Green

    

Stock, J. (2008, April). Go green. Parks & Recreation,

 

(Stock, 2008)

   

Growing green roofs, city by city. (2007, June). Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(6),

 

(“Growing green roofs,,” 2007)

   

Growing up green. (2008, October). BioScience, 58(9),

 

(“Growing up green,” 2008)

                         

Topics Inventory

1. Academic studies

Personal interest:

The French Language

Academic subject:

The French Language, Culture, History and Politics

Possible topics: “Teaching the English Language in France”

“Expat living in France”

“International Business”

2. Social issue

Personal interest: Green Living

Social issue: The Government Implementing Green Living into our EverydayLives.

Possible topics: “Teaching Grade School Kids the Importance of Green Living”

“Planting Organic Gardens within Urban City Vacant fields, Lots and Rooftops.

“Implement a Law Making Recycling Mandatory Nationwide”

3. Scientific subject

Personal interest: Conserving Energy

Scientific subject: Finding other Alternatives to using Oil for Energy

Possible topics: “Burning Fuel Low in Toxins”

“The Use of Recycle Products to be used as Fossil

Fuel”

“Learn ways of Using Electric Energy to help with the Worlds Pollution Problem.

4. Cultural background

Personal interest: Multi-racial and Cultured

Cultural background: Multi-racial to be Recognized Worldwide

Possible topics: “How America became a Melting Pot”

“How being multi-racial have impacted the Census Bureau.

“The History of New Orleans, its Culture and People”

Controlling Idea Statement

Enthymeme: The introduction of “Green Living” into the American school system is very critical in teaching the importance of recycling; green living and keeping the environment clean to our youths. Earth Day is a prime example of encouraging individuals, including adolescences the importance of saving the future of our planet Earth, ourselves and the generation to follow. Again, it is very important that our schools introduce to our children green living, re-cycling, organic gardening and how to become better at being aware of their surrounding and planet. This is the beginning of turning the entire world green, one child at a time.

Short Proposal

American schools are cultivating to the green living lifestyle. Environmental education is becoming more evident in educating today’s school-age children. National Green week introduced the term “Green Living” to students and the importance of how an eco-lifestyle is beneficial to preserving our planet and ourselves.

The purpose of my paper is to help enlighten the parents, school system and the public about the importance of teaching children an eco-lifestyle at a very young age. Educating individuals at a very young age can be extremely difficult and trying. This is because tradition is being broken due to the fact, we live within a society where everything is instant, disposable and easy accessible. This can make it very difficult to train a child in the importance of saving our planet. Children of today is used to everything happening at a very fast pace. We have to teach them a lot of our everyday items we use or consume daily can actually harm or be detrimental to our environment and their health. In my paper, I will speak as an advocate for the “Green Living” lifestyle. I will write about the consequences of what to expect if we continue to live as human beings the same way we have been living for the last decades and third what we can do to combat this problem starting with teaching the eco-friendly way of living to our grade-school kids.

The campaign for the education of green living for our youths should start from at home. Organizers encourage adults to lead by example. It is very imperative for families to teach their children to practice green living, and become an advocacy for environmental awareness at home.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Research Proposal is to mold the preliminary ideas you have about your topic and to develop them in an academic manner. This development occurs as a direct result of your research on the subject. Therefore, this is your first formal articulation of your project. The Research Proposal is the next step towards writing assignments that will help you construct your Research Paper.

Description:

In this 500-600-word, essay-style Research Proposal, you will develop the project that you intend to write about for your final Research Paper for this course. If your Research Proposal is less than this word count, then it is likely you have not fully developed your proposal or adhered to the assignment appropriately, which can severely impact your grade for this assignment. Your Research Proposal will include the elements listed below.

Your Research Proposal should also include a list of references in APA style and should adhere to APA convention throughout for in-text citation and style. When you write for academic or public audiences, it is imperative that you are supported by voices other than your own. In other words, even if you are an expert, you still must support your assertions.

In a Research Proposal, the same is true. For this assignment, you will include at least one source in your description of your tentative argument. The source cannot be yourself, an interview, or your text book. You must research your topic in order to gain a valid academic source that speaks to your topic in some way.

Elements:

Your Research Proposal grade will be largely based on your inclusion of the elements listed below, as well as your development of the project. For assistance, you might want to refer to Chapter 1, Section 1a, of The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises (pp. 3-4). Your Research Proposal must contain the following elements:

1. Cover page and APA formatting:

You will include an APA-style cover page for your Research Proposal. See the example on page 16 of The CSU APA Guide (6th edition). Your cover page should include the following: the title of your future Research Paper (this may be changed as your project develops), your name, and the name of your university (Columbia Southern University). The cover page must also include a running head which should include up to 50 characters from the title of the paper, along with a sequential page number in the upper right-hand corner. You can find instructions for formatting the running head on pp. 9-11 of The CSU APA Guide.

2. Purpose:

Review the purpose statement on p. 333 of Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers. You may also want to refer to Chapter 1, Section 1c of The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises (pp. 6-7). The following questions should be addressed in the first paragraph of your Research Proposal, which should be dedicated to establishing your purpose for doing this particular project.

• What is your rationale for this project?

• What do you hope to learn from the project, or what to do you want to see happen as a result of it?

• Who is your audience for this project? Chapter 1, Section 1d, of The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises (pp. 7-8)

• What role will you play in this project: investigator or advocate?

3. Statement of qualification:

Address the following questions as they are applicable to your project.

• What is your investment in the topic?

• What personal experience do you bring to the topic?

• What special qualities do you bring to the project?

• How might your investment, experience, and special qualities make you particularly apt at developing this project?

