Green roof creator recycles environment — and himself
Tim Elam’s yard at his southwest Reno home is a spectacular homage to the concept of recycling. 
The bricks in his walkways and patios are from buildings scrapped during downtown’s renovation. The driveway is made of broken-up sidewalks, fashioned like cobblestones. His wife’s greenhouse is entirely made from reclaimed materials and the two small cabins he uses were once located on Fourth Street, before he dismantled them and reconstructed them on his property. Elam and his wife, Joan, who does the planting, have aptly named their property The Enchanted Garden.
Elam has always had a passion for recycling and the green movement, which he says is finally “catching up with me.” But Elam is actually still at the forefront with his latest venture, a product called GoGreenRoof. His design, upon which he has acquired a provisional patent, incorporates new technologies such as an open-weave mats, water membranes and new soils. Elam says these advancements make green roofs possible for everyone, unlike the slippery, heavy turf roofs of yesteryear. Read more:
