Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2009 - (Page 19)

FROM “BEANTOWN” TO “GREENTOWN” PROGRESS IN BOSTON INCLUDES BEING THE FIRST TO ADOPT LEED® STANDARDS AS PART OF THE CITY’S ZONING CODE – GIVING GREEN ROOFS A BOOST By Bryan Glascock oston continues to move forward on so many issues related to sustainable development and greening our city. Since Boston was host to the 4th Annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards and Trade Show in 2006, Boston has taken a leadership role in sustainability by becoming the first in the nation to adopt LEED® stan- roof design/build services, these renovation projects provided an important learning experience for all, as well as for our capital construction team. To expand municipal green roof opportunities, the City Environment Department was awarded a grant by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to do a study of about 400 municipal roofs to identify potential candidates for green roof systems – an effort about the value of engineered, planted green roof systems and green walls as both insulators and evaporative coolers of our buildings, such examples of living architecture will continue to, hopefully, become standard components for both new and redevelopment construction. Boston has faired better than many cities during this economic downturn and Mayor Menino has proposed legislation for state tax incentives “Two recent major renovation projects by the City of Boston – the Roosevelt School and Brighton High School – include green roofs as part of the eﬀort to achieve LEED® Silver certiﬁcation.” dards as part of the zoning code. With more than three million-square-feet of LEED®-certifiable development projects currently in the pipeline, many of these projects have indicated that green roofs will help them achieve their LEED® requirements. The city also took the step of requiring LEED® Silver certification for municipal building projects. Another program, Grow Boston Greener, found that although Boston has an enviable 29 percent tree canopy we can do more, so the goal is to increase it to 20 percent by 2030, planting over 100,000 new trees to shade buildings and roadways. These measures, along with many others, helped propel Boston to 3rd most sustainable city in the United States according to Popular Science (March 2008). Two recent major renovation projects by the City of Boston – the Roosevelt School and Brighton High School – include green roofs as part of the effort to achieve LEED® Silver certification. The City’s first effort at procuring green that complemented a previous study of solar capacity on municipal rooftops. The consultant determined roof type, age, square-footage, access and other factors so that as the City develops its five-year capital plan – and roof replacements are scheduled – planners can target green roof projects and ensure that funding for design and construction will be available. Of particular priority are green roofs on schools, which can be made accessible so as to also serve as outdoor learning spaces for our young people. We also hope to join green roofs with solar photovoltaic projects to enhance their efficiency and benefits. In cities like Boston, as much as 70 percent or more of the greenhouse gas emissions are from buildings making energy efficiency a critical component of our climate initiatives. Mayor Thomas M. Menino was an early signatory to the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement to meet Kyoto Protocol GHG reduction seven percent by 2021. In addition, the Mayor, in an April 2007 Executive Order, committed the City to an 80 percent reduction by 2050 – a level that much of the recent science says we need to meet to head off the most severe impacts of climate change. As we learn more for sustainable development so that when construction and development pick up again, green development including green roofs and green walls will be mainstream in Boston and help us meet our goals for climate change mitigation, reducing the urban heat island effect and controlling stormwater runoff, and sustainability in general. We invite visitors to the Boston area to drop in to Boston City Hall to see the green roof demonstration project and find out more about why "Beantown" is now "Greentown." D Bryan Glascock is the director of the City of Boston Environment Department and was the local host committee coordinator for the 4th Annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards and Trade Show held in Boston in 2006. For more info on what’s green in the City of Boston follow these links: www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/newsletter and www.cityofboston.gov/environment. http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/newsletter http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/newsletter http://www.cityofboston.gov/environment

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2009

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2009
Contents
City Power
Cities Alive!
Welcome to Toronto
Part 2 of 2: Risk-Reduction Tools
Toward Bird-Friendly Living Architecture
Cities Leading by Example
Q&A: On the Roof With...
7 Million-Square-Feet
Seeding the Future
A Green Roof Capitol City
From "Beantown" To "Greentown"
Beyond the Debate
A More Beautiful Baltimore
Policy Support
Seattle's Green Factor
Understanding The Green Roof Evapotranpiration Process
GHRC Professional Development Calendar
Welcome New Corporate Members
The Girl Scout Knows Best

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2009