4. Tentative argument:

Your final Research Paper for this course will be an argumentative, research-based, academic paper. While it is unlikely that you will have a concrete idea of what your entire argument will be at this point in the writing process, it is necessary for you to articulate your argument as you understand it to be right now. Address the following questions.

• What is the context surrounding your topic? In other words, is there some event that was a catalyst for bringing your topic into the public eye? (Optional)

• What is your explanation or definition of the topic?

• What is your analysis of the specific issue surrounding your topic?

• What is your tentative thesis statement or hypothesis?

5. References:

Include a references list as the last page of your Research Proposal. See the example on pages 6, 7, and 21 of The CSU APA Guide (6th edition). All entries are those that have been cited in the text. No others are to be included. No textbooks should be included on the r

Runninghead: TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN EDUCATION 1

Technology Is Transferring Human Education to Computers

Student Name

Columbia Southern University

TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN EDUCATION 2

Technology Is Transferring Human Education to Computers

Technology is used every day. As time passes and technology becomes increasingly more

advanced, humans also become increasingly more dependent on that technology. This can be a

good thing because technology has the potential to make life considerably easier, but this can

also cause a deficiency in the human race, beginning at a basic level: children. One of the major

benefits of technology has been education in an online setting. However, this is also one of the

possibilities of deficiency in public interaction with other humans, stemming from elementary

schools. The foundation of this paper will examine both, while elaborating on the psychological

aspect of childhood de-socialization upon integrating them fully into the online setting, thereby

negating their human interactive development by natural socialization processes. I hope that my

research will go on to delay and even inhibit altogether the addition of primary schools to a

solely online setting. As an advocate for higher education in this setting, this paper will also

campaign against lawmakers who would seek to implement this style of learning into the primary

school levels due to the damage that it could inflict on the young.

This topic originated from personal experience in online learning and the benefits of such

a flexible learning style for the active life of an average adult with a profession, a family, and

various other daily demands on their time. The opposition being that of a teenager straight out of

high school, attending a traditional brick and mortar type college/university, without the cares of

an adult life yet. My passion comes from my direct experience in both a traditional college and

the online college experience. Additionally, I have a unique viewpoint as that of a previously

younger student from my primary/middle school days. I was able to see the differences in the

public school system and the private school system and can therefore correlate this difference to

being equal to that of the differences in online and traditional colleges. This gives me a stronger

TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN EDUCATION 3

opinion of instilling socialization skills in children at an early age. Finally, my college study of

psychology, which is defined as “the scientific study of behavior and mental processes” (Matlin,

1999, p. 4) has illuminated the necessity of socialization as children, and the possibilities for

abnormal personality disorders that can manifest from the lack of early childhood socialization

(Nevid, Rathus, & Greene, 2008).

The tentative argument of this topic is based on the progression of schools that have

already conformed to the online setting. Gwinnett County, Georgia has already implemented

fully online high schools, and there is information regarding the full implementation of

elementary schools as well. The information that I intend to argue with this paper will illuminate

the negative effects of this action, by demonstrating the psychological aspects of our basic

human need for socialization (Macionis, 2009).

The world’s growing reliance on technology is transitioning human education to

becoming fully online, for all age and education levels, thereby removing the socialization

necessary for human public interaction. This statement will be the basis of my research of this

topic. With the discussion of socialization, I intend to demonstrate that we as humans “need

social experience to learn [our] culture and to survive” (Macionis, 2009, p. 72).

TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN EDUCATION 4

Reference

Macionis, J. (2009). Society the basics (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice

Hall.

Matlin, M. E., (1999). Psychology (3rd ed.). Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace College.

Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2009). Abnormal psychology in a changing world

(Custom ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Prentice Hall.

green

“Green” programs and facilities delivered by public

park and recreation agencies are influencing the next

wave of environmentally conscious citizens.

By Judith A. Stock ,

Baltimore’s Family Fishing Fun program

introduces kids-and their parents-to the

natural world.

6 4 P A R K S ^ R E C R E A T I O N A P R I L 2 0 0

CARING FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT

GROWING
GREEN KIDS

W
hen Club Chameleon
took its first group of
kids on an overnight
wilderness adventure,
in 2003, the intention

was to impact as many young people
as possible.

Today, the program, offered by the
Newmarket Recreation agency in New
Hampshire, reaches 215 children, ages
10-16, and has received designation by
NRPA as one of 20 pilot agencies for
the 2007 Teens Outside program, spon-
sored in partnership v^th the Outdoor
Foundation.

Once a month, Club Chameleon
runs a different outdoor weekend ex-
perience for 20 teens and 10 staff. What
keeps these kids coming back for more?
The friends they make and the sense
that the club belongs to them—which
it does.

One of the most successfiil things the
organization did, says Anneliese Fisher,
Club Chameleon director, is partner
with the University of New Hampshire
and its students to lead some of the
wilderness adventure trips. The stu-
dents receive college credits, and the
children are richer for the experience.

“As the program has grown, 45 of
the students have become mentors to
the group’s kids,” says Fisher. “They’ve
donated bikes and kayaks for the chil-
dren, too. We are very tied to our uni-
versity community.”

Funding for the nonprofit Club
Chameleon comes from grants and cor-
porate donations, says Fisher, “so the
parents don’t have to pay a dime. That
makes us a level playing field. The town
is low-to-moderate income, and there

are lots of kids who wouldn’t have the
opportunity to participate otherwise.”

Although the town of Newmarket is
located 20 minutes away from the coast,
three-quarters ofthe children who
attend Club Chameleon have never had
the opportunity to stand at the ocean’s
shore. For some of these kids, going
hiking in the White Mountains, 45 min-
utes away, was another first.

