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The Postal Service is committed to creating sustainable spaces and facilities wherever possible. In July, the agency created the largest green roof in New York City — and one of the largest in the country — atop the 2.2 million square foot Morgan mail processing facility. The roof was scheduled for replacement in 2007, when it was deemed strong enough to support the weight of the soil, vegetation and other requirements of a green roof. The new roof is expected to save $30,000 annually on heating and cooling costs. It will last up to 50 years, twice as long as the old one, and reduce contaminants in storm water runoff as much as 75 percent in the summer, and up to 35 percent during the winter. The Morgan green roof is the latest success in the Postal Service’s greener facilities strategy, which includes the use of environmentally friendly building components, renewable materials, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC, low volatile organic compound parts, low-water use fixtures, and solar photovoltaic systems. The Morgan facility and other sites are seeking LEED certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council’s nationally accepted rating system that measures the environmental attributes and sustainable features of buildings. All LEED-certified buildings reduce water use by at least 37 percent, energy use by 30 percent, and use 15 percent of recycled materials for construction.
The Green Roof at the Morgan processing facility is the first developed by the Postal Service, and at 109,000 square feet - nearly 2.5 acres - is the largest in New York and one of the largest in the country.
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