Green roofs and solar roofs constitute two exciting roofing options for environmentally conscious building and homeowners. But which option is better for you, given your budget, your building’s structure and aesthetic, and your long term plans with respect to the property? Here are some things to consider:

Advantages of Green Roofs

Green roofs, which consist of a waterproofing barrier, a medium for plants to grow in, and the living plants themselves, are excellent insulators. Buildings with green roofs need less energy for heating in the winter and for cooling in the summer.

Green roofs attract birds and butterflies. On larger buildings the flat roofs may be used as public parks, which are wonderful additions to city life.

Advantages of Solar Roofs

In the Bay Area, solar roofs are becoming increasingly popular, which means consumers can now obtain better technology for cheaper.
Solar roofs are less expensive to install and maintain than green roofs. After a solar roof is installed, it requires little maintenance. A green roof, by contrast, requires roof leak repair and the corresponding investment of time and/or money.

Solar roof owners generally do not have to worry about leaking and mold, like green roofs owners often do. On the other hand, a properly installed green roof will reduce the likelihood that you will need a roof leak repair in the future.

Still having trouble weighing the pros and cons of solar roofing?

A little research can go a long way to ensure the utility and profitability of your solar investment. Encourage open communication with your solar provider, and call our experienced, reputable Bay Area solar solution team at (888) 233-7548 today for a free consultation.
Connect with the Century Roof and Solar team to explore your options and compare and contrast solutions.

Dozens? Hundreds?

Like most Bay Area residents, you have a soft spot for “environmental concerns.” You want to do what you can to heal the planet – or at least to prevent it from enduring more harm than necessary, during your short tenure here. But you also have your own needs and concerns. In an ideal world, you would like to reduce your footprint without committing much energy, time, or thought. Here’s one genius idea to that end: consider switching over to “BYOB” grocery bags.

You don’t need to shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s to enjoy rich benefits for both yourself and for the environment, from this alternative “bag bringing paradigm.”

Consider these jaw-dropping statistics. According to independent analyses, 2,000 lbs worth of plastic bags saved is the equivalent of saving 11 whole barrels of oil. If you shop once a week – just for yourself – over the course of 10 years, you’ll save around 2,000 bags, reducing the stress on San Francisco Bay Area landfills and also substantially reducing plastic consumption. Even better, you will protect at risk ecosystems from getting suffocated by your discarded plastic bags.

San Francisco on Oct 1st 2012 extended its ban on plastic bags in major grocery stores and pharmacies to restaurants and smaller merchants. 

The ordinance expands a 2007 law, the first of its kind in the nation, that banned non-compostable plastic bags at large supermarkets and pharmacies. When the new prohibition goes into effect on October 1, it will extend to all retail stores and finally to all restaurants in the city starting next summer. – Huffington Post

You need not “give up” all your plastic bags. Indeed, if you recycle some bags – or give them second or third uses – you’ll reduce your footprint and eliminate pesky housework. For instance:

• If you own a cat or a dog, use leftover bags for litter or pooper-scooper duty;
• Keep a few plastic bags in your car to collect the nasty flotsam and jetsam that accumulates (e.g. discarded parking tickets, random flyers left on your windshield, gum wrappers, et cetera);
• If you really want to get creative, repurpose old plastic bags as Halloween costumes or as makeshift shoes when you paint the deck (or better, send your husband to do the job!).

Changing a Habit – Only Takes 21 Days

The so-called “success literature” tells us that adopting new habits can feel foreign and weird at first. But over time, new habits fade become second nature. You probably don’t think too much about the need to brush your teeth every night – you just do it automatically. Once you make the switch to bringing your own bags to the grocery store, after about few weeks, the change becomes permanent and you will never need to think about it again.

If you’re looking for even greater leverage – to improve the energy efficiency and “greenness” of your home or condo in the Bay Area – get in touch with the team here at Century Roof & Solar. Call us today for a free consultation. OR Call 510-780-9489

Solar Roofing Installations | Bay Area Gutters | East Bay Roofing 

Image source: http://quite-rightly.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-lead-warning-green-reusable-grocery.html

Image source2: http://greencotton.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/plastic-bags-minimizing-the-damage/

Rather than give you a boring list of “ways to conserve” that you can find a million other places on the internet, we thought it might be interesting to turn the tables a bit.

