Friday, March 30, 2012

Up On the Roof


I started a new job over here. It's a great opportunity to learn more about green roofs from some pretty cool people and to participate in one of the more sustainable and worthwhile things happening in the world of plants today. As an added bonus though, its also kind of fun to be working in the kinds of places that almost make you forget entirely where you are. With my head down weeding today and hand raking out plant debris, a lot of the time I forgot that I wasn't actually standing on the ground. That's a pretty good trick for a completely fabricated environment on a rooftop several stories up above street level. It's like an alternate reality.

16 comments:

sarah said...

Congrats on the new job! Sounds amazing.

Estorbo said...

Congratulations, Karen :-)

Frank said...

Sounds like a great opportunity. I looked at a bunch of those projects on the site. If the systems are capable of supporting Long term growth, I would want this over a conventional rooftop garden design with decking and planters. Curious about the trees and the depth given them and the root controls. That park slope small rooftop seems pretty fab.

Sweetgum Thursday said...

Thanks Sarah and a pretty black cat. Frank, yeah lots of interesting things to learn about and I like their site too. Can't wait to see more of their work and projects in person. I happen to think there's room for all kinds of gardens and that even more conventional decks and planters can be beneficial and maintained in more environmentally sounds ways and that people are moving in that direction, which is good. But these real green roofs projects are really exciting and wonderful. If I am just there weeding and seeing how they thrive or what the challenges are, I am happy enough to be participating in a small way.

Jen said...

That's so cool! Congratulations.

beginablarp said...

Congratulations on the new job! I met your new boss when I sold him a tired flat of annuals to test out a conveyer belt taking plants up to the new roof at BBG. I was tempted to ask if I could hop in the truck and go see, but restrained myself. Sounds like a great opportunity!

Sweetgum Thursday said...

Thanks Jen. Begina..just met my new boss too and am super curious too see that new roof at BBG too. We have a friend in common..a miss Anne over in the forest at NYBG. She just made me some tasty pork the other night and your name and Crest Hardware came up. I'll pop in some time to say hi and check out your plants.

Martha said...

Congratulations Karen!! That's fantastic!

Sweetgum Thursday said...

If this is the Carolsister I think it is, I hope springtime is looking good in Philly and that everything is better than allight with you!

Ellen Zachos said...

Congratulations, Karen! That sounds like a really interesting job. I know exactly what you mean about the alternate reality. It's one of my favorite things about this kind of work.

Sweetgum Thursday said...

Thanks Ellen. I'm pretty excited, but then again, I am pretty excitable in general. Hope you have lots of work and that upcoming book release is a big success.

Mary Martin said...

Congratulations, Karen! It’s great to see that more and more people are getting interested in green roofs. I sure hope green roofs will become even more popular in the city since they have so many environmental benefits, like the prevention of dust and particulate matter proliferation throughout the city, as well as the reduction of smog. Wouldn’t it be great if every structure built around the city had a green roof? I’m sure it’ll make a huge difference for the environment. Anyway, good luck and have fun at your new job!

Sierra Nordgren said...

First of all, congratulations on your new job! :) It does feel great to be working with amazing people, and you get to learn a lot from them. Green roofing is one of the most effective projects that should be implemented especially in urban areas. One major benefit it offers is that it captures airborne pollutants and atmospheric deposition.

Alison Mckenzie said...

Whoa! You know, even from the picture, if you hadn’t specifically said that all of that was on a rooftop, I wouldn’t have known that it isn’t on the ground! Wow! This is definitely a great way to incorporate roofing and protecting the environment. Having a garden on the roof of a building helps to clean up the air around the building, especially if the plants are very well taken care of. Congratulations on your new job! This is definitely something to, er, look up to! Haha!

Raymonde Birch said...

Wow! These roof designs will be helpful to mitigate the heat during the summer. Imagine if you’re inside one of those rooms and would wake up to a beautiful, green surrounding, wouldn’t you feel relaxed? Congratulations on your new job! How have you been doing so far?

Nelson Mcglaughlin said...

Congrats, Karen! Green roofs are a cost-effective type of roofing. For one, a green roof can cut down the storm water excess by almost 90%, depending on the design. How’s your green roof so far? =)