How will planting native plants on my school rooftop affect the carbon cycle?
Putting plants on a rooftop absorbs rainwater and thus reduces or eliminates rainwater runoff that in most places goes into a sewer instead of soaking into the ground. The plants absorbing rainwater then release moisture into the atmosphere and help keep the water cycle normal. Plants on a rooftop have the effect of insulating the roof of the building and thus reduce the need for air conditioning in summer and heat in the winter. Plants absorb some sunlight in their process of photosynthesis, so the temperature of the roof itself is greatly reduced. The City of Chicago, which has been putting plants on the roofs of city-owned buildings, found that having plants reduces the rooftop temperature by as much as 30 degrees in summer. Having more plants in an area absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and thus reduces the building’s carbon footprint. If the building is carbon-neutral, plants on the roof remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere where there is too much from other sources.
