apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

One of the paradoxes of the drought-prone West is how to reduce the urban heat island (a huge issue here in Phoenix, where we no longer have cool desert nights in the summer) without dramatically increasing water use for greenery (which also adds to smog in an enclosed valley -- yup, hot green vegetation makes the air quality worse on the EPA monitors).

I'm a-thinkin' that in Phoenix, we should all just live underground. It'd be much easier to stay cool, and we wouldn't need to import wood in order to build houses. And there'd be much more space for golf courses. (No, actually, I'm not kidding. We could even have a subway system.)

I absolutely love these roofs, but unfortunately they´re not a common sight anymore. However, there are companies here in Norway specializing in making new turf roofs, so maybe that´s what I´ll get when I get around to building a house. And maybe let a goat feast on the green green grass :)

Wende,

I don't know how you make it there in Phoenix with that heat. I lived there for six years and Glendale is where the majority of my immediate family still lives. Every time I visit I am reminded of why I haven't moved back. Sounds like you're coming up with some ways to make the place better. Keep it up!

I've been to that farm museum in Norway. Beautiful!

I have also been to that museum in Norway and just loved the look of those roofs. They are having problems conserving some of the older buildings due to the deterioration from the roofs. Also the home we stayed at had a small summer house, single room shed-size building with bunk beds for the children in the summer time, in the backyard that had a grass roof. I wish this type of option was available in the states.

Tell me again why they built a huge city in the middle of the desert, paved it, and then complained about the heat and lack of water?...I'm just sayin'....

Hdtex, if I knew the answer, I'd tell you. Unfortunately, this is where the job growth is, which makes it a prudent place to live until we become independently wealthy and can live off our investments in a place that doesn't require quite so much AC. I figure it's more "green" to live here than to have the husband fly in and out for his work (as many people do -- there are still more jobs than local white-collar professionals to fill them), plus I kind of like being able to find a job myself.

It is actually possible to have built it greener -- building downtown towers increased the urban heat sink in a way that sprawl hadn't. And the water wastage here is incredible.

I know Wende....for the last few years I've been called to Scottsdale on business, always in August for some reason. It always strikes me as what it must be like living permanently in a giant dry sauna.
I just moved to southern Indiana, which is much hotter than anyone would think. Here you have cornfields next to strip malls...rapid growth, with absolutely no thought to urban design...No sidewalks, saved greenspace, public transport, etc. The sprinklers run 24/7 during the latest 24 day record heatwave....Seems we all have to learn the hard way..."paved paradise...put up a parking lot"...

I've been to that museum and loved it - had a great time looking at and inside the traditional houses and buildings of Norway.

Scottsdale in August! You're definitely seeing the region at its most painful.

I used to grouse about suburban growth in California, where I grew up, but at least there was park land set aside and some restrictions on water use. I'd swear that there are basics of not-totally-ungreen urban design where standards have slid backwards over the last couple decades.

there are a whole bunch of turf covered buildings (small houses, tiny churches) in iceland, as well. they are really charming.

Wende:
I wonder if you could make a cactus "green" roof with crushed rock and/or sand? Maybe some succulents?