|
Half of the world’s
population is said to still use earth to build their
homes. Most homes in U.S have either wooden or metal
framing for constructing walls. The new trend is now
going green as most of the people are worried about the
after effects of global warming. One should research
enough about the green materials before purchasing and
the government will be able to tell, if a product is
green or not. Now people tend to prefer green roofing
Chicago rather than roofing from non – organic products.
Some time before getting organic or natural materials
was difficult for everyone. This is so because not
everyone maybe aware of the rising environmental issues
or may know where and how to obtain green materials. The
roofing contractor’s may sell only normal composite
shingles or asphalt composite shingles to their
customers as it is the cheapest and the easiest. These
products are guaranteed to more than 30 years.
There may be many people or products claiming it to be
green. Many companies try to market their products using
the eco – friendly label. Some critics say that the
energy used up to harvest and plow organic materials
like bamboo uses more energy than creating artificial or
non - organic materials. The idea of going green is more
controversial
The government will be able to tell if a product is 100
percent green or not. The U.S green Building Council (USGB)
is an organization with large network. The
organization’s main aim is to provide information and
education regarding the green building to people.
They are present in almost every state in U.S. They have
developed LEEDS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design), which are the nationally approved standards for
green buildings. The LEED has a range of certifications
like ordinary to platinum to which they award according
to the benchmarks met by the building.
When one wants to roof ones house using green materials,
one must look products that are natural, renewable or
that is recycled. Recycled metal, fiber cement, clay or
slate tiles, wood shake etc are few of the materials.
Few of the points to be remembered while purchasing
green materials are:
1. The recycling ability of the product should be looked
upon. It is good if it already is a recycled material.
2. Avoiding zinc and copper coated roofing materials may
wash down into the water and can cause problems to the
inhabitants of the water body.
3. One can make sure that it is durable and still made
from non - toxic materials.
4. If one lives in a hot climate using light colors and
high reflectivity for the roofing materials, is the best
option to cool the inside temperature.
Some companies recover used and older timber to make the
roofing and support structure of the buildings. Instead
of cutting down new trees, using the old sturdy wood may
make considerable efforts for controlling pollution.
There are many materials in which we can achieve a green
building. One may even tend to buy green colored
shingles or tiles, in order to go green, but it would
not be original. True green is a possibility, which is
called a living green. It is flat or low slope roof
covered with grass or plants on top. They also consist
of growing medium and waterproof membrane. They are a
very expensive to maintain.
The advantages of a living roof are:
1. The vegetation on top absorbs the water and prevents
water damage.
2. It makes a perfect insulation for the house.
3. It reduces the heat inside the house.
John Manville’s JMCleanBond fire resistant roofing
membrane does not use solvent based adhesive or heat in
installation. It is guaranteed with 100 percent weather
protection. This is ideal for occupied building where
installations could be done easy without worry.
All this would help to reduce the usage of air
conditioners and then in return reduce the consumption
of electricity. Helping to preserve the natural
resources is the ideal thing to do. Depletion of natural
resources with global warming causes innumerable
problems to humans, animals and plants. Effort from one
person would definitely reduce the damage to a large
extent. Chicago roofing contractor’s and government
officials are taking immense effort in anti – pollution
and energy conversing matters.
|