultural extension services online (never thought you’d be doing that in a highrise, did you?) or check out McGee & Stuckey’s Bountiful Container (Workman Publishing Company, 2002).

10. Recycle and Compost

Recycling is so old hat by now that it may seem unnecessary to harp about it. While we’re no longer flinging bottles and cans around like cavemen tossing bones, recycling still lags: Only about half of our aluminum cans are recycled, resulting in a big waste of energy and metal. Recycling is just as important with food scraps. Composting could drastically reduce the almost 500 pounds per household per year of organic matter hauled to dumps, while creating fertile soil for your vegetable garden. Best of all, it gives you the godlike joy of making something from almost nothing.

Location, location, location.

Temperatures, rainfall, soils, and altitudes vary tremendously in the United States. What grows well in the California’s dry summers and Mediterranean climate might be completely lost in Colorado’s mountains, or on the damp coastal plain of Louisiana. Even within a given area, there are microclimates. When most people think of cacti, for example, they picture Arizona or New Mexico. But some cacti are native to the upper Midwest. They’ve found a desert-like niche in dry, rocky slopes that get lots of sun.

On a website called Colorado Gardening, Sally Codgill describes the mistakes commonly made in her state: “Too often plants that require mild winters, cool summers, ample rainfall, a humid environment, or loamy, acid soil end up in gardens here. Doomed from the start, these misfits die an early death.”

Fortunately, it’s simple to avoid this kind of doom. Just get to know the plants that grow best in your area, and the microclimates of your own yard. You’ll be spared the grief of having raised a bunch of sickly plants and you’ll save time, effort, water, and fossil fuels. Next thing you know, your house will be on the garden tour.

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Top Tips

At home

• Know your climate zone. This zone information will quickly lead to the facts about what plants grow best where you live. To see which plants can survive your winters, check the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s maps. To see what plants will thrive year-round, check out Sunset magazine’s website.
• Know your neighborhood. A walk around your community will give you an idea of which plants do best.
• Talk to gardeners. Some of the best experts you’ll find are people who have gardened in your area for many years, and have learned what works and what doesn’t. If you see people working in interesting-looking yards, strike up a conversation. They may be more than eager to share their experiences. Generally, gardeners like to see things grow, including other people’s knowledge. Joining a garden club is the fastest way.
• Go native. More and more gardeners are turning to plants that have been growing wild in their area for thousands of years. These plants have learned how to survive in their homelands, and will usually require a lot less attention than species that are imported from places with totally different weather and soils.
• Try groundcovers instead of lawns. There are several hundred types of low-growing groundcovers, most of which require no mowing and need far less water and other care than grass. They are especially helpful in tough-to-mow spots. In some areas where grass won’t grow, they will thrive and add color, like a thick carpet of moss under a big shade tree.

When shopping, look for

• Healthy plants. Even if a plant is perfectly suited to your area, it might not do well if it’s not healthy. Don’t go for something on sale if it’s not in good condition.
• Younger plants. You’ll save money if you buy a smaller, younger plant rather than a larger, more mature one. And in the end you’ll have a plant that’s just as big and beautiful.

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Other Considerations

• If you really want plants that can’t make it through cold weather, consider planting them in a container and bringing it in during the cold season. This way, you can even grow semitropical fruits in the far north. If the container is heavy, put it on wheels. We even know of a fellow in New Jersey who rolled his lemon tree into the house on rails he installed for the purpose.
• Shade trees are nature’s air conditioners. Where it gets hot in the summer, plant deciduous shade trees as close to the house as is safe. In winter, after their leaves have dropped, they will let in sunlight to help warm the house. In colder areas, choose evergreens on the windiest sides of your yard.
• Fruit trees can be a beautiful addition to a garden, and low-cost source of food. But be careful to purchase trees that are right for your area.
• Garden catalog companies often have plants that you might not find at a local supplier, and they may be cheaper. But make sure the plant is right for your yard.

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Benefits…

…to you
For most of us, being surrounded by plants is a joy.

…to your wallet
Climate-appropriate plants can save tons of money on maintenance. From the grass in your lawn, to your shade trees, to the ornamentals in the front of your house, you’ll spend a lot less money on water, fertilizer, fighting bugs and weeds, and even heating and cooling costs if you make the right choices.

…to the Earth
Smart plant selection is as good for the Earth as it is for you. It minimizes fertilizer runoff and pesticide pollution. It saves water. Shade trees and wind barriers can reduce energy use. And once your garden is thriving, it can provide food and shelter for birds and butterflies whose natural habitat has been diminished by development.

