After opening A Ruth Solomon Last year saw an advertisement for a new program that encouraged Boston residents to build green roofs.
The 51-year-old mother from the Jamaica level was fascinated by the advantages of such roofs that look like sponges and used a number of plants to absorb rainwater and reduce electricity costs by improving insulation.
“We thought it was a good thing,” she said.
Last autumn, Solomon and her husband Rob Ditzion were the first recipients of the new grants from the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, which they used to do a series of succulents on a specially built roof over their mutroom.
The couple received 8,000 US dollars, which covered almost 90 percent of their costs -from a pool of 650,000 US dollars, which put the commission for individual grants to promote green roofs and to reduce rainwater pollution in Boston.
The goal of the Commission is to reduce the drain after storms have worn contamination of streets and other uncontrollable surfaces in storm processes. This rainwater, long a source of environmental pollution in the port of Boston and other local waterways, can stimulate toxic algae flowers, fishing and other environmental damage.
When climate change increases strong rainfall in New England, the number of intensive two -day storms rose by 74 percent between 1901 and 2016, while the heaviest downpours now left 55 percent more precipitation than the most intense storms in the mid -1900s, a report by Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The report added that an additional increase of 40 percent of the strong precipitation cancellations will be projected by the end of the century.
Green roofs can play an important role in reducing such pollution in urban areas, said Lydia Olson, technical specialist at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, an environmental representative group.
She has asked local and state officials to do more to reduce the drain and said that the advantages range from improving air quality to the Charles River, which is more regular.
“There is an urgent need for more funds for the water infrastructure and rainwater reduction in the whole state,” she said.
As part of these efforts, the Commission changed the payment of its invoices in the city dwellers last year and dismantled them into separate charges for water, waste water and rainwater. Money collected from the rainwater fee is used to repair or build a new rainwater infrastructure, according to the Commission officials.
The Commission also started a program that offers city dwellers that meet their rainwater loyalty standards with a 30 percent discount on the rainwater share of their bill.
Nevertheless, the Boston Water Commission had a hard time convincing the residents of taking over them for their offer in order to subsidize green roofs and other ways to reduce the drain.
After the start of the subsidy program last spring, there was only another applicant.
Judith Stoia, 78, received 2,130 US dollars for the construction of a dry well on her property in Jamaica Plain. Dry wells are underground chambers that collect and store rainwater.
In order to tempt more residents, the commission doubled the amount of the grants to $ 8,000 per applicant last year, and since then they have received another five applications.
Anthony Dello Iacono, director of his rainwater program, said the commission applied to the customer's grants through mailings and discussions with community groups. That was not sufficient to pull the number of applicants the commission wishes.
“The Commission would like to see more participants,” said Iacono.
Commission officials said they did not know why more residents did not use the grants.
Nicole Holmes, who monitors sustainability projects at Nitsch Engineering in Boston, found that as always intensive storms and heavy rain shoes, as a result of climate change in the region, make a problem.
“In flood -prone areas, green roofs could serve as a highly effective tool for mitigating floods and enable water to be stored on roofs and slowly released as soon as the flood has decreased,” said Holmes. “I hope that the city of Boston will continue to strengthen politics and incentives for green roofs.”
The commission's subsidy program is one of several efforts to promote the installation of green roofs in Boston.
Last October, the city announced that Green roofs would be added to 30 bus stops on the 28th line of the MBTA.
Zöe Davis, a project manager in the city office for climate silence, said while the project is aiming to reduce rainwater outflows, it has the additional advantage that commuters are provided.
According to Davis, the city officials are considering expanding the program to other bus routes.
“The wish is not only to expand this pilot, but to formalize it as a program and formal the willingness to climate on the street,” she said.
Green roofs were more common in some European countries such as Germany, where, according to a report by green plants for green buildings, an environmental group based in Colorado, there are at least 2 billion square foot.
According to the American Forests, a nature conservation group based in Washington, there are more than 17.5 million square meters in the United States. In Chicago alone, 509 green roofs, which are more than 5.6 million square meters tall, now have the city officials.
It is unclear how many green roofs are available in Boston, but in a study by Tufts University, almost 15,000 buildings were found in the city, which may be suitable candidates for green roofs.
Mark Winterer, founder of Recover Green Roofs, a company in Somerville, which Green roofs designed and installed, said that Boston should consider to emulate a program in Washington, DC, with the developer, who keep more rainwater on their real estate, to other developers who cannot meet the city's rainwater requirements or do not fulfill or come with credits.
“It does not force people to do it, but it creates an incentive for savings over time,” said Winterer.
Since Solomon and Ditzion's roof in Jamaica Plain emerged pink flowers this summer, the couple said that it was not a regret.
They had to spend 1,000 US dollars in order to have the company that uses the roof for its irrigation and health of the plants. Apart from that, they just enjoyed the view – and compliments of their neighbors.
You have not seen any changes in your supply calculations, but you have found that your mud space is cooler on warm days than without a green roof. They also think that it has probably increased the value of their single -family colonial style.
Solomon said that she would encourage more city dwellers to apply for a grant.
“It helps the environment and it looks cool,” she said. “It does so many good things. It just makes sense.”
Tavishi Chatopadhyay is a student at Boston University. David Abel is a professor of journalism at the BU. This story was reported in Abel's environmental journalism.