Communications, Operations & Development | The GELL Project @ PS41

In 2007, before greenroofs were in vogue, Christopher Hayes wrote
and designed The GELL Project @ PS41's original case statement,
coined the term Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory
and led fundraising, communications and project management
for NYC's first and largest rooftop facility designed to teach
STEM Education atop a NYC K-5 Public School in lower Manhattan.

When a project becomes a process, initial returns iterate at lower cost with greater impact.

Begun with an initial seed investment of $35K for a framing analysis and development/architectural consulting, GELL's successive funding rounds included: $650K/OMBP Scott Stringer, $650K/NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, $250K/NYS Senator Thomas Duane, and other private and public monies. Initially a prototype facility, GELL's groundbreaking teaching and learning concept is cross-pollinating STEM Education and environmental-sustainability lessons throughout NYC's 1,700 public schools, thereby advancing a wide array of benefits to New York City's 8.5 million residents.

GELL's citywide Return on Investment (ROI) includes: Curriculum Enhancement; Stormwater Management; Roof Life Extension; Heat Island Mitigation; Habitat Creation; Noise Remediation; Improved Air Quality; Particulate Matter Abatement; Smog & Asthma Reduction; Reduced Heating & Cooling Costs; Tax Dollar Savings; and other, Ecological, Economic, Educational & Health Benefits.

Once an outlier, the concept of Educational Greenroofs is now readily understood and accepted by citizens and government officials alike, and has become an integral part of the Mayor's Office PlaNYC 2030/OneNYC. As a result of The GELL Project @ PS41, creating similar facilities has become a standardized process within the NYC School Construction Authority for new public school construction and renovation projects, with expert advice and oversight guidance being prerequisite to scope and design.

Thus, an idea once thought to be a “castle in the sky” is now the NYC DOE's flagship greenroof facility, and was cited within the New York City Department of Education's 2011-2012 Annual Sustainability Report: “Through PlaNYC, NYC DOE has started a district-wide sustainability effort by assigning Sustainability Coordinators in each of the ' 1,700 public schools.... Already, PS 41, an Eco-School in Greenwich Village, is unveiling its new green roof in September 2012” Hence, The GELL Project @ PS41's greatest ROI is not the facility itself, but rather its trailblazing a path through the myriad of city and state agencies required to initiate future projects like it throughout the Big Apple's five boroughs and beyond.

The GELL Project @ PS41 (center) at 11^th St. & 6^th Ave. Read the Original Case Statement on how it began.