Funds to Support Construction of Green Roof at Montefiore’s Wakefield Campus
NEW YORK (May 3, 2013) – Montefiore Medical Center received a $750,000 grant from The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to support the development of a green roof at its Wakefield Campus. In an effort to improve the environment in the Bronx and increase sustainability at the hospital, the green roof is covered by vegetation that absorbs rainwater and provides year-round insulation. The DEP offered a total of $6 million in grants to fund projects throughout all of the boroughs.
Montefiore Medical Center’s Wakefield Campus is located near the Bronx River and the 23-mile long Bronx River Greenway. This will be Montefiore’s second green roof; the first was installed in 2009 at its Moses Campus. Both roofs will help improve the overall health, ecology and hydrology of the Bronx River by absorbing run off water, and will expand the width of the vegetated area of the Bronx River Greenway. Installation of the green roof will be completed in 2014.
“At Montefiore, we pride ourselves on promoting energy-efficient and sustainable practices that will help create a greener Bronx,” said Tom Kelly, LEED GA, energy and sustainability manager, Montefiore Medical Center. “We are honored to receive this generous grant from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and we are enthusiastically approaching this opportunity to develop a second sustainable roof, which will increase agricultural space in the Bronx and promote a healthy environment."
The NYC Green Infrastructure Plan was created by Mayor Bloomberg in 2010 in order to help improve harbor water quality by capturing and retaining storm water runoff before it enters into the sewer system. Its goal is to reduce the City’s combined sewer overflow by more than 12 billion gallons per year by 2030, a 40 percent reduction, by switching to the use of green infrastructures.
“Montefiore recognizes the present and future value of adopting new ways of doing business that are environmentally protective and reduce our carbon footprint;” said Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and chief executive officer, Montefiore Medical Center. “We have focused on minimizing the environmental burden on our community in a variety of ways – from operating a self-sustaining cogeneration power plant to maintaining a pool of hybrid vehicles to using long-lasting LED light bulbs across our delivery system. We work hard to make a difference in the environment.”