The term "Green roof" refers to a roof that is partially or wholly covered with vegetation and soil on top of a waterproofing membrane -Proloy Bagchi The State's Environmental Planning and Coordination (EPCO) have taken an admirable initiative for promoting "green construction". Quite obviously, the government is gradually becoming concerned about the urban environment and the adverse impact on it of the burgeoning construction activity. Numerous multi-crore projects are either in progress or are on the anvil in major towns of the State. In Bhopal, for instance, one such project is already in progress in Karond. Clearly, the initiative is indicative of the government's rising anxiety to forestall the environmental degradation that massive construction activity inevitably entails. That large scale construction in urban areas causes a rise in ambient temperature is a well-known phenomenon. Many of our towns, like Dehra Dun, Bangalore, Pune and Bhopal, which once were considered green and idyllic with pleasant and equable climate, have now heated up because of massive construction witnessed during the last few decades. Much of their old attributes could, however, have been retained had recourse been taken to "green construction". Apart from being eco-friendly, it would have kept their ambience well within the comfort zone, retaining their salubrious attributes. While EPCO could go ahead to make "green construction", with all its environmental benefits, a reality by suitably organising/incentivising the various aspects of the construction industry, it could, in the meantime, encourage the concept of "green roofs" which are also environmentally beneficial. These not only make buildings energy-efficient, but also appreciably reduce the ambient temperature. The term "Green roof" refers to a roof that is partially or wholly covered with vegetation and soil on top of a waterproofing membrane. Not an unknown phenomenon, one recalls a building around 20 years ago in South Mumbai on the roof of which fairly good-sized trees could be seen swaying in the breeze from the road below. Historically speaking, however, green roofs first came up in Germany on top of low-cost apartments during the post-industrial constructions in the late 19th Century. The roofs were topped with gravel, sand and grass. Germany saw a second wave of "green roofs" during the 1980s to bring the fast-disappearing vegetation back into cities. Subsidies and a legal requirement for large constructions helped Germany achieve "greening" of an estimated 10% of all its roofs It is not Germany alone where green roofs have taken off in a big way. France, Austria, and other European countries have also climbed on to the bandwagon. Europe, currently, is estimated to have 15 million square metres of green roofing. Becoming increasingly popular in the US, the massive roof of San Francisco's new California Academy of Sciences building is being greened as habitat for indigenous species. While the largest expanse can be found at the Ford Motor Company's plant in Michigan, Chicago's City Hall is another well-known example. Fukuoka, in Japan, has several thousand plants on the terraces of its Prefectural International Hall as a compensatory measure for gobbling up the park it was built on. World over cities are taking to green-roofing for their obvious public and private benefits. Among the major public benefits are insulation of buildings from extremes of temperature, reducing their energy requirements for heating/cooling thus preventing further global warming, re-creation of brownfield habitats of ecological value fostering regeneration of their bio-diversity; mitigation of air-borne pollution and risks of floods, simultaneously enhancing of their visual appeal. More importantly green roofs cool heated cities by reducing the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) which makes urban concentrations, with their hard reflective surfaces, hotter than their rural surroundings (Chicago's City Hall roof has been found several degrees cooler than the surrounding roofs). Besides, depressed UHIE reduces ground-level ozone, contributing to a healthier urban community. Private benefits include, inter alia, substantial savings on energy for internal climate control, provision of drains and storm water management. Besides insulating the building from external noise, green roofs extend aesthetic advantage, providing friendly spaces. They even have economic value. A hotel in Vancouver saved more than its investments on its green roof by growing herbs it used in its cuisine and a farmer in Chhattisgarh grew his crop on his small rooftop patch. What's more, they increase the value of the property. As retrofitting of existing roofs is eminently feasible EPCO could have a campaign launched and incentivise green roofing for their public and private benefits. And, in the larger interests even an enactment on German lines could also be considered for new and old large constructions.