Rooftop gardens aren’t really a new thing; they’ve been used for decades to reduce water runoff, lower energy costs, dampen noise inside of buildings, provide clean air, lower the “urban island heat effect,” and create beautiful, relaxing spaces. Some rooftop gardens are even used to grow food in an urban environment where garden space is in short supply.

The green roof at the Arbor Day Foundation Headquarters in Lincoln, however, is less about beauty or food and more about sustainability, conservation, and research. The green roof was installed in part as a test project to show just how much impact such a roof could have in an urban environment.
Arbor Day Foundation
The green roof was planted in September 2010. It has since become a haven for wildlife who must find it an odd but welcoming place to rest. It's also provided plenty of benefits for the occupants of the building.
Arbor Day Foundation
Using just 2.5 inches of specially-formulated growing material, the green roof is lightweight and planted with sedum and other low-growing plants. The plants don't need a lot of water to survive, so the garden is more or less self-sustaining other than in the hottest months where there is little to no rainfall.
Arbor Day Foundation

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There's also a 400 square foot test plot for UNL that contains prairie grasses and provides a unique environment to test which grasses are able to survive in a rooftop garden environment.
Arbor Day Foundation
It's very fitting that the project is located on top of the Arbor Day Foundation, an organization that is committed to conservation of natural resources.
Arbor Day Foundation
Since its inception, more elements have been added to the green roof. A number of diverse plant species now live there, and patrons of the downtown Qdoba Grill get to check out this unique project via an outdoor dining and observation area.
Arbor Day Blog

While it may not be the type of rooftop garden that most people envision, this type of green roof isn’t very common in Nebraska and deserves some special recognition. There are also a few green roofs on the UNL campus and some rooftop serenity gardens at several area hospitals. Do you know of any more? We’d love to see your pictures in the comments!

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