diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1f5b03a..fc15ecd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@ This buildpack has been successfully run on Digital Ocean instances of Ubuntu 14
 2. Add another, *empty* file called `.static` to your root directory of your web project. It signals that this buildpack shall be used
 3. Push your project to Dokku
 
-All static files that you want to serve should be in the root directory of your repository. No need to use a seperate `www` folder. `buildpack-nginx` will automatically download the buildpack, download NGINX, compile it, and install it. The next time you push your project, the buildpack will reuse the precompiled binaries. 
+All static files that you want to serve should be in the root directory of your repository. No need to use a seperate `www` folder. `buildpack-nginx` will automatically download the buildpack, download NGINX, compile it, and install it. The next time you push your project, the buildpack will reuse the precompiled binaries.
 
 ## NGINX CONFIGURATION
-Override default configuration by adding `nginx.conf.erb` in the root directory
+Override default configuration by adding `nginx.conf.erb` in the root directory. You can also override the nginx root by setting `$NGINX_ROOT`
 
 ## Credits and License
 `buildpack-nginx` is licensed under the CC0 1.0 Universal license and has been informed by many similar projects on the web
diff --git a/conf/nginx.conf.erb b/conf/nginx.conf.erb
index 82e8b4d..bde59e6 100644
--- a/conf/nginx.conf.erb
+++ b/conf/nginx.conf.erb
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ http {
   server {
     listen <%= ENV["PORT"] %>;
     server_name  _;
-    <% if ENV["ROOT"] %>
-      root /app/www/<%= ENV["ROOT"] %>;
+    <% if ENV["NGINX_ROOT"] %>
+      root /app/www/<%= ENV["NGINX_ROOT"] %>;
     <% else %>
       root /app/www;
     <% end %>