MEDIA ALERT
FAIRMOUNT CORRIDOR GETS NEW “LIVING ROOFS”
ON THREE BUS SHELTERS
WHAT:
The Fairmount-Indigo Line CDC Collaborative (The Collaborative) with the Talbot
Norfolk Triangle Eco Innovation District (TNT EID) and Land Escapes Design Inc.—a
sustainable landscaping company--will launch the first installation of the “Fairmount Line Bus
Shelter Living Roof Initiative” on three bus shelters near the Talbot Station of the
Fairmount/Indigo Commuter Rail Line. This demonstration project is one of several green
infrastructure initiatives in planning or underway in the TNT EID and along the 6-mile Fairmount
Corridor. The living roofs will demonstrate at street level how green roof technology can improve
air quality, reduce stormwater run-off, help to cool City “heat islands” and create green jobs.
The installations will be done on one City-owned bus shelter and two MBTA-owned bus shelters
near the station, based on enthusiastic support from the respective public agencies. Mayor
Martin Walsh endorses this creative public/private partnership as a complement to the City of
Boston’s Climate Action Plan. Land Escapes Design Inc. and Green Living Technologies
International LLC –a leading manufacturer of green roofs and walls -- are donating $15,000.00
worth of materials and labor.
The Fairmount/Indigo Line CDC Collaborative members-- Codman Square Neighborhood
Development Corporation, Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation and Southwest
Boston Community Development Corporation-- are also partnering with: the City of Boston,
JCDecaux North America, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Region I “Soak Up the Rain Campaign” and YouthBuild Boston.
WHY: The Fairmount Line Bus Shelter Living Roof Initiative ties together multiple goals of the
Collaborative and the TNT EID to improve neighborhood environmental conditions, to create job
opportunities and to bring attention to the benefits of increased public transit options. In
partnership with YouthBuild Boston and the TNT Green Teens Program, local youth will be
trained to do the construction and maintenance of the living roofs. Informational panels for the
bus shelters provided by provided by The EPA Region I Soak Up the Rain Campaign will also
help to educate residents and commuters about the initiative.
The Fairmount/Indigo Line CDC Collaborative works with many partners in its efforts to promote
equitable development linked to the Fairmount Line to benefit the low and moderate income and
predominantly minority residents living in the Fairmount Corridor. The Collaborative is
developing new affordable housing and job opportunities in walking distance to the stations. The
TNT Eco Innovation District is the first neighborhood-scale Eco District in Boston; the goals are
to reduce residents’ energy costs through improved energy efficiency while creating a new
model for green and equitable transit-oriented-development. The TNT EID will improve the
quality of life for local, low-income residents that can be replicated within Boston and beyond.
WHEN:
Monday, July 28th at 10:00 am – 11:00 am
WHERE: The Fairmount Line Talbot Station, on Talbot Avenue at Norwell Street, Dorchester
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Gail Latimore, Executive Director, Codman Square NDC/ 617-825-4224 x132, gail@csndc.org
Michael Chavez, Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow, Fairmount/indigo Line CDC
Collaborative, 1-505-385-1212, mchavez@fairmountcollaborative.org