We call this entry, and the two just below, ‘Loose Ends,’ because we’re taking a moment as the calendar changes to 2007 to update redbankgreen readers on a couple of stories from our first few months in business.

This one concerns roofer Joe Ruffini and the environmentally friendly ‘green’ roof he started building atop his Maple Avenue house earlier this year.

Well, it’s finished, with a flagstone deck, flower planters, a covered ‘fire pit’ table in the center, and irregularly shaped patches of sod in the four corners.

For those not familiar with the concept, green roofs are building covers that use vegetation to both improve the insulation of the underlying structure and give something back to the environment.

Ruffini’s been doing traditional roofing for years, and only learned about green roofs after he’d started planning a remodeling of his attic. But he got the bug immediately, and decided that flat and green was the way to go.

The only local government hurdle he had to clear turned out to be a variance for the height of the railing he installed. But the zoning board also “made me promise not to go any higher” with his house, he says.

Ruffini says he spent several nice Sundays this fall out on the roof watching Pop Warner football games just across the way at Count Basie Field.

Now, he’s turning his attention back to completing work on the attic, a large space with a high, flat ceiling.

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