'Green' Japanese Rooftops

Yet another great development from the land of the rising sun.

On August 25, Toyota Roof Garden (a subsidiary of the Toyota
Motor Corporation) began taking orders for its TM9 turf mats,
modular grass tiles developed specifically for converting rooftops
into fields of green. In addition to providing an extra layer of
thermal insulation to a building, a grassy rooftop can also be
used as a putting green, says the company.

The mats also include space for water tubes that can be used
as an automated irrigation system. Water flows through the
tubes into a series of channels beneath the grass, providing
an even supply of moisture to the roots. Each square meter
(10 sq.ft.) needs 17 liters (4.5 gallons) of water every 3 days.

Green rooftops provides thermal insulation for buildings and
can help combat the urban heat island effect.
The annual Japanese market for rooftop and wall gardening
products is expected to grow to between 10 and 15 billion yen
(US$90 to 130 million) in the near future.


SOURCE:
Pink Tentacle

This is definately something I never nthought of.
I'd definately buy this for my roof.

Something they did'nt mention in the article, that I thought of,
is that this is a great way to help fight the efects of green house
gas pollution,by having all those roofs covered in plants that help
to remove to clean the atmosphere, it could definately help fight
against green house gases in the atmosphere.


Comments, Opinions?

Is it just me, or have Japanese been growing plants on their roof for centuries?

Apparently during WW2 the green roofs prevented a lot of buildings from being blown up as they blended perfectly into the surrounding terrain from a birds eye view.

This is merely an attempt to commercialize that, and it will probably work. I'd be happy to buy some of these for my roof. I'd be helping the environment, decreasing my energy bills, and making my house look nicer.
Plus, if I ever take up golf, I would have a putting green that is on a 30 degree angle!

Is it just me, or have Japanese been growing plants on
their roof for centuries?

Well, I 'm not quite sure, my knowledge of Japanese history is'nt
exactly at the level I wish it was at.
What I have seen though, I don't think so, some plants may have
naturally started growing though.
But I may be wrong.