Green, Green, It’s Green They Say…………

Toronto Mulls Mandatory Green Roofs

By JOHN LORINC

Andrew Councill for The New York Times. The city of Toronto is considering making green rooftops mandatory for most new buildings.

After a high level debate about the virtues of green roofs, the Toronto city council has found itself confronting a gritty political dilemma. What works better – the carrot of financial incentives or the stick of regulation?              

Typically, local or state governments opt for the former, providing grants and tax abatements to building owners who install green roofs, which proponents say improve insulation and roof life, absorb greenhouse gases and mitigate the urban heat island effect. 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 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 sq.-ft. The measure, which is a component of  Mayor David Miller’s environmental strategy, proposes greening 30 to 60 percent of the roof area, depending on building size. Exemptions include schools, industrial structures, low- to mid-rise apartment buildings and affordable housing.

Read more in The New York Times, Toronto Mulls Mandatory Green Roofs.