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ENVIRONMENT REPORT - June 28, 2002: Rooftop Gardens
By Cynthia Kirk
This is the VOA Special English
ENVIRONMENT REPORT.
Officials in Chicago, Illinois, are hoping to
help the environment by planting gardens on the tops of buildings. They
say plants and trees have the ability to clean the air and decrease
the temperature. They say rooftop gardens can keep buildings cooler,
save energy and extend the useful life of a roof.
Almost half of the streets, parking areas for cars, and buildings in
Chicago have dark-colored surfaces. More than sixty percent of Chicago's
rooftops are dark in color. During the summer, dark-colored surfaces
take in and trap heat from the sun. This causes the temperature to rise
higher in the city than in surrounding areas.
This is known as the urban heat island effect.
It is felt most in the summer when temperatures are already high. More
energy is needed to cool buildings as a result of the temperature increase.
The heat island effect also increases air pollution.
Not all cities experience the heat island effect.
It depends on the weather and the condition of streets, buildings and
other man-made structures. It also depends on the number of natural
areas with plants and trees, such as parks and gardens. In addition
to Chicago, several North American cities experience the heat island
effect. They include Atlanta, Georgia; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Toronto,
Canada.
The city of Chicago's Department of Environment
wants building owners to do what they can to reduce the heat island
effect. City officials say one way to do this is by planting gardens
on the roofs of buildings. One example is the rooftop garden on Chicago's
City Hall. Workers planted trees and other plants on the roof. They
chose native plants that need less water. Many kinds of insects and
birds have made their homes in the rooftop garden. Workers also replaced
surfaces with light-colored materials. They say this has helped reduce
energy use inside the building to keep the building cooler.
Officials say the Chicago City Hall rooftop
garden also helps prevent rainwater from overflowing in the streets.
The water is taken in by the plants, trees and soil. Officials say the
overflow of rainwater would be reduced if enough buildings in the city
had rooftop gardens.
This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT
was written by Cynthia Kirk.
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