Spring Valley has a singular climate and beautiful landscapes that make it a perfect place to adopt truly sustainable roofing solutions. The area now has an increasing number of eco-friendly roofs, human-made features atop one’s home that—when built, almost exclusively, with the right kind of materials—greatly reduce energy use and, in the long run, pay for themselves. Not everyone can afford to put down that payment on a new roof, obviously, but the leading edges of this kind of construction have done the math and come up with the number—and with a way to use some of spring’s abundant sunshine to pay for that number.
Another choice that individuals can make to increase the sustainability of their property is to install a green roof. A green roof has a layer of vegetation that is planted over a waterproofing system. In some cases, the bottom layer of the green roof might consist of sedum, a drought-resistant succulent plant. That bottom layer is planted in modular trays. Trays make it easier to build and to maintain green roofs. Of course, in "living roofs," the plants aren't really "living" in the same sense as great blue herons at the top of a local ecosystem. But the plants exist in an ecosystem that's pretty healthy—one in the full sunshine of the roof, where they can tolerate wind, and mostly rain (since they absorb most of the rainfall).
For those dedicated to sustainable practices, the use of reclaimed and recycled materials presents an opportunity to forge new paths. When materials like wood or rubber are harvested from buildings destined for the demolition derby (so to speak), they're not just going into the landfill—that's a win right there! Plus, when we utilize such materials that have already seen a previous life, we're also not consuming energy and materials necessary to produce new things. The choice seems clear, then: If you're really committed to sustainability in your building practices, as the folks at Spring Valley are, using reclaimed and recycled materials is a no-brainer.
