Swansea celebrates being Wales’ green roof pioneer on World Green Roof Day
In the lead up to World Green Roof Day (Friday 6 June), Swansea is proudly celebrating the city’s leadership in creating green roof space and efforts to transform the city into a cooler, cleaner and greener place to live and work.
Today (Wednesday, 4 June), Green Roof Organisation (GRO) members responsible for driving the green roof movement in the city - Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Urban Foundry and Swansea Council – hosted an event on Wales’ largest green roof at Amy Dillwyn Park, Swansea Arena.
Swansea has over 10 green roofs in the city centre alone with many more across the county. They were proudly celebrated at this event organised to shine a spotlight on the importance of green roofs.
Green roofs help by soaking up stormwater to reduce flooding, keeping buildings energy-efficient, cleaning the air, and creating vital homes for urban wildlife. They even extend roof life by up to three times.
NRW supports the initiative as part of its commitment to the sustainable management of natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations.
Fran Rolfe, Wales Ambassador for World Green Roof Day and Green Infrastructure Specialist, NRW, said:
“Green roofs aren’t just a trend; they’re part of the future. Swansea is proud to be leading the way in Wales and showing how cities can thrive with nature. Green roofs are a simple yet powerful way to bring nature back into the everyday fabric of urban areas, creating healthier spaces for people and nature to thrive together.”
Rob Stewart, Swansea Council leader, said:
"Swansea's becoming a greener city, helped by the council's work tackling the climate crisis and nature emergency - and we were pleased to support this event. We all have a part to play in helping our local environment."
Urban Foundry, the urban regeneration organisation involved in the project, also emphasised the importance of embedding green infrastructure into the city’s future.
Dr Ben Reynolds, of Urban Foundry, said:
"We’ve been working with Swansea Council and Natural Resources Wales to grow Swansea’s green economy. Since 2021, nearly 100 local people have trained in green roofing with us – gaining the skills and qualifications to build and maintain green infrastructure across the city. Investing in local training means the work stays in the community and has a real, long-term impact."
NRW is helping to drive green infrastructure efforts across Wales by supporting innovative projects that make urban spaces more nature-friendly and resilient to climate change.
This work in Swansea connects with wider green infrastructure programmes happening across the country, including the Green Infrastructure Forum and nature-based solutions being implemented in the heart of Cardiff through the Urban Resilient Ecological Network. These efforts aim to make urban spaces more nature-friendly and resilient to climate change.
As cities around the globe gear up for World Green Roof Day on Friday, Swansea invites everyone to join the movement. Share your green roof snaps and stories using #WGRD and #GreenUpSwansea.
Visit www.greenthecity.co.uk/worldgreenroofday to explore global green roof initiatives and sign up for updates on Swansea’s green roof projects and community meet-ups.
For more information on World Green Roof Day visit World Green Roof Day.