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Kianna Mateen

Dr. Andrew Cavin

Political Science 1010

30 March 2017

Policy Paper: Green Roof Implementations for Quality Air

Air pollution is a major environmental hindrance that has been progressively aiming

towards improvement by the successful implementations of green roofs within urban areas. It has

been examined that impurities in urban areas are at least two to eight times higher than the

pollutant guideline levels presented by the World Health Organization (Davis 1). This means that

citizens living in cities are exposed to these extreme levels for essentially their entire lives. This

is a severe problem that Detroit residents face being that the city annually receives an estimate of

one-hundred and seventy-three death reports created by these harmful impacts of air pollution

(Mack). These contaminants are made up of several toxins that have proven to be harmful when

endured in large amounts. In scientific terms, these air secretions are made up of emissions such

as ozone O3, sulfur dioxide SO2, nitrogen dioxide NO2, and particulate matter PM10 (Yang 7268).

These chemicals have increasingly compromised city air quality ever since the world has

transitioned into being focused on industrial innovation opposed to natural simplicity. This

increased form of modernism created advancements in technology which created a need for

specific pollutants that assists in the enhancement of certain innovations. For example, the

creation of factories and use of automobiles continues to emit harmful chemicals into the air. In

addition to these harmful emissions, these advancements brought more jobs and cars to the city
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which preserves the problem. Therefore, these sources of pollution began to be concentrated in

predominately urban areas opposed to an even distribution throughout land.

This concentration of toxins does not help when examining the high populations within

cities. As a result, many people are affected by being exposed to these harmful pollutants on a

regular basis. Once subjected to these pollutants, it can either cause exposure-based indicators

that correlate certain pollutants to health complications or outcome-indicators that assess health

problems after environmental conditions without the knowledge of the source (Davis 2). These

indicators are something that the residents of Detroits industrial suburb, River Rouge, have

regularly encountered. Most residents residing in this area, experience chronic health

complications from exposure to the pollutants, such as asthma and lung diseases (Schlanger).

These problems seem to be fairly new to the human species therefore there is not enough

research done on the long-term effects that these pollutants can cause. However, from the various

discovered health associations with being exposed to these toxins it is obvious that this is a

problem that needs to be taken very seriously before it causes a deadly epidemic.

There is a myriad of spheres that have acted to address this severe problem of air

pollution. The most significant effort in addressing this major problem of air pollution was taken

by the governmental sphere with the implementation of national regulations managed and

created by the EPA also known as the Environmental Protection Agency. This form of action

helps advocate the seriousness of air pollution because it was created by a structure that

institutionalizes authority to majority of society. As a result, more spheres seem to be open to

addressing this problem such as businesses in the market sphere who make the conscious effort

to become more eco-friendly in order to advance environmental efforts. There has also been

discussion about implementing a carbon tax for polluting factories but there has been much
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debate about if it would harm the economy more than assist the environment (Dotson and

Bovarnick 1). By these two major spheres acknowledging the problem, the family sphere seems

to observe the matter more seriously. This resulted in a sufficient amount of families

participating in both home and civic efforts such as volunteering at environmental non-profits.

One particular effort that seems to be successfully decreasing the problem of air pollution

are green roof incentives within the civic sphere. Friedrich Stowasser, an Austrian architect, saw

the importance of nature and its need of being both preserved and protected by humans so he was

one of the first people to propose the creation of green roofs (Radosavljevic 135). The overall

goal of a green roof is to restore the vegetation that was destroyed, by the construction of

buildings, within the city by entailing plants that emit positive discharges back into the air (Rowe

2100). This in turn combats the pollutants already within the air. Also, it has also been conveyed

that green roofs harvest a yearly benefit of $0.45-$1.70 per m 2 regarding the uptake of nitrogen

oxides (Rowe 2106). Therefore, harsh chemicals are being diminished as well as progression

within the economy. Green roofs also are arguably more beneficial that the typical concrete roof

because they have an extended life longevity (Garrison). These innovative roofs also offset many

air contaminants, improve water quality, reduce water runoff, sequester carbon, and potentially

increases urban biodiversity (Rowe 2100).

Primarily, this effective incentive is implemented and supported by the civic efforts such

as the not-for-profits Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and D.C. Greenworks. In Detroits

northeastern neighbor, Toronto, their governmental sphere turned this initiative into the Green

Roof Bylaw Policy which requires green roofs for all newly developed buildings that roofs

exceed 2000m2 (Berardi 217). Eco-friendly businesses in the market sphere have also began to

add this initiative to their business in hopes of expanding their brand. After observing these facts
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it is apparent that the addition of green roofs have the potential to improve the nations overall air

quality if successfully implemented in each city as done with the organizations mentioned.

Structural barriers that the implementation of green roofs will continue to have to

overcome can be seen within all of the spheres of action. Regarding the market sphere, the green

roof initiative will have to encounter hesitation from businesses to agree upon installation and

cost maintenance. However some businesses within the market sphere also supports this

incentive within urban areas such as Detroit and Chicago. Specifically, there are companies that

offer the installation of green roofs such as Schena Roofing located just outside of Detroit

(Certified Green). Another structural barrier that this method seems to cross would be the

barrier of tradition in the sense that green roofs tend to navigate away from the usual appearance

of a roof. However, this agency-based initiative is quickly becoming supported by structural

forces after the analysis of the benefits towards air quality progression.

