New French law mandates green roofs on all new commercial buildings

by David Schakarov

The French government has passed a law mandating all new buildings in commercial zones to partially cover their roofs in either solar panels or plants, according to Clean Technica. 

When the mandate was first proposed by French environmental activists, the law required the roofs to be fully covered by plants. Because of compiling costs for building owners and developers, the French government revised the proposal so that roofs only need to be partially covered. 

According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are key environmental benefits to green roofs, including temperature reduction and energy efficiency, as temperatures on green roofs can be 30-40° F colder than conventional roofs lowering city-wide temperatures by up to 5° F. The EPA listed energy efficiency as a key benefit of green roofs because they can reduce building energy use by 0.7%, lowering peak electricity demand and helping consumers save $0.23 per square foot of the roof’s surface annually.

Perhaps through France’s leading example, other countries worldwide will observe the positive impact that green roofs have on France’s environment and follow suit.