Toronto Adopts Green Roof Policies?EUR??,,????'???Study Estimates City Will Save $40 Million Annually

 

Downtown Toronto with the CN (Canadian National) tower at right.

Mayor David Miller and the Toronto City Council adopting in February a comprehensive set of green roof policies called ?EUR??,,????'??Making Green Roofs Happen,?EUR??,,????'?? strategies for green roof infrastructure on new and existing buildings and recommendations for establishing pilot programs of financial incentives for privately owned green roofs.

Toronto recently commissioned a multidisciplinary green roof benefits study by Ryerson University. The researchers found that eight percent coverage of existing Toronto rooftops with extensive green roofs would generate over $300 million in initial cost savings in such areas as storm water management, combined sewer overflow reduction, building energy savings and the urban heat island reductions. Operational cost savings for the city from this level of coverage were calculated at approximately $40 million per year.