GREEN ROOFS: PROMOTING GREEN ROOFS AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL

Author: Robert L. Goo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Address: U.S. EPA 4503T 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20460 Telephone: (202) 566-1201 Fax: (202) 566-1545 Email: [email protected] Excerpts from presentation presented at Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities 2003, Portland, Oregon (note: text slide only). Slide 1 Benefits of Green Roofs and Urban Vegetation • • • •

Storm water/Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) management – Reduce runoff volumes – Reduce pollutant loadings Reduce energy consumption Reduce urban heat island impacts Minimize waste by increasing roof durability and material recycling

Slide 2 Benefits of Green Roofs and Urban Vegetation • • • • • • •

Provide urban habitat Promote biodiversity Reclaim recreation space Reduce air pollution Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) /CO2 Beautification/quality of life Increase property values Decrease life-cycle costs of buildings

Slide 3 Federal Government Should Serve as a Model •

Federal Buildings – 0.4% of U.S. energy use – Emit 2% of U.S. building-related greenhouse gases – Owns 500,000 buildings covering 3.1 billion square feet – 5 agencies own/manage 95% of federal government’s Square footage • Department of Defense (DOD), United States Postal Service (USPS), General Services Administration (GSA), Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Energy (DOE)

Slide 4 Potential Focal Points for Federal Government Programs/Policies • • • • •

Federal facilities Urban retrofit and redevelopment New development Industrial/commercial complexes Residential development

[DOD, DOE, GSA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Commerce] Slide 5 Federal Government Should Adopt Sustainable Development and Building Practices • • • • • •

Plan for the Long Term Plan on Regional Scale Adopt a Strong Redevelopment Focus Promote a ”Carrying Capacity” Approach Set Achievable Natural Resource Goals Factor in Life-Cycle Costs and Embrace a Cradle to Grave Design and Engineering Approach

Slide 6 Federal Government Should Promote the Management of Water for Present and Future Use • • •

•

Plan for maximum future build-out Protect watershed catchments (forests/grasslands) Develop watershed level water budget – Water withdrawals (surface and groundwater) – Ensure adequate groundwater recharge (Replenish aquifers and ensure adequate stream base flow) Manage Runoff as a Resource – Harvest and use it

Slide 7 Plan and Develop to Protect and Restore Water Resources • • • • •

Promote development that is consistent with our water quality standard goals Encourage development that makes appropriate use of existing infrastructure Restore impaired waters through innovative development and redevelopment Decrease storm water and drinking water treatment costs Protect habitat and resources for wildlife, recreation and tourism

Slide 8 Federal Government Role • • • • • •

Lead by example/model Promote innovation/adoption through partnerships (public and private e.g., state and local governments, building industry) Fund demonstration projects Conduct/sponsor research Mandate change through E.O./Regulations/Policies/Performance Standards Educate through information dissemination, technology transfer, model ordinances, recognize successful projects

Slide 9 Applicable Executive Orders • • • • • •

EO 13148 Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management EO13134 Developing and Promoting Bio-based Products and Bioenergy EO 12123 Greening the Government Through Efficient Energy Management EO 13101 Greening the Government through Waste Prevention, Recycling and Federal Acquisition EO 11990 Protection of Wetlands EO 11988 Floodplain Management Adapted from Philip Wagner’s GSA Green Roof Fact Sheet

Slide 10 Executive Order 13101 • • •

Green Buildings – all new significant construction/acquisition will meet U.S. Green Building Council/LEED Silver Standard by 2005 Green Landscaping – all new significant landscaping shall be water conserving, consider storm water management and Low Impact Development (LID) techniques… http://www.epa.gov/greeningepa/p2/eppgoals.htm

Slide 11 GSA Guidance •

Real Property Sustainable Development Guide (RPSDG) requires sustainable design, storm water management requirements, life cycle costing, LID to be considered

Slide 12 GSA Green Roof Projects (not all inclusive) • • • • • • • • • •

Border Station, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan - new construction Hastings Keith Federal Building New Bedford, Mass -renovation/expansion O'Neil Federal Office Building , Boston, Mass - renovation Department of Interior HQ Washington, DC – renovation ATF, Washington DC DOT, Southeast Federal Center, Washington, D.C. Mary Switzer Office Building, Washington, D C. - under construction NOAA Office Building, Suitland Fed Center , Suitland, MD Census Office Building, Suitland Fed Center , Suitland , MD McCormack Post Office and Courtyard Building (EPA), Boston, MA

GSA Contact: Philip Wagner Office of Real Property Innovative Workplaces Division (MWP) Office of Government wide Policy 1800, F St. NW, Room 6213 Washington, DC. 20406 202-208-6771 Slide 13 Federal Agency Green Roof Related Activities •

•

DOD – Navy (Norfolk, VA Green Roof) – Sustainable Project Rating Tool (SPIRIT) • Storm water management • Landscape/Exterior Design for Heat Reduction DOE – Building America Program (Residential) – High Performance Buildings (Commercial)

Dept. of the Interior (DOI) C Street NW Green Roof -High Visibility -Thermal Monitoring -Environmental Performance monitoring plan -Request for Proposal Project Title: Provide Design, Construction and Environmental Monitoring Services for the Installation and Evaluation of a Pilot Scale Green Roof System at the Main Interior Building DOI Contact: Heather Davies Slide 14 EPA Programs Related to Green Roofs •

