Episode 116: Green Roofs with Dr Anna Zakrisson

This week I’m speaking to scientist and science communicator Dr Anna Zakrisson about green roofs, particularly with regard to their use in urban areas and the important role they can play in water management. Amongst other things, we talk about the functions these roofs can perform, whether they can work in rural as well as urban situations, how self-sustaining we should expect the plants on green roofs to be and if they’re always the best solution.   Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Allium Leaf Miner About Dr Anna Zakrisson Anna Zakrisson has travelled extensively for work and study, including periods spent at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University and Stockholm University, where she completed her doctoral thesis on cyanobacteria. She worked as a researcher for the Max-Planck-Institute before working in Berlin as a biologist. She currently works as a consultant on green roofs and is attached to US-based research company Green Roof Diagnostics. What we talk about: The functions green roofs can perform Do green roofs improve our environment?  The adverse effects they can mitigate Can green roofs have an application in rural areas too? Is it responsible to supplement green roofs with water and/or nutrients? Are green roofs always the best solution? Pioneering work in the world of green roofs and future developments Links: Anna’s Imaginarium website Anna Zakrisson on Twitter  www.greenroofdiagnostics.com