We Know About The Many Benefits of Green Roofs as Outdoor Classrooms - Now We Need to Pass Bill HR 1863
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The average child is spending more time looking at screens than ever, and now spends less than ten minutes of unstructured playtime outdoors per day. Photo Courtesy Julia Cameron.
Between school, homework, family responsibilities, phones, TV and video games the average child is spending less than ten minutes of unstructured playtime outdoors per day and spending more than seven hours in front of a screen (NRPA). Children need significantly more time outside than adults in order to support healthy mental and physical development, and those who do spend more time outside are found to be happier as adults.
Recent studies recommend that children spend four to six hours outside per day and yet most children are not getting that amount in an entire week (ACH News). Getting the recommended amount of outside playtime can be especially hard for children living in low-income families, many of whom lack resources to put kids through extracurricular activities.
COVID19 closed schools and playgrounds so without mandated recess each day, children spent even less time outside during the lockdown and more time in front of screens (CTV News). When schools reopen, there will be measures in place to encourage physical distancing but many teachers and parents are worried. Classrooms are confined spaces and children, especially younger children, cannot be expected not to share their food, trade toys or wash their hands properly after using the bathroom, not to mention sitting far enough away from their friends.
One politician has been thinking about a solution to these challenges. The Public School Green Rooftop Program (H.R.1863), sponsored by Congresswoman Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), would allocate $500 million in federal funding to support the installation and maintenance of green roofs on K-12 public schools in underserved neighborhoods across the U.S. Congresswoman Velázquez says that “there is no better place to begin teaching our children about conservation than our public schools. However, their education does not need to be confined to the classroom. These roofs allow students to directly engage with sustainable practices and see for themselves the impact that environmentally conscious initiatives can have on their hometowns and neighborhoods. By exposing them to these ideas early on in their education, we forge a path to a cleaner, healthier community.”
Fortunately, school green roofs are a proven concept with impressive benefits. In March 2010, P.S.41, a public school in New York, opened the Green Roof Environmental Literacy Laboratory (GELL). The 15,000 square foot sedum and native plant green roof is the first of its kind in a New York City public school. The outdoor learning space benefits children from all grade levels who take part in various activities from skyline drawings to insect research projects.
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P.S.41’s green roof project was initiated by STEM teacher Vicki Sando who has since studied the benefits of the school’s green roof. In a survey she did with her students she found that many students responded feeling calm, happy, free, or amazing when outside on the roof. Enjoying green roofs or nature, in general, has been shown in hundreds of scientific studies to reduce stress and improve overall health. Native and migratory birds and insects have all found a home on the green roof making it a critical habitat for urban wildlife. P.S.41 recently planted native plants like milkweed to support the declining monarch butterfly population. The green roof along with other renovations has reduced the school’s energy consumption by 27.80 per cent and its associated greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the green roof captures 182,250 gallons of stormwater annually which reduces the strain on NYC’s sewer system.
When asked about the Public School Green Rooftop Program, Sando said, “This critical legislation will give other public schools, especially those communities historically overburdened by ecological discrimination, the opportunity to reduce their building's environmental footprint significantly and enhance learning opportunities as our green roof has demonstrated at P.S. 41 in Manhattan”.
Despite the Public School Green Rooftop Program focusing on schools, the benefits will be felt far beyond the classroom. In an analysis by the Green Infrastructure Foundation, if passed, H.R.1863 will have a positive return of $183 million (in 2021 dollars), and a combined rate of return of 7.3 per cent (rate of return and net benefit include benefits accruing to the community as well as to school boards). In addition, the passage of the bill will support more than 29,000 job-years of employment in industries like construction, landscaping, and maintenance.
Green roof installation and maintenance can provide meaningful, living-wage green jobs for a new 21st century clean economy. Photo courtesy Jimmy Chan.
Workforce development programs in the communities these schools are in could help identify, train, and support the installation and maintenance workforce for green roofs. Educational programming on green roofs for students could include career exploration and skills training to create the next generation of green roof workforce.
In terms of environmental benefits, H.R.1863 will retain an estimated 154 million gallons of stormwater, sequester 537 tons of carbon, and save 10.7 million kWh of electricity every year. Green roof benefits also include the ability to reduce the urban heat island effect, cooling communities down in hot summer months.
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A student on P.S. 41’s green roof in New York City. Photo courtesy Vicki Sando.
Green roofs and other forms of green infrastructure are virtually unmatched in the number of benefits they provide both publicly and privately. The Public School Green Rooftop Program seeks to address a number of challenges through a single policy. In terms of cost-effectiveness in the wake of COVID19 recovery, the bill should be an obvious choice for congressional representatives to support and include in the proposed America Jobs Plan.
Congress will be making its decision in the Fall of 2021 and in order to ensure this bill passes, the public needs to show its support. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is leading a campaign in partnership with Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez’s office to communicate the numerous benefits of Bill 1863. To show your support, head to greenroofs.org/advocacy and fill out the form to send an email to your local congressperson.
The Public School Green Rooftop Program has the potential to transform communities and local economies making them stronger and more resilient. This bill is an important step in the right direction and will benefit school boards, professionals working in the green infrastructure industry, public health professionals and most of all the students!
Emma Tamlin is leading the campaign to get H.R. 1863 passed into law and works with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Policy Committee on other campaigns for supportive legislation.