• • • • •

OW (Office of Water) • NPDES Storm Water Program • Nonpoint Source Control Program • Combined Sewer Overflow Program (CSO) OAR (Office of Air and Radiation) - Heat Island Reduction Initiative (HIRI) OSW (Office of Solid Waste) – Compost use and green roofs ORD (Office of Research and Development) – State of Pennsylvania Demonstration project (grant) OIA (Office of International Affairs) – Technology exchange OSWER (Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response: Superfund) – Brownfields Program

Slide 15a Brownfields Program BROWNFIELD: property on which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. • • • •

http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/index.html Actively promoting green rooftops UHIR, Runoff Control, Employ Greenscapes Philosophy, Compost use Springfield, MA Project - Green Buildings on Brownfields Grant with Green Roof Component (contact Myra Schwartz, EPA 617-918-1696)

Slide 15b Office of Solid Waste •

Demonstration projects (Benefits of Composting) – – – –

•

Soil infrastructure enhancement (restoration/improvement) Pollution prevention Bioremediation Use of composted material on green roofs

Dr. Rosalie Green (703) 308-7268

Slide 15c EPA Office of International Activities International Best Practices Urban Environmental Program •

Purpose: To identify, interpret, and apply international best practices policies and programs in the U.S. from examples and expertise from abroad, e.g., addressing storm water challenges in the Potomac River basin by applying “green” rooftops. -

Mechanisms include peer-to-peer technical exchanges among planners, architects, and watershed management experts, and;

-

Partnerships between sub-national authorities (e.g. cities, states, or regional planning bodies).

-

Successful sharing: National Park Service, e.g., National Capital Region’s Center for Urban Ecology’s “Green” Roof in Washington DC’

Slide 15d Urban Heat Island Reduction Initiative Promote: • • •

Urban Vegetation Cool Roofing – Green Roofs Cool Pavements

Through Programs and Policies to Support HI Reduction such as: • • • • • • • • •

Demonstration Projects Green Building Initiatives Weatherization Programs Education: Salt Lake City Greening and Smart Growth Efforts Incentives Shade Tree Ordinances: Sacramento Energy Codes: Georgia, Florida, Chicago Standards: Tucson

Resources • • • • •

EPA’s Heat Island Website www.epa.gov/heatisland EPA’s Global Warming Website www.epa.gov/globalwarming The Energy Star Website www.energystar.gov Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Heat Island Group http://eetd.lbl.gov/heatisland International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) www.hotcities.org Contact: Eva Wong (202) 564-3528

[email protected]

Slide 16 Potential EPA Funding Sources • • • • • • • •

Clean Water Act Section 319 Nonpoint Source Program Clean Water Act State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) Clean Water Act Section 104(b)(3) Grants Targeted Watershed Initiative Grants Office of Research and Development Programs, e.g., Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program Brownfield Program Grants Smart Growth Program National Decentralized System Demonstration Grants (congressional appropriations)

Slide17 EPA CWA Funding Website Links • • •

CWA Section 319 http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/funding.html EPA and State Nonpoint Source Contacts http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/contacts.html Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/cwsrf/index.htm

Slide 18 Examples of EPA Green Roof Activities • • • •

Fund Green Roof Design Charrett (MO) Fund Scoping Studies for Zero Impact/Green Roof design (Evergreen State College) Funding for development of Earth Pledge’s Greening Gotham Website Partnership with Earth Pledge, Pace University, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and New York City to build green roof in NYC (approximately. 30,000 square feet)

Slide 19 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 Funded Green Roof Projects (EPA funds State Nonpoint Source Management Programs) • • • • • • • •

Rillito River, AZ Residential Green Roof Project, 3,400 SF Save the Bay Education Center Green Roof (Brownfields Project), Narragansett Bay, RI Multnomah County, Portland, OR building 15,288 square feet green roof Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Green Roof and Interpretive Exhibit, IL Villanova University Storm water BMP Demonstration and Research Park Green Roof (National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Program) Maryland Department of the Environment Montgomery Park Green Roof – 31,000 SF Conservation Design Forum Office Bldg., IL – Monitor 3 roof designs Fencing Academy Green Roof Case Study, Philadelphia, PA www.epa.gov/owow/nps/roofcover.pdf

Slide 20 Next Steps to Promote Green Roofs • • • • • • • •

LEED U.S. Green Building Council American Institute of Architects (AIA) Partnerships/Principles/Awards American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Federal Standards/Requirements (HUD, DOE, GSA, EPA) Promote State and Local Initiatives Academia Work with Industry (National Association of Homebuilders)

Slide 21 Ways to Promote Green Roofs • • • • • •

Incentives Quantify avoided costs Create grant programs or tax incentives to defray initial sustainable design costs. Consider programs for leased buildings or public-private partnerships. Use local storm water fee or tax, or impervious surfaces fees to fund projects Consider programs such as Portland, Oregon FAR bonus option for green roof projects *adapted from GSA Green Roof Fact Sheet (in publication)

Slide 22 Better Promote Benefits of Green Roofs •

Life-cycle costs and benefits must become a driver 2-3 times longer average life span reduce landfill and replacement costs decreases costs of storm water infrastructure and maintenance can reduce sewerage fees reduce insulation requirements reduce cooling expenditures (50-70%) increase property values (6-15%) *adapted from GSA Green Roof Fact Sheet (in publication)