Making NYC greener: City funding projects for green roofs, blue roofs, rain gardens

The city has been working to encourage a green rethinking of the urban landscape.

It is supporting efforts such as green roofs and blue roofs that help to absorb rainwater that would otherwise drain into the sewer systems. Such projects may, in turn, lead to healthier waterways, cleaner air and cooler temperatures during the summer.

Now the citys Department of Environmental Protection is calling for applications, due Nov. 13, for more than $5 million in funding for green projects throughout the five boroughs.

This is the fourth round of funding, and several green projects have already flourished. Here are six of them.

The green roof at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene is designed to absorb 435,000 gallons of stormwater a year. The vegetation acts as insulation, lowering the building's energy costs. And students get hands-on courses in the environment and sciences. (Credit: NYC DEP)

The Brooklyn Grange, a rooftop farming business at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, produces some 50,000 pounds of produce each year. It received a $592,730 grant from the DEP. Besides produce, there are also hens and a commercial apiary! (Credit: NYC DEP)

The 3,140-square-foot Gil Hodges Community Garden is located in Gowanus. The New York Restoration Project won the support of the DEP to help install a rain garden or bioswale as well as to retrofit the garden with permeable pavers and flood-tolerant plants. (Credit: NYC DEP)

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House on East 70th Street is a 120-year-old social welfare organization. But just because it is old, doesn't mean it isn't looking toward the future their effort to create a green roof and garden being good examples of that. The project was finished with a $40,000 grant from the DEP. The 2,400 square foot green roof was designed to lower the building's energy costs. (Credit: NYC DEP )

The Osborne Association, a nonprofit that helps ex-convicts get jobs, received a $288,000 grant from the DEP to install blue and green roofs at its building in the South Bronx. The project was designed to handle 100,000 gallons of stormwater a year. (Credit: NYC DEP)

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Making NYC greener: City funding projects for green roofs, blue roofs, rain gardens