Community Corner

Chicago Botanic Garden Wins Award for its Green Roof

The green roof in Glencoe is both a display garden and a scientific resource.

The green roof garden at Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe recently received the 2012 Award of Excellence from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

The 16,000-square foot green roof at the Rice Plant Conservation Science Center serves both as a display garden for visitors, but also as scientific resource according to the Toronto-based company’s website. 

A Northwestern doctoral candidate for plant biology and conservation is currently using the green roof to study if they can support native plants and how wildlife pollinates them, according to Medill Reports Chicago

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Kelly Ksiazek told Medill Reports Chicago that native plants grown on rooftops fair just as well as their counterparts on the ground, adding that green roofs could be habitats for some rare species. 

The green roof is divided into the north and south roof, with bulbs from around the world on the north roof and native species on the south roof. The structure also includes many sustainable design elements such as the rainwater glen that collects 100 percent of the roof’s runoff and 288 solar panels that provide some of the building’s energy, according to GreenRoofs.org. 

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Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., was among seven green roofs from around North America to receive the award.

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