Chicago’s bid may get a boost following the announcement that it is once again in first place on this year’s top 10 list of Best U.S. Green Roof Cities from Green Roots for Healthy Cities’ 3rd Annual Green Roof Market Industry Survey of corporate members.
Nearly 517,633 new square feet of green roofs were installed in 2007.
It’s the fourth consecutive year in a row that Chicago has come in first in the annual survey.
In 2007, 30 per cent more green roofs were installed in North America representing a five per cent market growth increase over last year’s 25 per cent.
According to a press release, it’s good news as more green roofs means cleaner air, cooler cities, reduced energy consumption, beautiful rooftops, less untreated storm water running into rivers and streams, and green space for people, plants and animals.
Patrick Sandusky, a spokesman for Chicago 2016, told GamesBids.com, “we are proud of our Mayor’s strong commitment to the environment. Our Olympic bid hopes to build on and strengthen the Mayor’s vision of making Chicago one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world”.
Steven W. Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities said, “Chicago’s success with the widespread adoption of green roofs begs the question, what are they doing right? I can tell you that the seeds of Chicago’s tremendous crop of new green roofs came from the Mayor’s office in the form of political will and vision. Proactive policy making and green roof and wall incentives from the city’s planning department, plus excellent educational tools continue to act like fertilizer, accelerating and supporting healthy design for a more liveable city”.
