By IANS,
Mexico City : The capital city of Mexico has launched a unique project of greening the rooftops of all big buildings as part of an urban reforestation plan to improve environment and quality of air, EFE news agency reported.
To beging with, city’s municipal transit authority will have its building, covering an area of 1,190 square meters, covered with bushes and grass.
The rooftop garden, which was created at a cost of 1.3 million pesos (about $125,000), was inaugurated by Mexico City’s environment secretary Martha Delgado.
The project is part of the city government’s “Green Plan”, which will promote urban reforestation projects for one of the world’s most polluted urban hubs, housing nearly 20 million people.
During the inaugural ceremony, Delgado said: “Among the economic benefits, the green rooftops will reduce the use of air conditioning by up to 40 percent, which means significant savings of energy.”
The green on rooftop will help to “capture the dust and suspended particles that cause diseases of the respiratory tract, while acting as soundproofing and insulation for the city”, she said.
The gardens also capture rainwater, return moisture to the atmosphere and help reduce the heat of summer, municipal official said.
According to Delgado, this is a way of compensating for the lack of green areas in the metropolis, while at the same time it improves urban aesthetics and promotes ecological awareness.
We have to “recover all the rooftops we can, beginning with public buildings,” Mexico City’s mayor Marcelo Ebrard said.
Ebrard added that urban reforestation will allow “the city to be better prepared to withstand radical climate changes”.