AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
APRIL 15, 2012
19
{ GREEN }
RooftopWonders
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}
Itused to
be thatwheneveryou flew intoacityand lookeddown,what you sawwasa slateof hard, dark roofs soakingupheat
andcontributing tomaking themetropolisup to22degreeswarmer than thecountryside. But thesedays, hereand thereyoucan
spyapatchofgreenamid thegray. Thesegreen roofsnotonlyhelpcool thingsdown, theyalsoprovidehabitat forbirdsandbees.
Herearea fewof themostextraordinary roofsbloomingacrossNorthAmerica. Look for them thenext timeyou’re flying intoone
of thesecities.
SPORTIEST
TARGETCENTER
,
Minneapolis
The roofof the
Minnesota
Timberwolves’ arena
iscoveredwithnative
prairieplantsand
groovedwithpavers
thatmimic theveins
ofa leaf.When it rains,
this2.5-acre topper
soaksupnearlya
milliongallonsof
water thatwould
otherwisepollute the
MississippiRiver. The
endangeredKarner
bluebutterfly flutters
among the lupines.
MOSTEDIBLE
BROOKLYN
GRANGE
;Queens,N.Y.
Purportedly the
world’s largest
rooftop farmgrows
sixstoriesabove
thestreetandoffers
agrandviewof
Manhattan. It supplies
local restaurantswith
peppers, eggplants
and40varietiesof
tomatoes. Thisspring,
itwilldouble its
40,000-square-foot
growingareawitha
second location in the
BrooklynNavyYard.
MOST INDUSTRIAL
FORDDEARBORN
TRUCKPLANT
;
Dearborn,Mich.
This factory inFord’s
RiverRougecomplex,
justoutsideDetroit,
iscarpetedwith
greenery that reduces
heatingandcooling
demandby5percent.
The 10.4-acresitewas
designated the largest
industrialgreen roof
onEarth.
MOSTUNIQUE
VANCOUVER
CONVENTION
CENTRE
;Vancouver,
BritishColumbia
Juttingover the
waterfrontat
CoalHarbour, this
geometricpuzzle
is the largest
nonindustrialgreen
roof inNorthAmerica,
and ithelped the
facilitybecome the
firstconvention
center toearnaLEED
Platinum rating— the
highestgrade for
greenbuildings.
MOSTWALKABLE
HIGHLINE
,
NewYorkCity
Inaddition to
being the longest
green roof in the
U.S.,Manhattan’s
spectacularHigh
Linemayalsobe the
nation’smostvisited.
Eachday, thousands
walk the 1.45-mile-
long formertraintrack
that runs through
Chelseaand the
MeatpackingDistrict.
A thirdand final
sectionof the line
awaits rehabilitation.
BOOK-
MARK
THIS
Travelcantakeits
tollonaregular
workoutschedule.
Ill-equippedhotel
gyms,unfamiliar
newcitiesand
limitedtimetoget
italldoneare justa
fewoftheroadblocks
travelersface.Now,
though, there’s
TOURDEFIT.COM
,
anewfitnessand
wellnessreservation
systemcreatedto
helpkeepyouat
yourbestphysically
—whereveryouare.
Userscansearch
forclasses,wellness
services,gyms,spas
orsportingevents
(likeraces)in
hundredsofcities
worldwide, thenbook
andpayforthem
onlineorthrough
theirsmartphones.
Fromkickboxing
tokids’surfing
lessons,massagesto
last-minutewaxings,
andfitnesswalksto
hard-coretriathlons,
TourDeFitcan
helpyoufindwhat
you’re lookingfor.
“TourDeFit
.compromotesa ‘no
excuses’mindset
byoeringusers
unlimitedchoices
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ofapplyinga ‘one
sizefitsall’approach
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Evenbetter: It’sfree
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—LisaMarsh