“When we stood on top of the
mountain, the look on their faces was
amazement,” Fisher says. “They didn’t
even know what was in their own back-
yard. Through our program, they are
being given a greater appreciation of
their surroundings.”

The perfect opportunity for teaching
stewardship principles to young chil-
dren is immersing them in nature. And
these kids are card-carrying members
of the “Leave No Trace” national pro-
gram that seeks to minimize the indi-
vidual impact on the natural environ-
ment. The kids don’t trash the streams
or break branches from the trees, and
they easily police themselves and one
another. The skills they learn can be
used throughout their lives.

Fisher says the kids work hard to-
gether as a team and as they do, their
self-esteem and self-confidence grow.
The club is all about support to help
them get through their teenage years.
“At our community center, the kids
constantly come in to see us,” says
Fisher. “Sometimes, I see their report
cards before their parents do.”

Club members. Fisher says, feel a
family-like connection and take care
of each other. One day at school, for
instance, a bully confronted a club

member. Immediately, three fellow club
members stepped in to stop the bully-
ing and vralked the accosted member
home.

The club kids call Fisher “Mama
Bear” because they know she will pro-
tect them. A firm believer in the
Richard Louv book Last Child in the
Woods, which argues that children are
becoming increasingly disconnected
from nature, she agrees that children
today don’t play outside like kids used
to and, consequently, their imaginations
aren’t being challenged.

Paying it forward. Club Chameleon
involves a significant community serv-
ice component. Club kids engage in
projects such as mentoring younger
children or providing community
service at town festivals. They’ve even
adopted a 175-acre farm in Maine,
where they removed old, rusted farm
equipment and built a chicken coop.

“Our teens don’t test us,” says Fisher.
“They know what is being given to
them, the expectations involved, and
that if they don’t live up to those ex-
pectations, there is no more camping
for them.”

Last weekend, on a skiing expedition.
Fisher was told by the women handing
out ski rentals that every one of the 20
kids said, “please” and “thank you”
when receiving his or her equipment.
“These kids,” says Fisher “know they are
changing the way people look at teens.”

In Baltimore:
Hook, Line, and Sinker
Bob Wall, division chief of youth and
adult sports at the Baltimore City De-
partment of Recreation and Parks, has

P A R K S R E C R E A T I O N A P R I L 2 0 0 8

Peter Bergeron, 14, climbs at Pawtuckaway State Park in Raymond, N.H.,

as part of Club Chameleon and NRPA’s Teens Outside program.

run the agency’s Family Fishing Fun
program for the past six years.

As an anchor agency in tbe Take Me
Fishing^”^ initiative, a national strategy
of NRPA and the Recreational Boating
and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) aimed
at introducing and growing participa-
tion in boating and fishing, Wall has
been able to increase the reach of the
fishing program and make it available
to Baltimore families on Tuesday
evenings during the months of May,
June, September, and October. Families
meet at the Patterson Park Boat Lake,
where participants are furnished with a
rod, reel, and bait, and spend two hours
fishing in this catch-and-release park
program. Some families bring a picnic
dinner, using the tables scattered
around the lake.

“This program has been really suc-
cessful,” says Wall. “We talk to the kids
about how to keep the environment
clean, and we have [them] pick up any
trash lying around.”

The summer fishing program targets
kids ages 3 and older. All 46 recreation
centers throughout the city offer the
opportunity to schedule a fisbing trip
at Patterson Park Boat Lake, which is
located on three acres in the heart of

Baltimore.
“During this program, we partner

with the Audubon Society and take two
groups of children from different cen-
ters, 15 kids in each group,” explains
Wall. “We take one group, and the
Audubon volunteers take the other.
We take our kids fishing, and the other
group goes bird-watching or does an
environmentally related arts and crafts
program.”

Patterson Park, where the lake is
located, is one of the oldest parks in
Baltimore, encompassing 155 acres. It
was designed as a smaller version of
New York’s Central Park.

After offering the fishing program for
five years, it became obvious to park
officials that if the program were to go
forward at Patterson Park Boat Lake,
the facility would need some serious
attention, perhaps even a facelift. Sixty
percent of the lake had become choked
off with cattails and lily pads, and sedi-
ment badly needed to be removed from
the bottom. To keep young children
from falling into deep water, the shore-
line had to be altered to meet safety
requirements.

“Last year we had about 3,500 kids
come through tbe program, ages 3 to

teens,” says Wall. Much of the increase
can be attributed to Baltimore’s anchor
agency status with NRPA and RBFF,
through which it received grant funding
to expand community fishing pro-
grams.

The principles of a successful, engag-
ing stewardship program for children
include organization, community
involvement, and partnerships.

As is the case with many programs.
Wall cautions against trying to go it
alone. Instead, he says, consider devel-
oping support groups. For the Balti-
more fishing program, having the 800-
member Friends of Patterson Park as an
ally is a tremendous bonus.

Program leaders have found another
friend in Tochterman’s Tackle Shop, a
small, 95-year-old, family-owned fish-
ing tackle shop near the park that’s
been quite generous across the years.
“We have never paid for any bait, and
that is a whole lot of worms and night
crawlers,” says Wall.

“Our town has an initiative to make
Baltimore greener,” says Wall. “We are
planting an enormous amount of trees
to regain our canopy. Aesthetically, if
the eye sees trees and not just buildings,
it will be a more pleasing sight. And,

66 P A R K S E C R E A T I O N A P R I L 2 0 0 8

since the park is only two miles from
the city center and the famed harbor
area of Baltimore, the city’s enhance-
ment would benefit the park.”

