July 31, 2014
Something leafy and green is growing on top of three bus shelters along the Fairmont Line–and that’s the plan. The $15,000 pilot project is aimed at showing community members how roofs laden with green plants such as those installed on the three bus shelters improve air quality, reduce storm water run-off, and cut down on heat islands during hot summer months.
“Today we are celebrating a local initiative in the City of Boston to bring green infrastructure to eye level, educate urban travelers, beautify Boston bus stops and soak up the rain,” Curt Spalding, Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator, said in a statement. “They also absorb carbon, reduce urban heat and provide green jobs to keep up the maintenance of the roofs themselves.”
The Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation hopes the initiative is successful to allow more green bus shelter roofs to be installed throughout the Talbot Norfolk Triangle. The triangle is one of the country’s handful of eco districts, a part of an initiative rolled out this summer to promote sustainability in an urban environment.