There's a new green roof in town and it might surprise you that it belongs to the United States Postal Service (USPS). In fact, the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center at West 30th and 10th Avenue boasts the biggest green roof in New York City at 109,000 square feet -- it's one of the biggest in the country, too.
So why did the USPS want to spend money on green space? Sure, with benches, an FSC-certified wood art wall and lots of native vegetation, it's a nice spot for postal employees to take a break, but since the building's roof needed to be replaced anyway, the USPS took the opportunity to go eco-friendly.
The roof is a good thing for our drinking water. According to the Postal Service, it will reduce the amount of polluted storm water runoff that enters the New York municipal water system by up to 75 percent in the summer and up to 40 percent in the winter. Going green will save money, too. The new roof will last 50 years, that's twice as long as the old roof. It's also more energy efficient and should save $30,000 in heating and cooling bills each year.
Unless you're a postal worker, you won't get to visit the green roof, but you check it out on a video tour. This isn't the only green thing the USPS is doing either. The Denver facility is LEED certified, which is the next step for the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, some markets get deliveries via three-wheel electric vehicles and there are already lots of alternative-fuel capable vehicles driving around. What's next? We'd love to see USPS reusable water bottles for all mail carriers!
So why did the USPS want to spend money on green space? Sure, with benches, an FSC-certified wood art wall and lots of native vegetation, it's a nice spot for postal employees to take a break, but since the building's roof needed to be replaced anyway, the USPS took the opportunity to go eco-friendly.
The roof is a good thing for our drinking water. According to the Postal Service, it will reduce the amount of polluted storm water runoff that enters the New York municipal water system by up to 75 percent in the summer and up to 40 percent in the winter. Going green will save money, too. The new roof will last 50 years, that's twice as long as the old roof. It's also more energy efficient and should save $30,000 in heating and cooling bills each year.
Unless you're a postal worker, you won't get to visit the green roof, but you check it out on a video tour. This isn't the only green thing the USPS is doing either. The Denver facility is LEED certified, which is the next step for the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, some markets get deliveries via three-wheel electric vehicles and there are already lots of alternative-fuel capable vehicles driving around. What's next? We'd love to see USPS reusable water bottles for all mail carriers!
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