Green Roofs on Rise

Community News story posted on 7/11/07:

Green Roofs on the Rise in Chicago

More than 20,000 plants and countless birds and bees live 11 stories above the busy city streets and sidewalks of Downtown Chicago. About 150 varieties of hearty and mostly native flowers, grasses and vines grow on this rooftop garden most residents have never seen. But the garden's green impact is beginning to spread well beyond the Loop.

Funded through a $1.5 million settlement with Com Ed, the 20,300-square-foot City Hall rooftop garden is both a showcase and a pilot project for Mayor Daley's efforts to encourage green building and design. Since its completion in 2001, the number of green roofs continues to grow.

"Seven years ago, it was a novel idea (green roofs)," said Mark Farina, spokesman for Chicago's Department of Environment. "Now there are over 300 green roofs in Chicago, in various stages. That's how much we have grown."

Although it's one of the highest-profile roof gardens in the world, access for the general public is very limited. This is partly due to the landmark status of the building, Farina said, which is not accessible to persons with disabilities, and also for security reasons.

Besides not having a fence, visitors must walk through a mechanical room to get onto the roof, after taking an elevator to the 10th floor and walking up another flight of stairs. Occasionally, the Department of Environment will arrange tours for small groups of 10 to 15 people with a guide, such as Farina.

"This is an elaborate green roof that gives us an idea what we can do elsewhere," Farina said.

Currently, 60 percent of all roofs in Chicago are dark-colored, according to the city's rooftop garden guide, and these surfaces absorb - or trap - heat. This raises the temperature of the surrounding area and requires more energy to heat and cool buildings. Urban areas are warmer than outlying areas due to this "heat island" effect, which also creates more smog.

For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/green-roofs-on-the-rise-in-chicago

(c) Keri Lynch