ASLA Launches ''Green Roofs'' Program for Middle School Students

Students learn how green roofs cool cities, clean the air, create habitat and control storm water.

The program provides a lesson plan, workbook and an online interactive program designed to engage students on how green roofs cool cities, clean the air, create habitats and control storm water.
The students learn that green roofs remove pollutants from storm water and reduce the amount of water that flows into sewer systems. They learn the roof plants store C02 from the atmosphere, lower radiant heat in the summer and create habitats for local wildlife, provide extra insulation to buildings and last two or three times longer than traditional roofs.The education program is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. It is part of the ASLA’s efforts to introduce the profession of landscape architecture to young people and to get them thinking about it as a possible career.

U.S. Dept. of Labor Projections

The U.S. Dept. of Labor predicts employment of landscape architects will increase by 16 percent during the 2006-16 decade. Landscape architects will be in demand for the planning and development of new construction as the population grows.“With land costs rising and the public desiring more beautiful spaces, the importance of good site planning and landscape design is growing,” states the DOL. “New construction will spur demand for landscape architects to help plan sites that meet with environmental regulations and zoning laws and integrate new structures with the natural environment in the least disruptive way.” Examples include stormwater management and preserving and restoring wetlands and other environmentally sensitive sites.Continuation of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation, Equity Act(SAFETEA-LU) is expected to spur employment for landscape architects at the state and local government levels. The act funds surface transportation, transit programs, highway construction and maintenance, and pedestrian and bicycle trails.Landscape architects will also be in demand for historic preservation, land reclamation and refurbishment/redevelopment of existing sites. The DOL also notes landscape architects will be needed “to create security perimeters that are better integrated with their surroundings for many of the nation’s landmarks, monuments, and buildings.”

For more information on the student green roof program, visit www.asla.org/greenroofeducation.