[Greenbuilding] Fwd: "eco-roofing"

[Racheli Gai]

Hi,
I'm forwarding a question from my friend Barbara Rose in regard to a roofing material called Empire Slate.
Any information/thoughts would be highly appreciated.

Best and many thanks,
Racheli.

Begin forwarded message:

> 
> Hi Racheli,
> 
> The roofing product in question is called "Empire Slate", made from recycled rubber and plastic. It's great to recycle, but one question is whether it's safe for use in rainwater harvesting systems as a collection surface if potable water use is a concern (and when, one wonders, might it not be?).  
> 
> It has a 50 year guarantee, but I wonder what might be sloughing off over time in our Southern Arizona hotter-than-hell climate. And how about the soils on which it ends up?
> 
> http://www.ecostar.carlisle.com/Content/About-Us
> 
> From the website: 
> 
> The newest member of the EcoStar family of premium steep slope roof tiles is the Empire Slate line of products. The 2nd generation of sustainable roofing offers all the features and benefits of the Majestic line, and more.
> 
> As an environmentally conscious company, EcoStar felt that providing roofing systems made from recycled products was not enough. We needed to address the issues of Global Warming and Energy Conservation. To this end, EcoStar has developed a new formulation for roof tiles to achieve both high Solar Reflectivity Index (SRI) performance, and Low Emissivity factors. In the warmer climates, both homes and commercial buildings are subject to thermal gain in daylight hours. The SRI of the Empire Slates help to reduce this gain by reflecting the Sun’s heat energy back into space, as opposed to being absorbed by the building envelope. The Low Emmisivity rating works in the opposite way, allowing buildings to retain their heat energy in night time hours, and reducing the Urban Heat Island effect. In short, EcoStar is offering a sustainable, durable product with recycled content that can contribute to an energy efficient building envelope.
> 
> Empire Slate features twelve complementary colors, allowing the discerning building owner to customize the look of their roof. Included in the twelve are three “Cool” colors that feature energy saving benefits.
> 
> 
> Thanks for your help to check it out!
> 
> 
> 
> Barbara Rose
> Bean Tree Farm
> Tucson, Arizona
> www.beantreefarm.com
> New! Join us on facebook!
> 
> Bean Tree Farm is a 20 acre saguaro/ ironwood forest farm & learning center, supplying local desert foods to the community. We harvest, care for and teach about Sonoran Desert native and perennial edible plants and herbs. Food production, resource conservation, solar energy, water harvesting, green building, permaculture & appropriate technology are woven together in an integrated system and rich learning environment. Bean Tree Farm also partners with schools and organizations to provide hands-on educational experiences for students as interns, volunteers and workshop participants.
> 

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