In the end, the most important fea-
ture of the fishing program is that the
kids who attend “will teach their chil-
dren to be greener and more environ-
mentally friendly,” says Wall. “The
greener the kids, the better off everyone
will be. There will be a lot more job
opportunities for people who under-
stand the environment”

Wall gauges the fishing program’s
success by the number of smiles he
sees—and by the number of kids who
come back. “We always keep 40 fishing
rods on hand, but I know a kid is really
interested when he brings his own fish-
ing rod,” says Wall. “Get them hooked
on fishing and that will keep them away
from all the bad influences.”

Growing Lifelong Stewards
“It’s our mission to instill a sense of
stewardship in our community so that
throughout the children’s lifetime, they
can make good environmental deci-
sions,” says Katie Shaw, nature center
manager for Walker Nature Education
Center in Reston, Va. “Those are the
things I hope they take away with them.
That, and a great desire to learn about
nature.”

The center’s director for 17 years,
Shaw says kids find out quickly from
their programs that nature puts every-
one involved on equal footing. “You
don’t have to be the smartest or the
fastest,” she says. “You can just be you.”

Shaw likes the fact that the nature
center introduces children to the envi-
ronment at an early age, when they are
most impressionable, explaining, “We
start our lS-month-olds out in our
Babies in the Woods program,” where
participants are exposed to sensory
experiences in a series of one-hour pro-
grams that let them hear, see, touch,
and smell their surroundings. “We have
learning stations and, as often as possi-
ble, in good weather, we take them out
on the trail,” says Shaw.

The core programs include Nature

With a sense of stewardship in the community, children will make a lifetime’s worth

of good environmental decisions.

Tots, geared toward 3- to 5-year-olds
who can come to the nature center’s
camp during the summer, and field
trips for elementary school children in

the spring and fall. “With our teens, we
do the work-learn experience, and, as
they move toward adulthood, we offer
summer jobs for teens and internships

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A camper explores aquatic life in a Reston, Va., stream.

with college students,” she says.
All ofthe center’s programs take

place trailside within the facility’s 72-
acre site, and are built around a four-
stage model that includes awareness,

appreciation, knowledge, and action.
Shaw advises taking advantage ofthe

teachable moments by presenting pro-
grams that supplement the auditory,
visual, and tactile experience. “This is

the key” she suggests. “When you get
auditory, visual, and tactile in one pro-
gram, this is when you know your
important message will be retained.”

In measuring a program’s success,
Shaw uses two methods, one formal
and the other informal. She first sug-
gests getting written evaluations from
staff, teachers, and parents. To illustrate
the informal method, Shaw relates a
coincidental meeting with a parent in
the grocery store: “The parent told me
their kid went into biology in college
because ofthe camp program.”

With a strong stewardship program,
says Shaw, “you make the right envi-
ronmental choices. You hear all the
time that everyone makes a difference,
but when it comes to the environment,
it really is true. It’s about the legacy we
leave behind.”

NRPA: Where the Kids Are Outdoors

SaJd
Sajai Wise Kids *̂̂ Outdoors

It’s a fact: Children today are spending

less time outdoors engaged In sponta-

neous play, NRPA and the Sajai”^” Founda-

tion are partnering to reconnect kids with

the natural environment. This exciting new

program will have them exploring nature

outside their door while it teaches them

about the importance of eating right and

being physically active. Each session

engages kids in outdoor adventure mis-

sions guided by trained recreation staff,

and is sure to get them excited about

their natural surroundings.

For more information, visit

www.nrpa.org/wisekids.

OUTDOOR
INDUSTRY
F O U N D A T I O N

Teens Outside

Teens Outside is a program that introduces

youth ages 11 -17 to outdoor recreation

through sustained, season-long experi-

ences in hiking, camping, climbing, biking,

paddling, and other activities with the

goal of fostering a new generation of out-

door enthusiasts. Through an NRPA part-

nership with the Outdoor Foundation, the

program was piloted in 2007 with 20 park

and recreation agencies across the coun-

try. By the end of the year, the Teens Out-

side program had succeeded in involving

more than 3,560 teens and 250 mentors

in outdoor experiences. NRPA and the

Outdoor Foundation are working to fine-

tune and expand the program to include

additional agencies, and intend to incorpo-

rate a community and environmental

stewardship pillar.

For more information, visit

www.nrpa.org/teensoutside.

Take Me Fishing^”

NRPA and the Recreational Boating and

Fishing Foundation (RBFF) are partnering

to get kids outdoors through boating and

fishing. The Take Me Fishing^”^ initiative

aims to give hectic families an opportunity

to reconnect in an outdoor setting, teach

youth new life skills, and incorporate fish-

ing and boating as part of a healthy life-

style. In its two years, this initiative has

reached more than 300 park and recre-

ation agencies, engaging some 90,000

youth ages 6-11. NRPA and RBFF have

a strong commitment to initiatives that

focus on youth and the outdoors, foster

future anglers, and provide education

on environmental conservation. The 2008

program is set to launch in the coming

months.

Look for more information at

www.nrpa.org/fishing.

68 P A R K S R E C R E A T I O N A P R I L 2 0 0 8

A 306 VOLUME 115 | NUMBER 6 | June 2007 • Environmental Health Per

s

pective

s

Environews Spheres of Influence

Spheres of Influence | Growing Green Roofs, City by City

G
reen roofs — rooftops that are partially or

completely covered with vegetation growing

in soil medium over a waterproof mem-

brane—have gained momentum over the past six years as

building owners recognize their advantages over conven-

tional roofing in terms of better energy efficiency and

reduced rain runoff. Now local governments are exploring

incentives for moving the practice into the mainstream.

A look at cities that are leading the country in green roof

coverage reveals a growing range of policy tools.

