I had the lucky opportunity to have a tour of the Five Borough Green Roof, which is on the … you guessed it… roof… of the NYC Parks Five Borough Administrative Building on Randall’s Island.

Getting there was a bit of a trek as I had to take the M35 bus from 125th Street and then walk a bit but it was a really wonderful place. Seeing the greenery on top of a roof that would otherwise be a blank canvas really gave me hope for the future. There are many ways to be Green in NYC but this way really makes a visible and measurable impact.

I didn’t know too much about green roofs before the tour, but it’s more than just putting some plants on top of a building. While visually it’s a lovely sight to see, green roofs also reduce storm water run off, provide additional insulation for the building (reducing the need for as much heating and cooling during extreme weather conditions), help mitigate the “heat island effect”, among so many other benefits.

Here are some photos from the tour for your viewing pleasure! I hope more buildings decide to implement green roofs, I think it’s the way of the future!

You can learn more about the Green Roof on the NYC Parks website. Have you been to any green roofs in your city or town?