To that end, here three surefire ways to waste our most precious natural resource:

1. Gush excess water on your lawn or garden.

NASA statistics suggest that each American, on average, dumps 200 gallons of H2O on our properties and gardens every single day. To waste even more water, cut your grass really short, water lawns during the hot afternoon hours so that more water will evaporate, and aim your sprinkler system haphazardly, so the water hits walls or pavement and thus evaporates.

2. Use and abuse your pool.

Pools are notorious water wasters. So, rather than use a sprinkler system – or a community pool – to enjoy summer water play, buy your own pool. Be sure to leave the top off, when it’s not in use, so that the maximum amount of water can evaporate. Also, be sure to change the water more frequently than the manufacturer recommends.

3. Crank up your home water consumption.

There are countless ways to waste water in your home. You can take extra long showers every morning and run your dishwasher when you only have few dishes or plates inside. Ignore your water bill and refuse to look for inefficiencies that you can easily correct… and that could save you tens of dollars a month in utility costs just for a few minutes of work.

Of course, this article is meant to be facetious. We really do want you to conserve water – not only to protect the environment here in and around the Bay Area but also to save you money.

Fortunately, “going green” — being a conservationist — does not mean that you have to pay more or do anything extravagant. Century Roof and Solar is the premier solar solution provider for the Bay Area. We can help you go green, handle construction and roofing needs, and answer any of your questions about going solar.

Find out more about us online at www.centuryroofandsolar.com or contact us toll free at (888) 233-7548

Image credit: ehow.com

1. Walk and bike more. Yes, it’s fun to drive. And yes, if you live in the Bay Area, it could be difficult to get everywhere you want to go on foot or via bike or public transportation. But it’s less hard than you think to toss the car key; as a side benefit, you’ll be able to connect with your local community more.

2. Spend less time talking about “going green” and more time doing it. Every time you speak, you exhale a non-negligible quantity of carbon dioxide into the air. Save your breath… and save the planet.

3. Bedeck yourselves with pine needles. (Okay, maybe that’s taking “go green” a bit too literally.)

4. Educate yourself about going green. Adopting thoughtless, supposedly “environmentally conscious” measures that are not necessarily grounded in science won’t help the earth. It will just feed your ego. The “green” actions you take should be useful for the planet.

5. Connect with other “green enthusiasts” for ideas. You will get more ideas from your environmentally conscious friends and family members than you will from any website or top 10 list.

7. Be mindful of your water usage.

8. Monitor your energy consumption. Some studies suggest that homeowners who pay attention to how much energy they use – who have a monitor that allows them to actually see their consumption habits – subconsciously reduce their energy consumption significantly.

9. Inflate your tires. Poor tire maintenance can not only lead to serious car crashes, but it also leads to fuel efficiency problems.

10. Go solar! It’s easier, cheaper, and more fun to go solar than ever before. The trusted professionals at Century Roof & Solar will help you develop and execute a powerful solar solution. We’re one of the Bay Area’s most-respected roofing contractors.

Find out more about our solar installation capabilities at www.centuryroofandsolar.com, or call us for assistance now at (510) 780-9489.

 #ThinkGreenGoGreen

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But while the world has advanced in countlessly diverse ways since the energy crisis of the 70s, the US-Soviet rivalry of the 80s, the roaring 90s and the boondoggle oughts, solar power has yet to have its day in the sun. We’ve been hearing promises of a Solar Revolution since the 1970s (and even before that), but the technology, systems, and processes simply have not aligned effectively with the marketplace.

“Solar power is key to San Francisco’s future…”

San Francisco, with a 72% recycling rate and a goal of zero waste to landfill by 2020, is being called one of the ‘greenest cities’ in the U.S. Jared Blumenfeld, director of the department of the environment talks about some of the projects, including an interactive map that helps users understand their carbon footprint and a solar mashup that enables citizens to price out the cost of installing solar on building rooftops.

San Francisco Solar Facts:

PV systems installed: 2,043
Total CEC-AC capacity: 9.2 MW
Estimated Energy produced: 13,437 MWh/yr
Estimated Annual savings: $2,213,611
Estimated Annual CO2 reduction: 4,036 tonnes

Would you like to save money on your energy bill and erase your carbon foot print?

Talk to the SF Bay Area’s leading PV solar system contractors Century Roof and Solar. 888-233-7548

Original post/video from: http://www.smartplanet.com

Facts from: http://sf.solarmap.org