Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

The authors presented information on green roofs in the European Union (EU) based on the experience of
construction companies in the Netherlands and Poland. The choice of these countries was related to the fact
that Dutch land planners are interested in cooperating and sharing their experience with Polish specialists. The
article also presents a brief history of the use of green roofs. The technical knowledge (on construction, the
design of specialized covers and preparation of the entire system) have been gathered from Dutch companies
specializing in plant breeding on green roofs. The authors described the advantages of green roofs and the just
cause of financing these projects by the EU. Green roofs relieve some of the load on the sewage systems in
cities by absorbing precipitation water. They help preventing the floods after storms and torrents. They reduce
the negative consequences of heat islands effect and decrease CO2 emission. Green roofs can solve problems
in the areas of Poland that are exposed to harmful gases. Furthermore, green roofs act as a thermal insulation,
thus less energy for winter heating and summer air conditioning (energy efficiency) is being used.