Will Toronto CA Green Their Roof Tops?
After a high-level debate about the virtues of green roofs, the Toronto, CA city council has found itself confronting an abrasive political predicament.
Typically, local or state governments opt for providing grants and tax abatements to building owners who install green roofs, which advocates say improve insulation, roof life and absorb greenhouse gases. Chicago officials often tout the fact that the city leads all other North American cities with more than 1 million square feet of installed green roofs in over than 250 locations. But the Toronto council this month got a look at a proposed green roof by-law that would make such installations mandatory on certain new developments with a gross floor area exceeding 54,000 square feet. However, schools, industrial structures, low- to mid-rise apartment buildings and affordable housing would all be immune.
If this is adopted, the city of Toronto would be the first municipality in North America with a mandatory green roof by-law, (similar requirements exist in Japan, Switzerland, Germany and France).
The council supposed to vote on the by-law this week, but the decision has been postponed for a month so the city can consult with developers, who have loudly opposed the measure, arguing that it would scare away investment due to the high cost of green roofs.
I think this is an amazing green-step forward for Canada. What do you think? Will it happen?
Related posts:
- Cruise Ship Features Gigantic Green Roof, but it Still Ain’t Eco-Friendly
- Meet the Wallflowers: 30 Green Roof and Wall Designs
- Green College Spotlight: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Eco Expectations: 14 Green Buildings of Tomorrow
- Self-Sustainable City of Green Rings to be Built in South Korea
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Consciousness, Green Living, Health, Science, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
