Mount Pleasant Town Hall Magazine

14 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.MPTownHall.com MOUNT PLEASANT Town Hall T he origin of green roofs is thought to date back thousands of years ago to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and, though they have been popular in modern Europe for many decades, they only recently have become prevalent in the United States. A green roof is a contained green space on top of a man-made structure. Growing in popularity, this eco- friendly trend has found its way to Mount Pleasant with the addition of a green roof on the section of the new Town Hall over the Council chambers. “It’s like having a giant tree or umbrella over the building,” said Michael Whitfield, owner of Green Roof Outfitters, the local company responsible for making the new Mount Pleasant Town Hall a part of green roof history. The insulation provided by green roofs can reduce the amount of energy needed to moderate the temperature of a building. Conventional roofing absorbs solar energy and passes it through the building in the form of heat. The vegetation of a green roof uses solar energy to create oxygen, rather than letting the heat make its way through the roof. The layers of a green roof also act as an extra layer of insulation. “It helps immensely with storm water retention, reduces the carbon footprint and requires minimal maintenance,” Whitfield added. An ultra-lightweight modular system, it’s designed in such a way that rain water is soaked up by the soil and plants “and is then filtered right through,” he explained. Water that isn’t absorbed by the plants runs down to the ground through drainage channels. Water runoff is significantly less than with a traditional roof, which means less flooding for the local drainage system. In addition to being energy efficient, a green roof can make your roof membrane last up to 400 percent longer. “As a normal roof heats and cools, it contracts and expands, which can lead to cracks. A green roof won’t do that. It also cuts damage from UV rays,” Whitfield said. The green roof at Town Hall will, of course, feature plants that represent the local area. Native sweetgrass, bee and butterfly plants and lower-growing vegetation along the front complete the look. Whitfield started Green Roof Outfitters in 2008. And while business is now booming nationally as more people become aware of the many benefits of installing a green roof, he traveled a long road to get to where he is today. After graduating from The Citadel, he worked as a civil and environmental engineer. While attending a “green show” in California, Whitfield was intrigued by the green roof systems he saw. “I did a lot of research, spent a year-and-a-half learning all about soil, plants and plastics and came up with my own business model,” he said. Business was slow at first. “No one wanted to be the guinea pig,” Whitfield said. “People care about being green, but they also care about money. Looking back, though, it was probably a blessing in disguise because it gave us time to learn.” A green roof for Mount Pleasant’s Town Hall provides a win-win scenario in many ways, including aesthetic improvements, storm water management, reducing the glare from the roof, improved air quality, noise reduction and, more importantly, by helping restor the Eco- Friendly The Town Hall’s Green Roof Michael Whitfield, owner of Green Roof Outfitters, with some of the plants he used for a project similar to the green roof at Mount Pleasant’s Town Hall. Photo by Brian Sherman. By Diane Pauldine