Earth Our Only Home, Inc.
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IN THE NEWS!
Recently, Karen Weber has been cited in two articles regarding green roofs. One that
was published by Christian Science Monitor about the new interest in residential green
roofs and the other regarding Boston City Hall in ArchitectureBoston, September 2007
issue. Here are two excerpts. Click on the titles to read the full articles. Karen wrote
an article that appeared in the JP Gazette in September 2007. See below for the
reference.
Green roofs start to sprout on urban homes:
Low-maintenance sedum cuts energy costs as well as greenhouse gases. Roofs are costly, though.
By Caitlin Carpenter | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the October 31, 2007 edition
:
Karen Weber, founder of the green-roof promoting organization, Earth Our Only Home,
says there are numerous benefits to green roofs:
•Energy savings of 10 to 60 percent, as the greenery acts as another layer of insulation
from heat loss in winter and cooling loss in summer. [Misquoted: green roofs do not
'insulate', rather, they help to prevent heat loss in winter and maintain a cooler building in
the summer.]
•Less noise (extra layers of plants and drainage materials act as insulators) and less
greenhouse gas (like any green plants, those on a roof absorb carbon dioxide and give
off oxygen).
•Doesn't trap heat from the sun the way conventional roofs do. Conventional roofs can
overheat entire cities.
•Attracts pollinators like honeybees and bumblebees, which are often scarce in urban
areas.
•Doubles or triples the life of the underlying roof.
Re-Imagining City Hall: Concrete Dreams
ArchitectureBoston, September/October 2007, Vol. 10 No. 5, pp.40-43
By John King
When it opened in 1968, Boston City Hall symbolized the New Boston — an aged
metropolis reinventing itself in forceful and unapologetic ways. Now there’s a chance to
make the structure the symbol of a cultural shift equally profound. It can symbolize
another new Boston, a green Boston — becoming a showcase unlike any in the world. A
re-imagined City Hall can pay tribute to the city’s resilient ingenuity while showing how
architectural icons of the past can benefit from today’s emphasis on ecological concerns
and sustainable design...
There could be more distinctive gestures as well, such as placing a skylight atop the
central atrium as part of a larger retooling of the building’s air circulation system. The
building could also go the increasingly popular “green roof” route, with a water-
conserving landscape. “The way all the buildings and skyscrapers come around it, City
Hall would be such an ideal place to have an extraordinary green roof,” says Karen
Weber, a green-design consultant whose firm Earth Our Only Home has proposed
making City Hall the subject of an international sustainable-design competition.
Green Roofs Are Coming
by Karen L. Weber / JP Gazette / September 7, 2007
Imagine rooftops covered in plants and flowers, softened and beautified by nature.
Imagine clean air; reduced energy needs; no more peak demand during hot spells.
Recently, Karen Weber has been cited in two articles regarding green roofs. One that
was published by Christian Science Monitor about the new interest in residential green
roofs and the other regarding Boston City Hall in ArchitectureBoston, September 2007
issue. Here are two excerpts. Click on the titles to read the full articles. Karen wrote
an article that appeared in the JP Gazette in September 2007. See below for the
reference.
Green roofs start to sprout on urban homes:
Low-maintenance sedum cuts energy costs as well as greenhouse gases. Roofs are costly, though.
By Caitlin Carpenter | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the October 31, 2007 edition
:
Karen Weber, founder of the green-roof promoting organization, Earth Our Only Home,
says there are numerous benefits to green roofs:
•Energy savings of 10 to 60 percent, as the greenery acts as another layer of insulation
from heat loss in winter and cooling loss in summer. [Misquoted: green roofs do not
'insulate', rather, they help to prevent heat loss in winter and maintain a cooler building in
the summer.]
•Less noise (extra layers of plants and drainage materials act as insulators) and less
greenhouse gas (like any green plants, those on a roof absorb carbon dioxide and give
off oxygen).
•Doesn't trap heat from the sun the way conventional roofs do. Conventional roofs can
overheat entire cities.
•Attracts pollinators like honeybees and bumblebees, which are often scarce in urban
areas.
•Doubles or triples the life of the underlying roof.
Re-Imagining City Hall: Concrete Dreams
ArchitectureBoston, September/October 2007, Vol. 10 No. 5, pp.40-43
By John King
When it opened in 1968, Boston City Hall symbolized the New Boston — an aged
metropolis reinventing itself in forceful and unapologetic ways. Now there’s a chance to
make the structure the symbol of a cultural shift equally profound. It can symbolize
another new Boston, a green Boston — becoming a showcase unlike any in the world. A
re-imagined City Hall can pay tribute to the city’s resilient ingenuity while showing how
architectural icons of the past can benefit from today’s emphasis on ecological concerns
and sustainable design...
There could be more distinctive gestures as well, such as placing a skylight atop the
central atrium as part of a larger retooling of the building’s air circulation system. The
building could also go the increasingly popular “green roof” route, with a water-
conserving landscape. “The way all the buildings and skyscrapers come around it, City
Hall would be such an ideal place to have an extraordinary green roof,” says Karen
Weber, a green-design consultant whose firm Earth Our Only Home has proposed
making City Hall the subject of an international sustainable-design competition.
Green Roofs Are Coming
by Karen L. Weber / JP Gazette / September 7, 2007
Imagine rooftops covered in plants and flowers, softened and beautified by nature.
Imagine clean air; reduced energy needs; no more peak demand during hot spells.
Photo courtesy
of Roofscapes,
Inc.
of Roofscapes,
Inc.
Rooftop garden: Karen Weber of
Boston looks over sedum in a display.
Tony Azios, photographer
Boston looks over sedum in a display.
Tony Azios, photographer
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