Sustainability- Wind vs.Green Roofs

Wind Energy: Wind energy comes from the sun, the sun's heat rays heat our planet with very unequal distribution of heat all over the planet. Wind is created when warm air rises and cool air descends, wind is essentially the constant movement of this air.
In Canada we have more wind than we could ever possibly need, and the best part about this energy source... it's free! We have such a big landscape and three coastlines touching our land (and we all know it's windier at the coasts!) we have plains, and mountains and everything adds to the endless supply of wind. Currently wind power powers over 1million Canadian homes, impressive!


Green roofs: Having a green roof has so many benefits. To name a few, they help manage storm water because the plants need water to grow. So rather than puddling up on roofs, or causing stress for the sewer systems, the planets take care of extra water. During hot months, the plants reduce the cities heat, and cool the air. While bringing down the heat, they can also help manage the greenhouse gases and help to prevent smog, which brings us to how green roofs also help with air quality. The plants can capture airborne pollutants and atmospheric deposition, as well as filtering noxious gases. These are only some of the benefits of having a green roof, the most obvious one is that they look nice and provide a nice garden space in the middle of a busy city.


Which is better?: In my opinion I would have to say that wind energy is a better sustainable resource. The reason for that is because wind is a constant, natural thing. And there are places in the world, such as Denmark that already get 20% of all their energy needs from the wind, with plans to have the percentage keep growing. Although the wind turbines do cost a bit of money to install, (anywhere from 22,000 to 2million, depending) they definitely make enough power to cover the initial cost. Especially in canada where our environment provides the perfect breeding grounds for a very windy atmosphere.
Green roofs may look nice, and have a lot of benefits, but the upkeep, and growing of the plants costs a lot, and takes a lot of time and maintenance. If you will, a green roof requires a lot of TLC. I know this from person experience... at my old elementary school we spent nearly 3 years raising money for our green roof, and after installation, it almost seemed as if it was a waste, we never got to go out onto it, and it was such a small portion of the roof that was covered, where we really receiving any benefits? (to be fair, the classes located underneath the green roof, often claimed it was warmer in their rooms in the winter months...but who really knows) Now if we had fund raised and installed a wind turbine, that would have really been something. our entire school could have run off of wind, leaving much more money in the budget for things we really needed, such as new computers, and better books.

In conclusion, out of these two sustainable resources, the answer seems to be blowing in the wind.