Green Roof Video Tour Made by Teen Volunteers

Not many people have stood on the roof of Oak Park Public Library’s main building at 834 Lake Street. But to do so is an enviable experience. Just ask the teen volunteers who created a “green roof” video this summer. Oak Park Public Library desired a video tour to tout this environmentally-friendly feature because the roof is not open to visitors for safety reasons. View the video at http://oppl.org/15.

A large portion of the Main Library’s fourth floor is open to the air and covered with soil and plants. The soil together with the plant material improve the energy performance of the building, reduce water run-off into the storm sewer system, and contribute to better air quality in the neighborhood. The green roof helps realize one of the design goals for the Main Library building: to minimize impact on the natural environment through the use of sustainable building materials and systems.

The 3-minute video tour of the Main Library’s green roof pairs technical information with shots of flowering plants. A team of ten volunteers, now in grades 7th through 10th, worked together on the filming, scripting, editing, and audio components. “The dedicated members of the library’s AV Club worked very well together,” states Sharon Grimm, Communications Coordinator for the Oak Park Public Library, who led the effort. Robert Cass, a graduate student in the University of Illinois's library science program, helped facilitate the AV Club as part of his internship at Oak Park Public Library. “Robert’s technical skills and approach were invaluable to our teen film crews.”   

“We’re thankful to have this concise video to illustrate one of the key environmentally-friendly features of the Main Library,” states Jim Madigan, Assistant Director for Administrative Services. “The teen volunteers put together a video that captures just the right points and some excellent views.”

Executive Director Deirdre Brennan adds, “We are very pleased with the results of the AV Club’s work. Our teen volunteers are a great help to us during the summer. This video is another demonstration of their talent and commitment.”

AV Club members had this to say about their summer volunteer experience at Oak Park Public Library:

“The AV Club was a great opportunity to do new things and meet new people. We got a once-in-a-life-time chance to see the green roof.”

“I liked how everyone could be involved every step of the way. Everyone got a chance to shoot, edit, and take pictures.”

“I liked helping out on editing the videos and shooting some footage with the video camera. Everyone was involved throughout the whole time we were at the library, which was nice. The best thing was that the volunteers (us kids) did the work and our opinions were taken into account.”

“I learned how to edit video clips. It was fun filming. I liked going up on the green roof!”

“The AV Club this year was a good experience for me because it helped me get to know the library. It also was fun to make the videos. I will definitely do this next year. It was also fun to shoot the video of the green roof because I wouldn’t normally get to see it.”

Oak Park Public Library’s teen summer volunteer program began in 2008. It has grown to include over 100 teens during the summer of 2011. Teens participated in one of eight team experiences or opted to drop-in volunteer. Oak Park Public Library’s teen summer volunteer program will continue in 2012 with some changes to keep it fresh. Details and applications will be available in the spring – when the green roof starts to thaw!

More About Oak Park Public Library’s Green Roof

Oak Park Public Library's Main Library at 834 Lake Street was designed by Nagle Hartray Architecture and opened in 2003.

A large portion of the building’s fourth floor is open to the air and covered with soil and plants. Below the soil several specially designed layers support plants in both wet and dry weather. The soil together with the plant material improve the energy performance of the building, reduce water run-off into the storm sewer system, and contribute to better air quality in the neighborhood.

Oak Park landscape architect, Carol Yetken designed and installed the original planting using many native plants requiring minimal upkeep. Now, due to little intervention, the green roof is primarily covered with grasses. Landscape architects generally agree that the green roof should be allowed to follow its natural cycle.

The green roof, along with the recycled copper wall system, recycled rubber flooring, and ceramic fritted glass windows that reduce heat gain, all help make the Main Library environmentally friendly. For safety reasons this green roof is not open to visitors.