[Hi Prof Jorge! I am sending another NU12 #3 because my original post about Smokon' disappeared from the blog. I hope this one passes. Thank you!]
I've been coughing my lungs out for almost a week now. I tried to get my father to allow me to bring the car to school because I did not want to expose my sick self to the pollution that surrounds Metro Manila. It's enough that I am already like a car exhaust. I do not need to inhale the smoke coming from buses and jeepneys and other vehicles.
I was walking in Rockwell today and I noticed the plants around me. I thought, what if all the buildings in Makati, Pasig, and other congested cities had living roofs? A living roof is an old idea and is done in other parts of the world but I don't know of any building or house in our country that has it. Office buildings in the city will be planted with grass, flowers, and low-lying shrubs that are resilient against the wind and storm. It will be set-up in such a way that the leaves and dirt will not be carried by the wind on an ordinary day and fall on pedestrians below. A living roof is also an alternative for buildings or areas who would like to plant but has no space. Ayala Center or EDSA have plants all over but for some like in Paranaque it is not the case. There are in some streets or if they have, the plants are wilting or are stepped on by people especially in the public areas.
I know this is hard work and building owners will have to spend on the landscaping, the plants, the manpower to oversee the maintenance of the living roof, and the maintenance materials (i.e. water, gardening tools). However, I think the benefits outweigh the costs. I've read before that living roofs can help cool a house during summer. Our country has more hot days than cold days so if the roof can help lessen the heat, electricity used by air-conditions might be lessened too. Next, living roofs can help lessen the smog that is perpetually in our atmosphere. The smog will be turned into clean air which is good for the commuters, office-goers, and pedestrians. [We do not usually notice the smog but sometimes when I am in the Skyway or flyover, I can see the smog and it looks scary]. Lastly, since the air that goes up into the ozone layer is "cleaner", we are also helping preserve this endangered layer and fight global warming. 4
And maybe, when buildings in the city have living roofs, the atmosphere will be less scary to look at from the flyover, pedestrians will breath cleaner air, and I will have less coughing episodes.
I've been coughing my lungs out for almost a week now. I tried to get my father to allow me to bring the car to school because I did not want to expose my sick self to the pollution that surrounds Metro Manila. It's enough that I am already like a car exhaust. I do not need to inhale the smoke coming from buses and jeepneys and other vehicles.
I was walking in Rockwell today and I noticed the plants around me. I thought, what if all the buildings in Makati, Pasig, and other congested cities had living roofs? A living roof is an old idea and is done in other parts of the world but I don't know of any building or house in our country that has it. Office buildings in the city will be planted with grass, flowers, and low-lying shrubs that are resilient against the wind and storm. It will be set-up in such a way that the leaves and dirt will not be carried by the wind on an ordinary day and fall on pedestrians below. A living roof is also an alternative for buildings or areas who would like to plant but has no space. Ayala Center or EDSA have plants all over but for some like in Paranaque it is not the case. There are in some streets or if they have, the plants are wilting or are stepped on by people especially in the public areas.
I know this is hard work and building owners will have to spend on the landscaping, the plants, the manpower to oversee the maintenance of the living roof, and the maintenance materials (i.e. water, gardening tools). However, I think the benefits outweigh the costs. I've read before that living roofs can help cool a house during summer. Our country has more hot days than cold days so if the roof can help lessen the heat, electricity used by air-conditions might be lessened too. Next, living roofs can help lessen the smog that is perpetually in our atmosphere. The smog will be turned into clean air which is good for the commuters, office-goers, and pedestrians. [We do not usually notice the smog but sometimes when I am in the Skyway or flyover, I can see the smog and it looks scary]. Lastly, since the air that goes up into the ozone layer is "cleaner", we are also helping preserve this endangered layer and fight global warming. 4
And maybe, when buildings in the city have living roofs, the atmosphere will be less scary to look at from the flyover, pedestrians will breath cleaner air, and I will have less coughing episodes.
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