Millennium Park atop Chicago’s City Hall covers 24.5 acres. The public park
includes numerous fountains, sculptures, and botanical garden spaces, as well
as performance facilities, restaurants, and a skating rink.

G
re

en
R

o
o
fs

f
o
r

H
ea

lt
h
y

C
it
ie

s

Capital Growth
Alexi Boado, low-impact development
coordinator for Washington, DC’s District
D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e E n v i r o n m e n t
(DDOE), says the city began seriously
examining green roofs for stormwater con-
trol five years ago, when the DC Water
and Sewer Authority provided $300,000
for green roof development as part of a
court-ordered settlement. Those funds,
managed by the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, seeded a program of incentive
grants that encouraged eight builders to
choose green roofs over other traditional
devices as their primary stormwater con-
trol device (stormwater control plans are
required for any new construction or rede-
velopment of more than 5,000 square feet
in the District). Builders also have a proce-
dural incentive: designs that include a
green roof in the stormwater control plan
receive expedited processing.

To build local engineering design and
green construction capacity and catalyze
interest in green roofs, the DDOE is work-
ing with the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service to offer almost
$800,000 in complete design-and-build ser-
vices for select public and commercial prop-
erties. This program is slated to begin in the
summer of 2007. In addition, as part of a
cash grants program, DDOE and its sister
agencies are in the process of installing green
roofs on three new community recreation
centers, two public schools, and one housing
development. Previous grants have subsi-
dized some of the first green roofs in the
District, as well as the implementation of
many other innovative stormwater control
practices such as rain gardens and permeable
surfaces. The District allotted about
$500,000 in 2007 to innovative stormwater
control grants in addition to the Natural
Resources Conservation Service partnership.

Dawn Gifford, program coordinator of
the nonprofit DC Greenworks, has seen a
shift in green roof installations from mainly
commercial buildings to a mix of commer-
cial and residential. DC Greenworks has
dedicated itself to installing green roofs
throughout the city; a high-profile demo
model they installed at 1425 K Street NW in
2004 has drawn more than 3,000 visitors
and inspired similar projects across the met-
ropolitan area.

Doug Siglin, director of federal affairs for
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, explains
the public policy perspective behind the
interest in green roofs: one problem in the
Anacostia River, which runs through
Washington, DC, and in the bay generally,
is too much erosion, with silt increasing
water turbidity. Most erosion comes from
stormwater runoff; green roofs help moder-
ate that blast of runoff from precipitation
events, and therefore help local governments

A 308 VOLUME 115 | NUMBER 6 | June 2007 • Environmental Health Perspectives

Spheres of Influence | Growing Green Roofs, City by City
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The Ballard Library in Seattle incorporates solar panels into its green roof design. Energy generated from these panels is fed back in
to the city’s power grid. The curved roof create six microclimate conditions, each a separate exposure with differing water retention
properties, based on slope and orientation.

deal with rainwater by detaining, retaining,
and absorbing it where it first hits.

Chicago officials see another public
health benefit in moderating the city’s “heat
island” effect (defined as urban and suburban
areas having temperatures up to 10°F higher
than nearby rural sites). Heat islands spike
energy demands, air pollution levels, and
heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion
and heat stroke. With climate change, says
Sadhu Johnston, the city’s commissioner for
the environment, Chicago can expect hotter
and drier summers—conditions that the heat
island effect will only exacerbate.

Johnston says green roofs can help avert
heat wave–related deaths, citing studies that
show lower temperatures on green roofs
compared with traditional roofs, and reduced
air-conditioning use in buildings with green
roofs. According to the 2004 Green Roof Test
Plot 2003 End of Year Project Summary
Report by environmental engineering firm

MWH, which is posted on the City of
Chicago website, the mean temperature of
green roof areas in the heat of the day
(between 12:30 and 4:30 pm) was up to
31% cooler than other roof types.

Salad Days of Incentives
Chicago mayor Richard Daley, Jr., installed a
green roof on City Hall after returning from a
1999 visit to Europe, where he saw one in
action. “That [installation] really sparked peo-
ple’s imagination,” says Johnston. The city
also offered grants and stormwater credits (a
reduction in city fees for stormwater manage-
ment) to prospective green roof owners to
jumpstart the practice. Today Chicago leads
the country in green roofs, with 300 buildings
comprising some 3 million square feet of
green roofing, says Johnston. Most such roofs
are on commercial buildings (including
Target and McDonald’s) but many are on
civic buildings and smaller stores.

Incentives also evolved in Portland,
Oregon. Tom Liptan, an environmental
specialist with the city Bureau of Environ-
mental Services, says about 20 years ago
the city added a floor area ratio (FAR)
b o n u s t o i t s b u i l d i n g c o d e w h e r e b y
builders could get permission to build
extra square footage (either up or out) by
employing favored practices. In the 1990s
Liptan realized that European-style green
roofs might help Portland with stormwater
control. He put a green roof on his garage
in 1996 and measured rain runoff for two
years. Eventually, the city adjusted its FAR
bonus to include green roofs as a favored
practice. One builder who installed 4,000
square feet of green roof, for example,
received permission to build an extra
12,000 square feet of building density; the
builder was able to add six condo units,
then selling for $395,000 each. “They
spent sixty thousand dollars to get two

Environmental Health Perspectives • VOLUME 115 | NUMBER 6 | June 2007 A 309

Spheres of Influence | Growing Green Roofs, City by City

(left) Stormwater flows from the green roof at Sanitation District No. 1 in Fort Wright, Kentucky, into a naturalized wetland, then a
retention basin, a detention basin, step pools, and finally into Banklick Creek. (right) One of Washington, DC’s first green roofs was
installed at 1425 K Street NW.

