What's a Green Roof and How Does it Help the Environment?

A green roof replaces traditional roofing with a lightweight, living system of soil, compost, and plants. It creates a thin, green skin atop a building that gives a little something back to the world.

The plants–and the dirt and gravel that hold them–filter rainwater and some of its pollutants. The plants produce oxygen that help clean the air. A green roof reduces a building's heating and cooling costs, acting as a form of insulation. And they lessen the heat island effect, in which buildings warm up so much that they heat the surroundings.

Green Roofs help cool cities, clean the air, build habitat, and manage stormwater.

Green Roofs help cool cities, clean the air, build habitat, and manage stormwater.

Career Discovery: Landscape Architecture

Learn how a landscape architect creates a Green Roof:

 Watch »

See an animation of how landscape architects manage water

 Read »

Read a cartoon script about SUPER Sustainable Landscape Architects

 Do »

Create your own Green Roof

Our Roof Is Growing

ASLA Green Roof photoASLA Green Roof photo

This Green Roof is on the ASLA building in Washington, D.C.