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ROOFS RIGHTON TARGET

Target Corp. operates more than1,400 stores worldwide and hasa long history of being a respon-

sible corporate neighbor. One waythe mega-retailer has built this repu-tation is by pursuing several “green”initiatives.

Starting as far back as the early1970s, Target took several steps toconstruct its retail locations to bemore efficient, use less energy, and

cost less to operate than other, similarretail facilities.

By the 1980s, Target began using acentral, computerized energy-man-agement system to help monitor andbetter control HVAC systems andenergy use in its stores nationwide.Some of the company’s other greeninitiatives over the years include:

• Developing and implementing an

extensive in-store recycling programat all locations.

• Installing white membrane roofsto help mitigate the urban “heatisland” effect and reduce energycosts. (Heat islands can amplify hotweather, especially in urban areas.)

• Using motion-sensor lighting inwarehouses and stock rooms to turn

ROOFS RIGHTON TARGET

Target sees a bull’s-eye with environmentally sustainable green roofs.

Robert Kravitz

Target has installed “green roofs” on four of its Chicago stores. A green roofrequires the planting or placing of vegetation on top of a conventional roof.

The plants are usually drought-resistant and require minimal

maintenance and care.

lights on and off automatically.

• Developing a new type of light fix-ture for store lighting that uses onlythree lamps but produces the sameoutput as a four-lamp fixture.

• Introducing low-flow fixtures intoall restrooms.

Currently, the company is workingon two projects planned for certifica-tion under Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) — andis investigating other energy-savingand sustainable projects, such as pho-tovoltaic panels and solar rooftops.Most recently, Target has also beenpursuing another green program onfour of its Chicago stores — the instal-lation of green roofs.

And, Target is not alone. Thoughjust beginning to garner greater popu-larity and interest in the UnitedStates, green roofs have been foundon the top of many European build-

ings for more than 30 years.In Germany, for instance, schools,

office buildings, shopping centers andretail stores have planted more than108 million square feet of green roofsin recent years. In fact, it is now esti-mated that 7% of all newly construct-ed flat roofs in Germany are green. InJapan, regulations require that newconstruction projects in Tokyo largerthan 10,000 square feet have 20% ofthe roof surface area devoted to greenspaces.

In North America, one of the first

green roofs is actually more than 70years old. More of a garden roof thana green roof, it is located atop NewYork’s Rockefeller Center, providingbuilding occupants and visitors arefreshing escape into an urban oasis.Meanwhile, Chicago and Toronto aretoday defining themselves as leaders

The Target store utilize a modularsystem of green roofs, which

means soil and plants are pre-planted at a nursery and

placed into a series of modulesmade of recycled plastics.

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in promoting green roofing projects.WHAT MAKES A ROOF GREEN?

A “green” roof requires the plant-ing or placing of vegetation on top ofa facility’s conventional roof.Depending on the type of green roofinstalled, the plants are usuallydrought-resistant. And, because of itsgeographical location, the entiregreen roof often requires minimalattention.

There are two separate categories of

green roofing systems:• Intensive green roofs are similar toa roof garden, such as atopRockefeller Center. This type of roofrequires regular maintenance, justlike any garden, and is usually a pub-lic space, with trees, shrubs and otherlandscaping.

• Extensive green roofs, similar tothose found on the Chicago Targetstores, are installed principally for

their environmental and economicbenefits. Rarely open to the public,these roofs require less soil and main-tenance. In fact, they tend to havelimited accessibility and require onlybasic care.

There also are two types of greenroofs: (1) one that is built right on theroof by landscapers and maintenanceworkers who haul the soil, plants andmaterials up to the top of the build-ing; and (2) a modular system, likethose installed atop the Target stores.

In a modular system, soil andplants are pre-planted at a nurseryand placed into a series of modulesmade of recycled plastics. The mod-ules are then hoisted to the top of thebuilding, where they are installed onthe roof.

“The modules are 2-by-4-foot plas-tic flats supporting a Sedum varietyof ground cover in 4-inch-deep grow-ing medium,” says Forrest Russell ofTarget’s real estate department andoverseer of the Chicago stores. “Theplants are highly drought-tolerant andrequire only rare applications ofwater. Actual time spent servicing thegrowing plants has been negligible.”

According to Russell, the installa-tion of a modular system is simple.“The planted flats are lifted by craneto the rooftop and arranged on a filterfabric set directly on the roof mem-brane surface,” he says. “No impactto the membrane roof has arisen, andif the roof should need repair, theflats can be moved, the roof is serv-iced, and the flats put back in place.”

Studies indicate that the modularsystem tends to be more cost-compet-itive because the planting and prepa-ration work is performed in an assem-bly-line fashion at the nursery. Themodular system also allows the roofto be installed significantly fasterthan a “built-in-place” system, andthere is less danger to landscapersworking atop high buildings.

BENEFITS OF GOING GREEN

Because the green roofs on theChicago Target stores are brand-new,Russell says it is too early to calculate

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the payback on the investment.However, some of the benefits thecompany is anticipating have beenfound on other facilities where greenroofs have been installed, includingreduced storm water runoff.

After a storm, as much as 75% ofrainwater becomes runoff. As thiswater washes off roofs and streets, itpicks up contaminants, which caneventually make their way to riversand lakes. Large quantities of wateralso stress the storm drainage systemsof many cities.

A green roof can put this water tobeneficial use. A report by TempleUniversity in Philadelphia suggeststhat as much as 75% of the waterreceived by a green roof is used by theplants and soil, with only about 25%released as runoff. Additionally, therunoff is released gradually, whichmakes it easier to control and con-tain.

Many facilities are also discoveringthat green roofs can reduce energycosts significantly. According to aNew York Times article, when temper-atures climb to more than 90 degreesFahrenheit, a building’s roof canreach temperatures of 175 degrees.The article indicated that with agreen roof, roof temperatures stay atabout 77 degrees. The lowered tem-perature can reduce temperaturesinside the building, lesseningdemands for air conditioning. By“greening” the roof of Chicago’s CityHall, for example, city officialsbelieve more than $4,000 a year willbe saved just on air-conditioningcosts.*

The increased number of greenroofing projects throughout theworld is a promising sign. It indicatesthat we have realized the importanceof replacing the green spaces lost toour rapidly urbanizing society, whilefostering a healthier, more sustain-able environment. It’s also reassuringto see major corporations and retail-ers, such as Target, leading the way inthis effort.

“The mayor of Chicago envisionsthis city as the ‘greenest city inAmerica,’” says Russell. “Target will

respond appropriately with greenroofs and other programs.” PRSM

* Source: “Green Roofs: An Eco Approach toCooling Down the City,” by Kent Swanson,EarthToys E-Magazine, 2002.

ROBERT KRAVITZ, FORMER OWNER

OF THREE CONTRACT CLEANING

COMPANIES, NOW WORKS AS A

MARKETING CONSULTANT TO

ORGANIZATIONS IN THE

CLEANING INDUSTRY.

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