In this highly technological world, it is important to keep up with the times and understand that technology definitely has it's place. But it is also important to stay connected with nature - stay connected to the simpler things. It's good for your health and your mind - in a scientifically measurable way! Dr Alan C. Logan, a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and an invited faculty member at Harvard's School of Continuing Medical Education, and book author, states that "sophisticated brain-imaging techniques show that when healthy adults view nature scenes rich in vegetation, areas of the brain associated with emotional stability, empathy, and love are more active. These same pathways are activated when a person looks at pictures of a loved one. In contrast, viewing scenes of the built urban environment produced a significant increase in activity of the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with fear and stress. These findings support previous investigations showing that nature scenes can enhance brain-wave activity in ways that are similar to the benefits of meditation". This is interesting stuff!

Back to my 'journey' - I had somewhat of an epiphany and decided my path had to change. I began looking into various school programs in the area that covered the subject of environmental protection and restoration. I found a program at my local college called 'Ecosystem Restoration'. I read the course descriptions and was convinced. Not to be cheesy again, but this year-long course was a life-changing experience. I believe I learned more in this one year college course than in my 4 years of University.

The information I learned throughout my time in college was both shocking and eye-opening. The state of the natural world was in worse shape than I even suspected, but this only motivated me more to do something about it. And there are so many positives among the negatives! People have started realising how imperative it is to protect the environment, live a sustainable lifestyle and have less of an ecological footprint. There are new technologies being developed constantly to meet this goal, and some of them are very intriguing. This is where I first learned about green roofing.

I have to admit that at this point in my life I had never heard of green roofing before! Plants on a roof? Is this something people really DO?! And that's often the type of reaction I get from people when I explain what a green roof is.

"What?! Why would I want grass on my roof?! I already have enough lawn to cut!"

Then I have to explain to them how green roofs really work. Often they are very low maintenance. Usually plants such as sedum, wildflowers, and grasses are used - and I don't mean the type you find on your lawn! Green roofs are made to model after the natural environment. They are made to hold stormwater, therefore putting less strain on the sewage systems. They provide habitat for animals, birds and insects. Green roofs filter out pollutants from the air, and can even help you save money on energy bills! The benefits of green roofing are huge - and the subject of green roofing in general is something you could just keep learning and learning about.

And that's what I'll be doing on this blog - writing about what I've learned about green roofs and what I will continue to learn. I'll take you through some of the projects we've done and also take you through the projects as we do them! It'll be like you're a fly on the wall, watching our construction projects come together - seeing our challenges and how we overcome them with each green roof or eco-friendly landscaping project we install.