Vision Statement

PS 58 Green Roof

• PS58 is committed to providing a strong environmental education. The following programs and enrichment clusters are already in place:, Little Grassroots (http://littlegrassroots.blogspot.com), ‘The garden of wonder,’ The drip patrol, the Aquarium Project, and an after school/ early morning gardening program as well as our annual Earth Day Celebration which has been covered by the local media.The next logical step is to take 22,000 sqare feet of unused roof space and make a commitment to the future by building a green roof. A green roof will benefit the school financially by extending the life of our roof as well as eliminating extreme temperature fluctuations inside our building, allowing the use of less energy for heating and cooling. A Green roof will provide health benefits for the school and the neighboring community by filtering pollutants and CO2 out of the air and collecting airborne particles, and storing carbon. A Green Roof is a public space that can be enjoyed by everyone in the community of Carroll Gardens.

A Green roof will conserve energy in the future and become a Learning Lab today in sustainability providing a multiplicity of curriculum uses including Environmental Science, Art and English Language Arts and a weather station. Our green roof would recycle drain water and create its own energy in the form of solar panels which would in turn power the roof lighting.



Green Roof Educational Mission Statement
Students and teachers at PS 58 will work together designing, planning and building a green roof. Not only will teachers and students be able to enjoy the outdoor classroom, but the roof design process will promote a sense of service within the school community as well as outside into the general community and strengthen the already present commitment to sustainable living and environmental education at PS 58. Science and classroom teachers will use the space to plan and implement a garden and environment consisting of flora and fauna that is indigenous to the New York City area. Students will research the history of New York City in order to further their understanding of how urban development changes the natural environment. Our green roof will only consist of plants that are native to the New York City area and will attract an array of wildlife and birds to be studied. A native species garden will teach about seasonal change and will require little maintenance because the plants are located in their native environment. Building a native species roof garden is an interdisciplinary project that incorporates math, social studies, literacy, science and art. This project will meet city and state standards in education as well as LEED (Leed Environmental Education and Design) standards for green building. The incorporation of a greenhouse on the roof will allow students and teachers to observe and grow plants year round. We will grow various foods in the greenhouse, such as lettuce and tomatoes in order to provide the lunchroom with fresh produce. This promotes healthy eating as well as a better awareness of where our food comes from. The green roof will have meeting area and weather station to further enhance educational opportunities for classroom learning and exploration.