U. of I. Ph.D. student quantifies benefits of green roofs

• Reprints

Najwa Obied of the University of Illinois receives her Green Talents 2011 Award from the Deputy research minister Thomas Rachel Germand of Germany in December, 2011.

Updated: January 26, 2012 8:10AM

For Najwa Obeid, there’s money in green roofs.

A 30-year-old Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Obeid has been working to quantify the financial, environmental and social benefits of green roofs in Chicago by applying economic theory to her findings.

By putting hard, measurable and comparable numbers behind the benefits of such roofs, Obeid hopes green technology will become more than just an ecological thing to do but also an economic one because of the potential savings generated.

Obeid is one of 20 young scholars from across the globe being given the chance by the German government to carry out research on climate change and sustainability as part of Berlin’s push to get 80 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050.

Young scientists and engineers — from China, India, Brazil, South Africa, the United States and elsewhere in Latin America and Asia — will carry out fully funded, three-month research projects in Germany as part of a $2.6 billion government research fund earmarked for research and development of renewable technology as part of the country’s Green Talents program.

“There is a real cooperation here between science, industry and public policy,” said Obeid.

Developing environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies that will help fight climate change is “a challenge not only for Germany, but for the whole world,” said deputy research minister Thomas Rachel. “We need to develop global solutions and need to strengthen international cooperation.”

Germany runs several cooperation agreements with several nations to support efficiency, renewable energies and environmentally sound urban and industrial development in developing and emerging economies in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Andrew March, 25, from Albuquerque, N.M., won a grant in a 2010 and is now in Berlin working on his project that explores ways for companies to reduce resource use and greenhouse gas emissions.

He said the most interesting aspect was the German view of environment research as a key to remaining competitive in the future.

“Public reception is so important,” March said. “I don’t think there is that mentality in the U.S. yet.”

Before the award ceremony in Berlin this month, the Green Talents traveled across Germany, visiting research facilities, universities and companies. They also met with German green experts and other young scientists.

Over the coming year the prize winners will be able to stay in Germany for several months for research purposes.

AP