Lincoln Park Zoo Soy Roof
This Friday, September 14, 2007, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn will roll up his sleeves to help Lincoln Park Zoo create a soybean roof above its McCormick Bird House.
Quinn will climb to the Bird House roof � far above the neighboring warthogs but just clearing the nearby giraffes � to apply a soybean-based coating that will help transform the old roof into an environmentally friendly green roof that will complement the zoo�s one-of-a-kind wildlife experience.
�Our goal is to make Illinois the soybean-roof capital of the world and we salute Lincoln Park Zoo for leading the way,� Quinn said. �We have an ocean of asphalt covering our rooftops, and its time to convert those asphalt roofs to energy-saving roofs covered with acres of Illinois soybeans.�
There is no better place to showcase one of Illinois� most innovative and sustainable products than at Lincoln Park Zoo, where Illinois citizens can connect with nature while learning about environmental conservation.
�As an organization committed to conservation, Lincoln Park Zoo is proud to begin work on its seventh green roof, which will benefit wildlife and the environment at the zoo and around the world,� said Kevin J. Bell, President and CEO of Lincoln Park Zoo. �We�re grateful for Lt. Governor Quinn�s enthusiasm for this project and other sustainable initiatives throughout Illinois.�
The seventh green roof at Lincoln Park Zoo will have the advantage of being the zoo�s first soybean roof. Soybean rooftops boast highly reflective soybean-derived white coating that stays cool, unlike the traditional black asphalt that gets sweltering hot during the summer months. Soybean roofs are non-toxic, flame resistant, 100 percent waterproof, and so reflective that they dramatically lower exterior and interior temperature levels.
On a 90-degree day, the temperature on a traditional black roof is a sweltering 165 degrees, with an interior temperature of 124 degrees. On a soybean roof, the exterior temperature is only 104 degrees, and the interior temperature is a cool 88 degrees. Cooler temperatures mean decreased demand on air-conditioning systems, resulting in reduced air pollutants and eased pressure on Illinois� electric grid.
�Soybean roofs not only decrease demand on the electric grid, they reduce our dependency on foreign oil,� Quinn said. �Unlike asphalt roofs, soybeans roofs are derived from the soil of Illinois rather than the oil of the Middle East.�
The soybean roof above the McCormick Bird House will be restored by Romeoville-based Green Products, LLC, a small company whose mission is to revolutionize the building products industry by not only replacing petroleum-based building products but outperforming them with rapidly renewable, and domestically grown, harvested and manufactured biobased resins from Illinois and the Midwest.
�Green Products is excited to be part of the roof restoration project at Lincoln Park Zoo�s McCormick Bird House as well as providing solutions that foster Illinois� green initiatives,� said President and COO Grant Grable. �As an Illinois based biopolymer Development Company, we salute Illinois� sustainable building practices and initiatives and are proud to help the Lt. Governor make a difference in our own state.�
The new roof and other improvements to the McCormick Bird House were made possible by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Lincoln Park Zoo is joining a host of soybean roofs sprouting all over Illinois. The John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago recently made a soybean roof out of 36 acres of homegrown Illinois soybeans. And schools from the University of Illinois at Chicago to Greenview High School in Menard County are joining the soybean-roof trend.
Quinn will be joined at the rooftop press conference by Dr. Steve Thompson, Lincoln Park Zoo Vice President of Conservation and Science, and Grant Gable, President and COO of Green Products.
For more information about energy-efficient green products and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, please visit www.GreenSolutions.il.gov.