Shanghai is well on the way to turning most of its rooftops green.

The Shanghai landscaping administration bureau said yesterday that so far more than 95,000 sq m of rooftops have been covered in grass and shrubs, very close to the annual target of 100,000 sq m. The city will spend 5 million yuan ($710,000) this year on the campaign.

All roofs capable of being turned into lawns have been included, with priority being given to public buildings such as City Hall in People's Square and the Armed Police Detachment building.

"It is so refreshing to look at the green rooftop of the shopping mall from my apartment window, than other gray buildings," Xiao Chen, a resident, said.

Li Li of the Shanghai landscaping administration bureau, said: "It is not just for visual pleasure, but a measure to tackle air pollution and improve our ecological environment."

Li said rooftop lawns serve the same function as those on the ground. They absorb carbon dioxide, and reduce heat and dust.

Since the campaign began in 2003, at total 500,000 sq m of Shanghai's rooftops have been covered, more than 80 times the size of Fuxing Park, a popular recreational area in downtown Shanghai.

By the end of last year, the per capita of green land in Shanghai was 12 sq m.

The city's annual construction of green areas will be about 200,000 sq m this year, the bureau said.

(Shanghai Daily August 12, 2008)