The Globe and Mail

While Googling environmentally friendly roofing materials for this column, I happened upon a study conducted by the University of Waterloo on "green" (sustainable) building materials. It included this quote from Christopher Alexander, architect, founder of the Centre for Environmental Structure, and emeritus professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley: "The roof plays a primal role in our lives. The most primitive buildings are nothing but a roof. If the roof is hidden, if its presence cannot be felt around the building, or if it cannot be used, then people will lack a fundamental sense of shelter." That's what a roof comes down to, stripped back to the most basic of human needs: shelter from natural elements. Increasingly, those elements include the dangers of UV rays, thanks to global warming, thanks to how we've managed to pollute our planet. At the risk of sounding preachy, we all have to do what we can to counteract the damage we've done to Mother Earth. Choosing recycled roofing products, among other things, is one way the ordinary consumer can make an impact.