Funds available for green rooftops on public buildings, Environment Ministry says

Local government and state agencies can draw on state funding to create green rooftops, the Environment, Energy and Climate Change Ministry said on Wednesday.

Nearly 15 million euros will be available through the Business Programme on the Environment and Sustainable Development, part of the Greece's effort to disburse EU structural funds, to create "green rooftops on public buildings".

The programme can be used by schools (from pre-kindergarten to grade schools), music schools, cultural centres, swimming pools and other public entities in urban areas.

"The improvement in citizens' quality of life is a basic priority of all ministry actions, both through programmes implemented and through legislative initiatives," Alternate Environment Minister Stavros Kalafatis said.

Green rooftops would result in "economising in energy, increasing greenery in urban spaces and reducing gas emission from the greenhouse effect," he said.
The implementation is expected to reduce heating and cooling expenses of buildings throughout the year and improve the microclimate in the area where each building is located, as well as to reduce pollution.

In Athens, a rooftop garden was created on top of the Ministry of Finance, at Syntagma Square.