U.s. Postal Service Saves Energy With 2.5 Acre Green Roof
Covering some 109,000 square feet (or about 2.5 acres), the new green roof atop the Morgan mail processing facility in New York City is a first for the U.S. Postal Service. The green roof, installed in 2009, continues to perform better than expected, going a long way to help meet the agency’s goal of reducing energy use by 30 percent within five years.
“A year ago, the Postal Service projected the green roof would help the Morgan facility save $30,000 in annual energy expenses,” said Tom Samra, vice president, Facilities. “We’re pleased to have surpassed that goal, saving more than $1 million since the implementation of the green roof and other energy–saving measures at Morgan.”
The green roof is currently the largest in New York, and easily one of the Postal Service’s most ambitious environmental projects. The roof is expected to last at least 50 years, providing not only energy savings for the Morgan mailing facility, but also a reduction in polluted water runoff. The vegetation and soil absorb, retain, and transpire water, helping to reduce the total amount of surface runoff (by as much as 75 percent in summer and 40 percent in winter) while also “cleaning” the water that does eventually make its way from the rooftop to city storm drains.
In addition to the green roof at the Morgan facility, the Postal Service has a number of LEED-certified buildings including Post Offices in Denver, CO, and Southampton, NY; and mail processing centers in Greenville, SC, and Troy, MI. The energy savings efforts of the Postal Service can certainly go a long way when they currently maintain about 287 million square feet of floor space.
“We’re working greener every day,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. “Our total energy use is down and to date, the Postal Service has reduced facility energy intensity by more than 21 percent based on a 2003 baseline, well ahead of the federal goal of 12 percent.”
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