Regardless of these barriers, based on these astonishing benefits that these implemented

practices seem to create, it is arguably justifiable to support this form of policy as a success.

However, one could argue that this solution does not address the root causes of air pollution but

instead perpetuates the problem by simply masking and avoiding the underlying causes of

polluting air emissions. To address these concerns one could look at the fact that it was recorded

that in just under a year, green roofs in Chicago decreased polluted air emissions by 19.8 ha with

a future prediction rate of removal by 2,388 kg (Yang 7269). To provide reference, one hectare

(ha) is equal to ten-thousand square meters (m 2) and 2,388 kg are equivalent to 5,264 pounds.

These results display a sufficient amount of evidence that garden roofs does not simply regulate

or perpetuate the problem, instead this initiative creates factual and physical improvement of city

air.
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Distribution of this policy is one other thing that can be argued to count this civic policy

as a failure. One may be skeptical about how this policy can be such a success if they may not

have heard much about green roofs being implemented in Detroit. However, the Ford Motor

company also joined in this initiative by building a green roof on top of their River-Rouge

factory. The factorys roof contain sedum plants that absorbs and cleans the water produced by

snow and rain, as well as disperse oxygen while absorbing carbon (Ford Overhauls). As

previously discussed, this area is one of the most impacted locations in the Detroit area and it is

encouraging that action is being taken with the use of this successful technique. Furthermore,

although there are not an abundance of green roofs in the Detroit area, there have been several

successfully implemented in similarly structured cities like Chicago, Toronto, and New York.

Therefore, it can be determined that the implementation of green roofs is a successful

policy to use within the spheres of action. Mainly due to the fact that this tactic results in

evidence-based resolution to the problem of air pollution. The main source of evidence being

observed in the green roofs removal of the disbursed pollutants. In addition to several the

substantial amount of support given to the green roofs by businesses and organizations such as

Ford, Schena Roofing, and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

I have come to the conclusion that my group should learn from this civic proposition and

expand this knowledge into our solution. Perhaps this participatory mindset from communities to

create non-profit organizations surrounding this incentive could be even more intensified if the

public were better informed about the severity of environmental pollution. This can further

enhance the idea of our solution which could include a good portion of the civic sphere that

would avoid timely process such as getting policies approved via the governmental sphere.

Another notion that my group can take from this form of policy is that it displays physical
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implementation. This also helps address the severity of the problem directly opposed to an

indirect approach that would potentially waste time.

This policy could also be even more successful if it became implemented by the

government in addition to the civic sphere. This is mainly because there would be even more

research done to investigate the strategic placing of these gardens so that they would avoid harm

from the problem that they aim to resolve. Also, these tactics would then be paired with other

authoritatively enforced ways of addressing the roots of air pollutants such as toxic emissions.

Therefore, if more spheres of action continue to join in partaking this incentive, this solution

could potentially be the most dynamically influenced policy given by the civic sphere. As a

result, I believe that in order to ensure that the implementation of green roofs continues in a

successful path, communities would have to get more involved to enhance advocacy and

executional support.
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Works Cited
Berardi, Umberto. "The Outdoor Microclimate Benefits and Energy Saving Resulting from
Green Roofs Retrofits." Energy & Buildings, vol. 121, 2016, pp. 217-229,
doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.03.021.
Certified Green Roofing in Detroit. Schena Roofing, www.schenaroofing.com/specialty
/commercial-green-roofing-detroit/. Accessed Mar. 2017.
Davis, Devra, et al. Urban Air Pollution Risks to Children: A Global Environmental Health
Indicator. World Resources Institute, 1999, pp.1-20.
Dotson, Greg, and Ben Bovarnick. Carbon Pricing in a Fiscal Context. Center for American
Progress, 29 June 2016, pp. 1-7.
Ford Overhauls Historic Factory to be Green. NBS News, 27 Apr. 2004,
www.nbcnews.com/id/4843708/ns/us_news-environment/t/ford-overhauls-historic-
factory-be-green. Accessed Mar. 2017
Garrison, Noah. White Roofs vs. Green Roofs: Recent Reports Declaring a Victor Overlook
That Both Are Wins for the Environment. Huffington Post, 07 May 2014, www.huff
ingtonpost.com /noah-garrison/white-roofs-vs-green-roof_b_4914772.html. Accessed
Mar. 2017.
Radosavljevic, Jasmina, et al. "Green Roofs." Acta Technica Corviniensis - Bulletin of
Engineering, vol. 10, no. 1, 2017, pp. 135-138.
Rowe, D. B. "Green Roofs as a Means of Pollution Abatement." Environmental Pollution, vol.
159, no. 8, 2011, pp. 2100-2110, doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2010.10.029.
Schlanger, Zo. Choking to Death in Detroit: Flint Isn't Michigan's Only Disaster. Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2016, www.newsweek.com/2016/04/08/michigan-air-pollution-poison-
southwest-detroit-441914.html. Accessed Mar. 2017.
Mack, Julie. Air pollution causes 275 deaths in Michigan a year, report estimates. Mlive, 08
Sep. 2016, www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08/air_pollution_causes_275_death.
Accessed Mar. 2017.
Yang, Jun, Qian Yu, and Peng Gong. "Quantifying Air Pollution Removal by Green Roofs in
Chicago." Atmospheric Environment, vol. 42, no. 31, 2008, pp. 7266-7273,
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doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.07.003.