Get Paid $5 a Square Foot to Garden...

One small catch: You have to garden on your roof. 



A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane.

Green roofs provide a number of benefits.  Capitol Greenworks, a local business specializing in these types of projects, explains:

"These roofing systems provide an extra layer of insulation to the buildings roof and helps to reduce the amount of energy loss. Vegetated roofs help to reduce the "urban heat island effect" and help to protect the waterproofing membrane from excessive thermal cycles and damaging UV rays. The greenroof plants will filter out harmful pollutants, ozone, and other airborne particulates such as dust and heavy metals. Greenroofs can also be used to manage stormwater and can significantly reduce the amount of site development infrastructure."

For example, the roof of the World Wildlife Fund Headquarters Building is a 27,750 square-foot living system of locally grown plant life.  (More information about that project and some great photos are available here.)

After a view years, a green roof pays for itself by reducing heating and cooling costs.  Even better, the District will pay you to put in a green roof.  For more information about the benefits of green roofs, or on how you can apply for a subsidy, check out dcgreenworks.org and the RiverSmart Homes Site.

More resources after the break:

The Green Roof Project is a great resource for anyone a little more adventurous that might want to build their own green roof.

DC Green Works shows off an array of featured green roofs. 

The American Society of Landscape Architects has an amazing green roof. 


If you are interested in the District's green roof rebate program, which provides base funding of $5 for every square foot of planted area, all the forms you need to apply are available here.