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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: NYC Green Roof (TV, R)
HEADLINE: Above New York, a Giant Green Roof Tries to Reduce Carbon Footprint
TEASER: One of the largest green roofs in the country now has two types of farms, an orchard and an outdoor pavilion
PUBLISHED AT: 12/20/2021 at 10:10AM
BYLINE: Tina Trinh
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New York
VIDEOGRAPHER: Tina Trinh
PRODUCER: Tina Trinh
SCRIPT EDITORS: Michelle Quinn, BR
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:29
VID APPROVED BY: Holly Franko
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: McPhearson interview done on Teams, no bug needed))
((INTRO))
[[New York’s largest convention center hosts about 175 events each year that draw hundreds of thousands of people to the city. To help offset the environmental impact, the owners have installed an urban farm and solar farm...on the building’s roof. Tina Trinh reports.]]
((NARRATOR))
High atop the Javits Convention Center in New York City lies a nearly 2.8-hectare expanse of vegetation.
((NARRATOR))
The 35-year-old convention center is modernizing its rooftop space with plans for a vegetable garden and solar farm.
[[FOR RADIO: Jacqueline Tran is the energy and sustainability manager at the Javits Center]]
((Jacqueline Tran, Javits Center Energy and Sustainability Manager))
“We have a one-acre farm that's operated by Brooklyn Grange, and then also we have an orchard with nearly 40 fruit trees.”
((NARRATOR))
Call it a roof-to-table experience. Over 18,000 kilograms of fruits and vegetables are anticipated each year, and they’ll be used in the convention hall’s kitchens and catering operations.
Green roofs like this one don't offset all the energy used by convention-goers below — but demonstrate novel ways to keep buildings cooler in the summer, mitigate urban heat and absorb stormwater runoff.
[[FOR RADIO: Again, Jacqueline Tran]]
((Jacqueline Tran, Javits Center Energy and Sustainability Manager))
“There’s two cisterns underground that capture and treat rainwater and pump it back up to the roof to irrigate all of the crops on the farm.”
In New York City, newly constructed homes and buildings are required to install either solar panels, green roofs, or both. Owners get a tax abatement in return, as part of the city’s larger effort to be carbon neutral by 2050.
The Javits Center doesn’t qualify for tax abatements because it’s a state-run entity.
[[FOR RADIO: Timon (“TY-mun”) McPhearson is an urban ecology professor at The New School]]
((Timon McPhearson, The New School Urban Ecology Professor))
“New York has really made some great strides in providing actual funding to incentivize green roof investments. But it is a small amount total compared to our goals, pretty lofty goals, about how we want to advance New York for resilience and sustainability.”
((NARRATOR))
Solar panels here could supply about 10% of the building’s energy needs. Engineers say these rooftop installations could be an important step for reducing reliance on traditional energy sources nationwide.
[[FOR RADIO: Matt Hegelson is head of sustainability for Siemens USA.]
((Matt Helgeson, Siemens USA Head of Sustainability))
“I mean, if we could do that across the country, we could make a significant impact on our resilience and reliance on the energy grid and just our energy consumption overall.”
((NARRATOR))
Still, there’s no getting around the fact that green roofs are expensive, typically costing over $215 dollars per square meter, according to the Green Roof Researchers Alliance.
And they require a major investment in time as well, monitoring and evaluating how the roof provides benefits over time.
[[FOR RADIO: McPhearson of The New School]]
((Timon McPhearson, The New School Urban Ecology Professor))
“Who pays in the meantime for that actual cost? It makes it very difficult for building owners to want to invest in putting a green roof on their building, if they're going to have to pay for all the upfront costs over multiple years.”
((NARRATOR))
While the payoffs may take time to realize, at least in this corner of the city, this roof provides a vision of a greener future.
((Tina Trinh, VOA News, New York))
NewsML Media TopicsEnvironment, Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateDecember 20, 2021 18:51 EST
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media