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A 310 VOLUME 115 | NUMBER 6 | June 2007 • Environmental Health Perspectives

Spheres of Influence | Growing Green Roofs, City by City

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million dollars’ worth of additional sellable
property,” says Liptan.

Chicago likewise gives a density bonus
for green roofs in its central business district,
which permits developers to increase the
number of units allowed on a piece of prop-
erty. The city also offers an “express lane” for
the permit process. Johnston says with a
green roof in the design, “you get a dedicated
team of reviewers, and you get a permit in
thirty days” as compared to the typical 90 to
100 days. Plus, the city waives the develop-
er’s fee for processing the building permit
application.

Inducements include sticks as well as car-
rots. Chicago requires any developer who
receives city assistance (for example, to reha-
bilitate a brownfield) to include a green roof.
Builders have reservations about that
approach, since green roofs have a higher ini-
tial cost. Stuart Match Suna, cofounder of
production company Silvercup Studios,

which installed a green roof on its building
in Long Island City, New York, is leery of
regulatory mandates. “I would be reluctant
to require them,” he told the September
2006 issue Metropolis magazine. “That
would make New York City that much more
expensive [to rent or own property in].”
Mary Margaret Hiller, marketing and com-
munications director for Washington,
DC–based developer Akridge, adds, “There
is a premium to pay for a green roof, so I
think it’s up to the developer whether they
feel a green roof is necessary.”

But builders also note growing client
interest. “If you want to be a player, you
have to be up on these technologies,” says
Hiller. Akridge, for example, has gone from
having no green roof designs several years
ago to managing three green-roofed proper-
ties now and developing designs for three
more, including one property that will be
completed next year.

Tools for the Trade
After years of clarifying green roof prac-
tices and benefits for builders, nonprofit
groups and associations are helping gov-
ernments explore the economics and poli-
cies affecting the technology, sometimes
with industry funding. In New York City,
Earth Pledge, an industry association of
green builders, has worked with city offi-
cials to oversee design and construction of
seven roof projects on condos and apart-
ment buildings in the Bronx, Brooklyn,
and Harlem, according to executive direc-
tor Leslie Hoffman. “There is recognition
that multifamily residential is a very inter-
esting opportunity for green roofs,” she
says, estimating that close to half of Earth
Pledge’s green roof projects are on apart-
ment buildings.

In February 2007, Earth Pledge and the
nonprofit Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
received a $300,000 grant from the Home

Two views of the Louisa, a Portland, Oregon, residential high-rise with 242 apartments and ground-floor retail. Other green features of
the building include high-efficiency glazing, low-toxicity building materials and finishes, and locally sourced construction materials.

Environmental Health Perspectives • VOLUME 115 | NUMBER 6 | June 2007 A 311

Spheres of Influence | Growing Green Roofs, City by City

Depot Foundation to foster green infrastruc-
ture in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta,
and other cities. “We’re focused on develop-
ing smart tools [for policy makers and
developers],” says Hoffman. These include
models that show planners how much water a
green roof at a given location is likely to cap-
ture, and GIS-based models that show how a
larger-scale shift to green roofs would affect
stormwater outflow at the watershed level.

There is no national inventory of green
roof policies, but in April 2007 Green Roofs
for Healthy Cities launched the Green Roofs
Tree of Knowledge, a database on research
and policy related to green roof infrastruc-
ture. At a regional level, in March 2007 the
Washington, DC–based nonprofit group
RESOLV prepared a report, Public Funding
Incentives for Private Residential and
Commercial Watershed Protection Projects, for
officials in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The report reviewed the region’s rules and

incentives, highlighting case studies nation-
wide, with the aim of improving watershed
health. The report summary stresses targeting
priority sub-watershed areas, voluntary action
by property owners, and public education.
Boado says the EPA is doing a similar study.

Raising the Roof
For everyone, the state of green roof imple-
mentation is in a learning phase. “Most of
the solutions we’ve come up with are home-
grown,” Johnston says of Chicago’s policies.
“Most we haven’t seen used in this country
before.”

The EPA cites green roofs as one option
for ameliorating the heat island effect.
Hoffman suggests that the EPA could incor-
porate green roofs into incentives for cities to
comply with the Clean Water Act. For
example, by developing a green roof plan, a
city might gain a postponement against fed-
eral compliance requirements. Such an

option would likely be seen as an opportuni-
ty rather than a regulatory burden.

This would keep the push for green roofs
at the city level, where rivalries keep advance-
ments bubbling. “Chicago is the leading
competition for us—friendly competition,”
Portland’s Liptan says. Washington’s Boado
confirms this sporting element. “Chicago has
thrown down the gauntlet,” he says. “We’re
the nation’s capital, and we want to be the
greenest city in America.”

Siglin says that relatively small subsidies
can nudge developers. “It’s a good policy les-
son for governments,” he says: with a few
grants and educational outreach, governments
can foster a practice that reduces the public
costs of managing runoff and water pollution
abatement. As a policy tool, then, green roofs
show unexpected potential. “That,” says
Siglin, “helps the taxpayer in many ways.”

David A. Taylor

The green roof on the Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center in Minneapolis, stocked with native plants, educates visitors about the dimin-
ishing local bedrock bluff prairie ecosystem. The roof also offers a pleasing view to passengers on the nearby elevated train.

Fall Focus on Books

GROWING UP GREEN

A Clean Sky: The Global Warming Story. Robyn C. Friend and Judith Love Cohen. Cascade Pass, Marina del Rey, CA,
2007. 48 pp., illus. $13.95 (ISBN 9781880599822 cloth).

The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Laurie David and Cambria Gordon. Scholastic, New York, 2007.
128 pp., illus. $15.99 (ISBN 9780439024945 paper).

