reader response draft 2

The article "The Concrete Advantage" states that waterproof concrete removes the need for membrane in green rooftops. The removal of membrane from green rooftops eliminates the need for design and renewal costs, thus saving both time and resources. The article further explains that concrete green rooftops are resistant to water and wear and tear by nature. Root barriers can most likely be eliminated due to the lack of water present in concrete to reduce costs. Furthermore, faults are easily detected and rectified for concrete rooftops. The article concludes that concrete rooftops reduces cost and saves time for planners and builders, benefiting the community and proprietor in the long run and ultimately improving economic sustainability and proprietor approval. Although the excerpt mentions that the usage of concrete green roof provides an one-time monetary gain for building owners, it fails to cover the full economic benefits of concrete green roof.

Firstly, one of the main benefit of using green roof stems from its ability to save cost over its entire lifetime. According to an article by (Mia Taylor, 2015), although green roof has a higher installation cost than conventional roofs, the electrical savings generated from green roof over its entire lifetime will result in a lower overall cost when compared to conventional roof. An article by (Sarah Downey, 2007) states that green roof has the ability to insulate buildings to reduce heat energy entering the building and cool roof surfaces through the evapotranspiration process, where the transpiration of plant and evaporation of water cools the surrounding of the building.  With this in mind, concrete green roof not only provides an initial cost saving by eliminating the use of membrane, building owners can also reduces electrical cost by utilizing the insulating properties of green roof. Hence, making concrete green roof more economically viable than conventional roof.

Secondly, the usage of green roof creates employment opportunities for society. Green roof is known to last from 2 to 4 decades and throughout the lifespan of green roof, maintenance will be required to ensure the green roof functions properly to garner the potential electrical cost savings. According to an article by (Marilyn Novy, 2013), green roofs require workers and supplies for regular maintenance, thus producing jobs for people. As the maintenance and installation of green roof requires specialized skill set, knowledge and resources, there will be a demand for such resources and workers for the installation and repeated maintenance of green roof. This creates lasting jobs for the society due to the long lifespan of green roof and increases supply demand for resources from manufacturers. With this in mind, green roof not only creates long-term job opportunities for the society, the jobs created from buildings or infrastructures using green roof also boosts the economy of a country.

Lastly, green roof is an effective method in reducing flood damages. According to Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (ACB, 2018), green roof has the potential to retain up to 90% of rainwater to minimize rainwater runoff and decreases the flow-rate of rainwater. Thus, green roof provides the benefit of reducing water load in drainage systems. An article by (Ng Jun Sen, 2017) states that "Between 2000 and 2015, Singapore witnessed more than $32.4 million worth of economic damage from floods alone." With this in mind, the installation of green roofs will effectively reduce rainwater runoff and prevent drainage systems or local catchment areas from flooding, therefore providing the economic benefit of preventing hefty flood damages.

With all that being said, the economic benefits of concrete green roof goes well beyond providing monetary benefits for building owners, it also benefits the economy of the country.

References
Green Rooftops. (n.d). The Concrete Advantage. Retrieved, September 25, 2018, from http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html  
National Service Park. (n.d). Green Roof Benefits. Retrieved, September 27, 2018 from https://www.nps.gov/tps/sustainability/new-technology/green-roofs/benefits.htm
Mia, T. (2015, May 22). What a Green Roof Costs You on the Way to Saving Everything. Retrieved from: https://www.thestreet.com/story/13161050/1/what-a-green-roof-costs-you-on-the-way-to-saving-everything.html
Dowdey, S, (2007, July 11). What is a Green Roof? Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/green-rooftop1.htm
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. (n.d). Green Roofs. Retrieved, 5 October 2018 from http://www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk/green_roofs/benifits_of_green_roofs
Ng, J.S, (2017, November 9) Preventing, managing floods together. The New Paper. Retrieved from https://www.tnp.sg/news/views/preventing-managing-floods-together
Novy, M. (2013, May). Green Roofs. Retrieved from https://futureofschaumburg.wordpress.com/green-design/green-roofs/

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