Chicago opens a rare ‘green’ school

Youngsters at Tarkington elementary started their first day of classes Tuesday at a school where flowering plants grow on the roof. It’s one of the nation’s small but growing number of environmentally friendly schools, a stand-out because it sits in a major city better known for towers of steel and concrete.

Supporters hope Tarkington elementary will bring the idea of environmentally friendly urban buildings into the mainstream.

In contrast to other Chicago buildings, Tarkington has a living, green roof planted atop the gymnasium. It’s a garden of short, self-sustaining flowering plants that don’t need much water and can withstand Chicago’s weather, said project manager Julie Chamlin.

"It looks extraordinarily better than other schools," said 12-year-old Dulce Vega, a seventh-grader excited at the thought of having science classes on the roof.

If the young science students and other children are lucky, they might even see birds nesting there.

The insulation provided by the soil and vegetation will help keep the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Rainwater soaking into the soil will be piped to a nearby lagoon.

By Don Babwin, The Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2005-09-06-green-school_x.htm