Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies - Green ...

Many green roof projects are motivated
not by government policies but by a desire
to show a commitment to sustainable
design and the environment.
Hall patio. Some cities such as Chicago, Portland,
Seattle, and Toronto have been developing
more coordinated programs and policies
to promote green roofs. The “Heat Island
Reduction Activities” chapter provides many
examples demonstrating the wide range of
green roof efforts. Table 2 identifes some of
the research activity and options available for
taking action to advance green roofs.
Green building programs in many communities
provide another opportunity to
Figure 15: A Newly Installed Green Roof in New York City
encourage green roof installation. The U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Rating System (see ) and Green Globes operated by the
Green Building Initiative (GBI) in the
United States (see ), are
two rating systems that communities are
using. These and other systems give credit
for a broad range of building and development
techniques that save energy and
protect the environment. Green roofs can
achieve credit under multiple categories—
such as stormwater management, heat
island mitigation, water effciency, energy
and atmosphere, materials and resources,
and innovation and design—depending on
how they are constructed.
Initiatives to install green roofs in urban areas reduce urban heat islands and can help to create jobs in the local
economy, such as this roof installed by graduates of Sustainable South Bronx’s Bronx Environmental Stewardship
Training (BEST) program.
GREEN ROOFS – DRAFT 19
©2008 J. Burling Chase for Sustainable South Bronx