CITY TO BUILD LIVING ROOFS

This idea is excitingly advocated by President Clinton. Almost every time he makes speech, he describes how a major shift by cities to living roofs would benefit the economy and the environment. Visionary architect William McDonough wrote superbly about the concept in Cradle to Cradle.

City gets energy grant to build ‘living’ roofs; State funds also going towards solar system at F & M
Ad Crable, November 14, 2007 (Lancaster New Era)

WHO
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray

A Green Roof in Chicago.

WHAT
Driven by grants from Rendell’s Energy Harvest program and Gray’s pledge for Lancaster to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 6 Lancaster businesses will build “living” roofs, giant “flowerboxes” atop properly reinforced buildings.

WHEN
- Now: About Green Roofs

WHERE
- Lancaster, PA
- The buildings to get new roofs: New YMCA on Harrisburg Avenue; the Bare Building on Duke Street; National Novelty Brush Co. on East Fulton Street; Penn Stone on West Ross Street; Two Dudes Painting on Poplar Street; Box Company Flats on East Grant Street.

A Green Roof in Sydney, Australia.

WHY
- The 6 businesses will share the $479,333 Energy Harvest grant. Total cost to install the 79,000 sq ft of living roofs will be $1 million.
- Franklin & Marshall College will get $202,473 for a 26.6-kilowatt solar photovoltaic cell system for its Hackman Physical Sciences Laboratory.
- “Living roofs” cut building emissions by reducing cooling and heating needs (by insulating), cut back on rainwater runoff (by soil absorption), improve air quality (by respirating CO2) and add avian and insect habitat.
- Millersville University will monitor the projects.
- Reinforcement of the roofs is crucial to accommodate the significant weight of soil, plants and water.
- Gray and other city officers promise to streamline project approvals.

A neighborhood of Green Roofs in Seattle.

QUOTES
- Mary Gattis Schell, county Planning Commission: "One of the goals is to mitigate the urban heat island effect…"
- Rendell: "Rather than continuing to rely on oil supplies that may come from politically unstable or hostile nations, or electricity derived from dirtier fossil fuels, we're investing in our future by supporting the development of alternative and renewable technologies that will strengthen our economy, create new jobs and protect our environment…These projects illustrate the interest and commitment that companies, universities and other organizations have expressed in investing in Pennsylvania's new energy economy and creating opportunities here."