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Common Mistakes

• Overwatering. For many plants, overwatering can do as much or more damage as underwatering because excess moisture suffocates the roots of the plant and can cause disease.
• Thirsty plants. Choosing plants that demand lots of water can dramatically increase your water consumption.
• Doing too much at once. You may have seen folks at a garden shop pile up cartloads of plants. They often do so without enough preparation, either in knowing the plants or in tilling the soil. It is much better to develop a garden gradually, carefully mastering small parts of it with well-worked and properly amended soil.
• Putting plants in the wrong place. Plants have different requirements for sun and water. Put a poppy in the shade or a rhododendron in the sun, and you will likely be disappointed.

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Getting Started

• Try perusing some of the wonderful books and magazines about gardening, from national publications like the venerable Organic Gardening to regional publications like Sunset, which covers the West. One good tip from such sources can be worth the cost of years of subscriptions.
• One of the best-kept landscape and gardening secrets is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service. These offices are staffed by experts with a detailed knowledge of a region, what plants will do best there, and how to take care of them. The Extension also has volunteers known as “master gardeners,” who are eager to share years of experience in landscape and gardening in specific regions.

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Related Products & Services

• Decking
• Gardening supplies
• Lawn care
• Organic seeds
• Outdoor wood furniture
• Pavement and concrete
• Pesticides

Only a few Earth Days ago, people felt there was relatively little they could do to combat climate change. But today more and more homeowners are finding their slice of energy independence by installing solar energy at home.  This Earth Day, SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive is celebrating by busting the top five myths about solar power.

Myth #1: “Solar is beyond my budget!”

Lyndon Rive: Solar has never been more affordable, and a solar roof can cut the typical household’s electric bill in half. Moreover, federal, state and city governments are offering unprecedented incentives for homeowners to go solar. Today an investment in solar typically delivers greater than 10 percent annual return over its 30-year lifetime. Now that’s a solid investment no matter what shape the economy is in!

Myth #2: “I will lose power when the sun goes down.”

Lyndon Rive: Because you’re still connected to the grid, you won’t have any problem keeping the lights on at night. A solar roof will dramatically reduce your electric bill by turning abundant sunlight into clean power during the day, when electricity rates are highest. When the sun goes down, you draw energy from the utility grid at low, night-time rates.

Myth #3: “It’s too much of a hassle.”

Lyndon Rive: Homeowners should look for an established solar installer that puts special emphasis on simplifying the process for going solar. A good solar installer will take care of all the red tape and guide you through the entire process.

Myth #4: “But these panels will look terrible on my beautiful roof!”

Lyndon Rive: Solar roofs have come a long way in both appearance and performance. The exposed steel frames and black checkerboard panels are out. These days it’s all about sleek, ultra-thin, reflective-black panels that lay flat against the roof surface.

Myth #5: “I’m only one person with one roof. How can I do anything to stop global climate change?”

Lyndon Rive: By going solar, you will be saving money while joining a broad movement fighting climate change. We estimate that over the next 15 years, each solar roof on a typical 3-bedroom home will remove approximately 82,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – equivalent to driving an average car 100,000 miles. And with the typical household saving thousands of dollars on the electric bill over the years, that’s money that can go into the bank, toward your kid’s college tuition, or toward that much-needed family vacation.

Interested in learning more about Solar?  Visit Sierra Club Green Home’s Solar Center or click to request a free home solar installation quote.

The grass isn’t always greener in your front lawn. With the growing awareness of global warming Americans are becoming increasingly ecological, and breathing new life into the term eco-friendly. Environmentally conscious consumers are finding more creative ways to go green – and now they’ve found a way to raise green turf to new heights.

A green roof is much more than, well…green. A green or vegetated roof refers to a roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium that is planted over a water proof membrane. It often includes additional layers like root barriers, drainage, and irrigation systems…OK, it’s a lawn. That’s right, a lawn that can lower your energy bill, lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce storm-water runoff, lower your stress level, and provide a habitat for surrounding wildlife.

We can give Germany credit for giving us more than just good beer and Beethoven. They also modernized green roofs, which have actually been around for centuries in Northern Scandinavia. Now, about 10% of all German roofs have been “greenified” and the trend has spread throughout Europe. Although vegetated roofs aren’t nearly as common in America as they are in Europe, it is becoming a more and more popular way for people to green their homes – literally.

Top Tips

· Choose the right roof - There are two main types of green roofs. Which you choose is dependent upon many factors such as the intended purpose of the roof, the type of building, your budget, etc.

· Intensive (garden-style) - Intensive roofs resemble gardens or parks. They are often used on flat roof-tops in large cities where park space is limited. Intensive roofs usually require about 6-24 inches of soil that is able to grow shrubs, small trees, lawns, even vegetable gardens. These garden-style rooftops may raise the bar when it comes to backyard barbeques and prove to be the lawn of the future. Consult a green roof specialist before considering installation of an intensive roof because they may require more sophisticated structural support and irrigation.

