The new 2.5 acre park sits on the seventh story of the 2.2 million square foot facility. The new roof will last 50 years, which is twice as long as the roof they just replaced. Polluted stormwater runoff will be reduced by up to 75% in the summer and 35% in the winter. The roof will also help the facility reduce its energy use by 30% by 2015. Native plants and trees are used on the roof and emphasize drought tolerant and low maintenance species, which will be watered with collected rainwater. Planted species include coral carpet, Calamagrostis grass, John Creech, Immergrunchen and Fudaglut sedums. The landscape of the roof was designed by Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architects.

The new green roof is just one of the many sustainable projects the USPS has taken on. They recently announced their plans to buy 1,600 fuel efficient vehicles, which makes them the largest fleet owner of alternative fuel vehicles in the nations. They also use Cradle to Cradle certified packaging, energy reduction programs, extensive recycling efforts and new LEED mail facilities.

+ Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architects

+ USPS

via Treehugger

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