Boston Students Lead Effort to Install a Massive Sustainable Roof

Students at the Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the nation, are leading the charge to install a <b>50,000 square foot</b> sustainable roof on the top of their campus. More than just a <a href="../green-roof/" target="_blank">green roof</a>, the sustainable roof will act as a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/28/stunning-zero-plus-energy-lab-at-hawaii-preparatory-academy/" target="_blank">living laboratory</a> that allows the students to experience and study renewable energy, green design, and sustainability first hand. The student group <a href="http://www.blsyouthcan.org/BLS_Youth_C.A.N./Welcome.html" target="_blank">BLS Youth CAN</a> (Climate Action Network) came up with the idea back in 2007, and with the pro bono help of Gail Sullivan of <a href="http://www.studio-g-architects.com/" target="_blank">Studio G Architects</a> they are making the dream into a reality.

The students of the Boston Latin School came up with the idea for a green roof in 2007 after watching a screening of an Inconvenient Truth.

Gail Sullivan of Studio G Architects is helping the BLS Youth CAN group design the 50,000 sq ft sustainable roofscape.

Once completed the sustainable roof will serve as a living laboratory where the students where can get hands-on experience with renewable energy technologies and organic gardening.

The roofscape will include a solar photovoltaic system, a series of vertical-axis wind turbines, an organic garden, an orchard, and a contemplative garden.

The cost for the sustainable roof is estimated to be between $5 and $6.2 million, and the students are working to raise all the funds for the project.

The living laboratory will also be available to other schools in the area for field trips and learning experiences.

This rendering shows the Boston public school as it is now before the installation of the green roof and energy systems.

Studio G Architects, who has designed the plan for free, also envisioned what the surrounding buildings would look like if they were all covered with green roofs.

The BLS Youth CAN group is responsible for the idea, fund raising and has even installed the first green roof themselves.

350 trays of sedum were bought through donations by friends and families of the school and then installed in one of the courtyards of the school.

The BLS Youth CAN group is also working to develop a comprehensive sustainability curriculum, which will be tested out with all the students at BLS starting this fall.

After the sustainability curriculum is tested at BLS, it will be available to surrounding schools.

The BLS Youth CAN group on their roof before the project began.