All New Skyscrapers Should Have Green Roofs, Councilman Says

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Skyscrapers should have green roofs, wind turbines and solar panels, according to a new city bill.

Bushwick city councilman Rafael Espinal introduced legislation into City Council Wednesday that would mandate green energy infrastructure top all new commercial buildings if passed, city records show.

The green roof bill, which was introduced to the Committee on Housing and Buildings, requires new building roofs be covered in plants, solar panels, wind turbines or a combination of the three, records show.

The law is similar to mandates that have already passed in Denver and San Francisco and complements Councilmen Stephen Levin and Donovan Richards’ bill, introduced in 2016, that would require schools, libraries, post offices and other public buildings to have green roofs.

Espinal told the New York Times the Trump administration's position on climate change spurred his decision to strengthen resiliency policy on a city-level.

“The big conversation is around what we can do to combat climate change,” Espinal told the New York Time. “Now more than ever, when the federal government is rolling back all the progress we’ve made to reduce our carbon footprint in the country, we have to step up.”

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