The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure. Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini and Rachel Crandell. Dawn Publications,
Nevada City, CA, 2008. 32 pp., illus. $16.95 (ISBN 9781584691013 doth).

How We Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming. Lynne
Cherry and Gary Braasch. Dawn Publications, Nevada City, CA, 2008.66 pp., illus. $17.95 (ISBN 9781584691037 cloth).

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth. Rochelle Strauss. Kids Can Press, Tonawanda, NY, 2007. 32 pp., illus. $17.95
(ISBN 9781553379546 cloth).

The Sky’s Not Falling! Why It’s OK to Chill about Global Warming. Holly Fretyvell. World Ahead Publishing, Los
Angeles, 2007. 128 pp., illus. $10.99 (ISBN 9780976726944 paper).

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Loree Griffin Burns. Houghton Mifflin, Boston,
2007. 64 pp., illus. $18.00 (ISBN 9780618581313 cloth).

E nvironmental conservation andglobal warming are two of the
hottest topics in science today, and
among the hottest resources for chil-
dren are the following new titles,
which target various age groups but
have a common goal of developing
environmental consciousness in our
kids. These books range from providing
a basic understanding of environmental
issues to showcasing a specific aspect of
our environment that needs focused
consideration. The books are meant to.
stir awareness by using the full gamut
of motivational techniques, from soft
cliché to hard statistic. Their goal is to
fuel motivation, some by suggesting
tried and true conservation practices,
and others by leaning more heavily on
scientific evidence and the evaluation
of it. And with one exception, they serve
as seeds for planting the idea of growing
up “green.”

Water conservation
The idea of water as a valuable resource
and the related issues of water access,
pollution, and depletion are thought-
fully discussed in One Well: The Story of
Water on Earth (ages 9 to 14). Author
Rochelle Strauss, an environmental
education consultant based in Toronto,
focuses the reader on the importance
of water conservation by using the anal-
ogy of one global well. Renowned artist

If we want our future citizens to make well-

informed decisions about issues related to

the environment, then we need to ensure that

. scientifically accurate, nonbiased sources of

information are available to them.

Rosemary Woods illustrates in rich
detail the concept of water as the strand
of life that connects everything on Earth.
The book is filled with facts and per-
centages, but the statistics are paired
with easy-to-understand descriptions
of tangible objects that readers can wrap
their heads around. Toward the end of
the book are notes to parents and teach-
ers; this is a well-written section that
provides helpful ideas, not strident
ultimatums, for water conservation.
Once children learn about the multiple
roles of water in sustaining life, they
will be more inclined to view this
resource as worthy of protection.
Furthermore, once they are imbued with
a global sense of community, they may
be more inclined to view themselves
as having their own responsible roles.

Ocean pollution
The ultimate reservoir of Earth’s water
is the ocean, and ocean pollution is the

cornerstone of Tracking Trash: Flotsam,
Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion
(ages 10 to 14). The collaborative efforts
of three scientists to “track trash”
through their understanding of wave
dynamics, ecological interactions, and
biodégradation make the book part
data analysis and part detective story.
Readers gain insight into climate pat-
terns and the variability, of ocean cur-
rents, which can lead to better pollution
prevention techniques and easier
cleanup efforts.

First-time author Loree Griffin Burns
also discusses an important aspect of
ocean pollution: plastics. Her description
of the ubiquitous contamination of
ocean water with plastic materials, and
the resulting threat to marine life, con-
stitutes a valuable lesson in responsible
management of trash. Through the use
of scientific supporting evidence, the
book further illustrates how damaging
the use of plastics can be to the environ-
ment. Burns traces the effects of pol-
luted ocean waters and shows how these
ultimately lead to changes in our cli-
mate and to serious consequences for
marine biodiversity. The glossary is
helpful since several technical terms are
used, and a list of other books and Web
resources is also included at the end of
the book.

884 BioScience • October 2008 / Vol. 58 No. 9 www. biosciencemag.org

Fall Focus on Books

Rainforests and species protection
The concept of conservation is often
demonstrated through efforts that begin
locally, but children may also be inspired
to participate in conservation efforts by
reading about an exotic place in Costa
Rica called the Children’s Eternal Rain-
forest. This 54,000-acre reserve is the
backdrop to the story of The Forever
Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure (ages
5 to 11). Well known children’s author
Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini collaborated
with author and rainforest conserva-
tionist Rachel Crandell to highlight the
significance of the rainforest ecosystem
and to send an effective message that
the determined actions of children all
over the world can be relevant to even
large-scale preservation projects. The
story is well crafted, full of information,
and beautifully enhanced by illustra-
tions. Readers learn that the rainforest
provides the habitat for numerous
species that face extinction as their food
webs are disrupted and forest area is
reduced by logging and other intrusive
human activities. Species protection
through reforestation is paramount, and
by explaining the importance of these
unique tropical forest dwellers in their
habitat, the authors are promoting
environmental awareness at a young
age, which Pratt-Serafini states is “the key
to preserving our world.”

Large-scale conservation efforts, such
as protecting an ecosystem as wide as the
ocean or as complex as the rainforest, are
under way throughout the world. Edu-
cational outreach programs for children
are excellent ways to emphasize the
important work that volunteers do and
to develop children’s commitment to
protect natural habitats.

