In Center City Philadelphia, it wouldn't normally be much of a surprise to stumble upon a public bus shelter that had been modified--with graffiti, for instance--by someone other than a
SEPTA employee. But visitors who passed by one particular bus shelter across from City Hall on June 14 were privy to a truly unusual spectacle: They had a front-row seat for the installation of the city's first green-roof bus shelter, which was designed and donated by a local green roof provider known as
Roofmeadow.
The now-permanent green roof was installed "as sort of a small symbol of a larger effort in the city," says Roofmeadow's Jane Winkel, referring to Philly's
Green City, Clean Waters plan. The plan is a series of municipal-led initiatives that are aiming to remove pollution from the city's creeks, rivers and urban landscape.
According to Winkel, the first goal of the bus shelter project is nothing more than pure education. The idea, she says, is to familiarize average citizens with green roof technology, which is quite a bit simpler than you'd probably figure: The modern aluminum design, for instance, is actually a prefab kit of parts that can be assembled to replace the roof of any standard bus shelter. What's more, in addition to creating something of a mini-environment for urban wildlife, the design also aids in the management of rain water--the roof actually limits the amount of pollution that would otherwise find its way into streams and rivers.
While the green roof installed on the bus shelter across from City Hall was Philadelphia's first, Roofmeadow plans to continue teaming up with the city to roll out approximately twenty more within the next year. "We were very happy to offer our services pro bono," adds Winkler, "and we will definitely remain involved in the installation of the others."
Source: Jane Winkel, Roofmeadow
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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