· Extensive (lawn-style) - Extensive roofs are the most common type of vegetated roof for a home because they require low to no-maintenance. An extensive green roof only requires a very thin layer of soil (1-6 inches), and can sustain many different types of grass. It is virtually self-sustaining and only requires weeding about once a year. There is usually no access to an extensive roof except for what is necessary for maintenance. That means no roof-top barbeques. Since extensive roofs support drought-resistant, shallow-rooted plants, and grass which generally grows no higher than a few inches (which means no mowing) they are ideal for homeowners looking for an easy way to save on energy consumption and make their homes more eco-friendly.

· Cost – Green roofs can cost around $10 – $15/sq. ft. for extensive green roofs and anywhere between $25 – $100/sq. ft. for intensive roofs. Of course the price depends on the geographic location, type and intent of the roof, installer, etc. A park complete with trees, walkways, and vegetable gardens is going to cost quite a bit more than a simple grass lawn. Either choice, however, will prove to be an economical and ecological benefit in the long run. Below are a few areas where a green roof can save you money.

· Maintenance – The sun can break down roofing materials over time requiring costly replacement and rebuilding. It is recommended that a conventional asphalt roof receive maintenance every 2 years, which could total up to $1,300 for a 2,500/sq. ft. roof that is about 1-5 years old (older roofs would cost more). The vegetation on a green roof acts as a barrier protecting the roof from harsh solar rays and protecting your wallet from the expense of constantly replacing worn roofing materials.

· Heating – You can save energy in cooler months with green roofs because they provide excellent insulation and retain 18% more heat than conventional roofs.

· Cooling – The temperature of a conventional roof membrane on a 95º F day can rise up to 158° F. The temperature of a green roof on the same day is about 77° F. A cooler roof means lower cooling costs in the summer.

· Structure – Because of their weight, green roofs require more demanding structural standards than regular roofs. Depending on your house, roof, and the type of vegetation you plan to install, structural reinforcements may be needed. Choose a quality service provider who will inspect your home properly before installing a green roof. Check your local listings or visit the Green Pages at www.sierraclubgreenhome.com for a list of reputable green roof installers.

…to you

· Grass, shrubbery, and flowers obviously make vegetated roofs more aesthetically pleasing; and if your home is a little bare when it comes to front yard space, a green roof is a great way to show off your gardening skills.

· Studies show that visual and physical contact with natural greenery provides both mental and physical health benefits such as: lower blood-pressure, lower heart rate, reduced stress or mental fatigue, assistance in quicker recovery from physical illness, and they provide long-term overall improvement in health. The health advantages of vegetated roofs are beginning to grow on many hospitals and health facilities, who are installing them for the benefit of recovering patients. For more information on studies regarding the health benefits of green surroundings visit http://www.naturalnews.com/025260_health_greenery_health_benefits.html.

…to your wallet

· A 2006 study by the University of Michigan comparing expected costs of conventional and green roofs revealed that, on average, installing a green roof costs about $22.10/sq. ft. versus $15.95/sq. ft. for a conventional roof. In its life, however, the green roof saves over $200,000 with two-thirds of that coming from reduced energy needs. Taking into consideration the added savings, the average cost of this topnotch turf would be about $12.57/sq. ft. – meaning you could save $3.38/sq. ft. by choosing a green roof.

…to the earth

· Green roofs are able to make much better use of rainwater than conventional roofs. A green roof can capture precipitation and influence it in 3 ways:

1) Taken up by the plants

2) Absorbed into pore spaces

3) Stored and retained by the drainage system of the roof

If the water is not absorbed by the vegetation, it is stored in other layers of the roof, and can be released back into the atmosphere rather than simply running off into a drainage system. Basically, green roofs reduce the amount of water that is wasted when it ends up in drainage systems.

· Lowering air-conditioning demand decreases the associated air pollution and greenhouse emissions. The vegetation can also remove air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions through dry deposition and carbon sequestration and storage. According to one website, a square foot of vegetation absorbs about 0.33 ounces of air pollution per year, so a mere 1,500 sq./ft. vegetated roof could absorb over 40 pounds of air pollution each year and almost 2,000 pounds in its lifetime. The impact of green roofs on large commercial buildings is obviously even greater.

· The first step to installing a green roof is contacting a roofing specialist or architect to ensure your roof is sufficiently structurally sound. Use this link to guide you in selecting the proper professional: “What to Ask Your Contractor” .

Further Reading

Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls by Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury

http://www.epa.gov/heatisland/mitigation/greenroofs.htm

http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/documents/pdf/landscape_management/tcn_airquality.pdf.