Global warming
Growing environmental concern has
recently spiked as a result of our grad-
ual understanding and acknowledgment
of global warming. The term itself has
become part of the lexicon in both
scientific and political arenas. Major
socioeconomic decisions affecting not
just the United States but the world have
already been made, and will increas-
ingly be made, on the basis of judg-
ments about global warming. The topic

is rife with controversy. Nonetheless, an
introduction to global warming for chil-
dren can take a direct and scientific
approach. A Clean Sky: The Clobal
Warming Story (ages 9 to 12) does just
that. It is an appealing 48-page primer
on global warming that young readers
will enjoy. The book provides an objec-
tive understanding of a complex issue
without adopting political overtones.
Robyn C. Eriend and Judith Love Cohen

Although the issues of global warming and

conservation may always be subject to

interpretation and political bias, these topic’s in

children’s literature should be presented as

objectively as any piece of scientific information.

I

(an aerospace engineer) are accom-
plished writers of children’s books on a
variety of empowering subjects. Their
approach to global warming is to discuss
it from a can-do perspective: first ex-
plain the nature of the problem— how
does global warming take place over
time?—and then offer some possible
solutions to fix it. Eor example, the
term “greenhouse gases” is adequately
defined along with the need to curb
emissions, then terminology such as
“carbon capture” and “geological stor-
age” is introduced as alternative meth-
ods for reducing greenhouse gases. The
result is a book that is both rational and
engaging—optimism served objectively.

Documented evidence
of climate change
Another approach to understanding
global warming is to learn about the
work being done by an international
selection of scientists. Evidence-based
knowledge of global climate change is
the focus of the book How We Know
What We Know about Our Changing
Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore
Clobal Warming (ages 10 to 14). Studies
by more than 40 biologists, as well as
student researchers, are documented
in this collection of evidence that
climate change is real, and that plants
and animals are reacting to it. Through
clear descriptions of actual scientific

studies, a young reader absorbs clues
that are symptoms of global warming—
rainforest deforestation, rising sea levels,
and changing carbon dioxide levels, to
name a few. Lynne Cherry, an accom-
plished writer of environmental books,
and photojournalist Gary Braasch
teamed up to write this book, which not
only presents a convincing argument,
although its advocacy is subtle, but also
illustrates the collaborative spirit of
scientific research that is required to
further our understanding of the long-
ranging effects of global warming.

Science, after all, is about asking
questions, exploring problems, and
searching for adequate answers that
cannot always be found in a classroom
or textbook. This book encourages
scientific curiosity and takes a multi-
disciplinary approach to learning about
our environment. Additional resources
are plentiful. Instead of waving the
banner of environmental consciousness.
How We Know demonstrates ways to
take active roles in the community to
solve a problem that affects all of us.

Activism
In comparison. The Down-to-Earth
Cuide to Clobal Warming (ages 9 to 12)
highlights the importance of environ-
mental awareness and describes ways
for young readers to become engaged in
conservation efforts. The premise is
that peer-reviewed studies have already
identified solutions to global warming;
therefore, the task at hand is to become
an environmental activist to learn how
to combat this very serious problem.
The book can be somewhat misleading
in its use of quotes from celebrity role
models. Although it is important to pro-
vide our children with incentives for
becoming concerned about environ-
mental issues, this book is less a guide
than it is a call-to-action. Coauthors
Laurie David and Cambria Gordon are
environmental activists (and David is
also the producer of An Inconvenient
Truth, among other documentaries).
Parents may well want their children to
become similarly engaged in environ-
mental activism, but this book blurs the
distinction between becoming better
informed and becoming an advocate.

www. biosciencemag. org October 20081 Vol. 58 No. 9 • BioScience 885

Fall Focus on Books

Medía bias
While most scientists and environmen-
tal activists argue that global warming is
taking place at an accelerating pace, a few
others claim that the warming trend
observed over the past decades is part of
a cycle between cooling and warming
periods. From this perspective, another
issue emerges: media bias. The Sky’s Not
Falling! Why It’s OK to Chill about Global
Warming (ages 9 to 14) is offered as an
alternative “to the overwhelming num-
ber of liberal kids’ books on the market,”
according to the press release from the
publisher. Holly Fretwell, a faculty mem-
ber at Montana State University, cen-
tered her book around the thesis that
media concern with climate change is
exaggerated. Fretwell states that “with-
out greenhouse gases the earth would
be a very cold place to live.” This is true
but seems misleading, given that the
concern arises because concentrations
of such gases are rapidly increasing. Her
arguments are not very convincing when

she claims that warmer temperatures
could mean “better food growth per
acre.” No references are cited with this
claim. Fretwell also considers biofuels
to be an unrealistic option as energy
alternatives. They may be too costly to
taxpayers since “ethanol is not as efficient
at producing energy as fossil fuels” and
“the costs to society may be greater than
the benefits.” Fretwell’s “solution” is eco-
nomic growth (perhaps at the expense
of more fossil fuels), and she encourages
us not to fall under the restrictions of the
Kyoto Protocol. Clearly, the child is not
the target audience at this point.

Lessons for learning
Environmental issues will continue to
hold center stage in our scientific, socio-
economic, and political milieu. If we
want our future citizens to make well-
informed decisions about issues related
to the environment, then we need to
ensure that scientifically accurate, non-
biased sources of information are avail-

able to them. Although the issues of
global warming and conservation may
always be subject to interpretation and
political bias, these topics in children’s
literature should be presented as objec-
tively as any piece of scientific informa-
tion. Given the vulnerability of young
readers as consumers of information
(scientific and otherwise), children’s
books about environmental awareness
should promote a clear understanding
of these issues, thereby offering our
next generation the opportunity not
only to learn about science but also to
apply scientific information to real-life
problems.

JOSÉ VÁZQUEZ
José Vázquez (e-mail: jrv2@nyu.edu)

teaches science in the Liberal Studies

Program at New York University.

doi:10.1641/B580918
Include this information when citing this material.

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886 BioScience • October 2008 / Vol. 58 No. 9 www. biosciencemag. org