green roofs

Last August, Governor Paterson signed a series of bills to allow commercial net metering installations across New York State. Previously, only residential users were allowed to generate their own electricity from renewable sources and sell it back into the grid. The first such commercial installation in New York City was recently commissioned at 925 Bergen Street in Brooklyn by solar power installer Solar Energy Systems (SES) for Big Sue LLC, a general contracting and consulting firm that specializes in green design-build projects, which owns and operates the property. The installation is a 40 kilowatt solar array and, according to SES, is the largest commercial net-metered photovoltaic system in the entire country. According to Big Sue co-owner Susan Boyle, the company investigated a number of alternative power sources for 925 Bergen before opting for the solar array because of "the simplicity afforded by net metering."

The Upper West Side's Calhoun School at 433 West End Avenue (at West 81st Street) was the first school in New York City to install a green roof. Its Green Roof Learning Center, which opened back in 2005, was part of a four-story, FXFOWLE -designed addition to the school's main building. On Thursday, October 23, Calhoun is offering a free tour of the Learning Center and roof; the school estimates that the roof prevents around 26,000 gallons of water runoff per year. Representatives from FXFOWLE will also be available to discuss how the roof was designed, constructed, and maintained, as well as the Center's vegetable garden, weather station, and worm composting facilities. The Green Schools Alliance (of which Calhoun is a member) was created by schools and requires potential members to sign a climate commitment pledge in order to join. The event at Calhoun will take place from 4:30PM until 7:00; a link to RSVP (necessary in order to attend) is below.

Notwithstanding its 791-space parking garage, 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown is about to become the greenest building in New Jersey. The 30,000-square foot, four-story structure is being built by the Morristown Parking Authority and will seek a LEED Platinum rating from USGBC. In addition to housing Authority offices, the building will also be home to the non-profit offices of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Seeing Eye Inc., the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation, the Morristown Partnership and the Morris Arts Council. The parking garage will allot spaces for both members of the public and building employees.

The Trenton Green Initiative, which was introduced last week by a partnership that includes the city of Trenton, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”), PSEG, the Governor’s Office of Energy Savings, and Isles Inc., a Trenton-based builder of energy-efficient homes, will aim to lower energy costs in Trenton and create and expand the city’s green businesses and green collar job offerings. Trenton hopes the Initiative will create several thousand jobs and a local green business sector, as well as serve as a model for other New Jersey municipalities; currently, the city’s only green businesses are Isles, solar power retailer SunPower, and TerraCycle, an organic fertilizer supplier.

However, several Initiative efforts are already underway in order to educate potential workers and begin cultivating a green collar workforce.