Commercial Roofing Projects - Residential Roofing Projects
- Olympus Condominiums Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- KV Pharmaceutical St. Louis, Missouri
- W John G. Shedd Aquarium Chicago, Illinois
- Baptist Medical Center San Antonio, Texas
- ING Clarion - Heritage Plaza Houston, Texas
- Union Pacific Railroad Houston, Texas
- Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge, California
- Coca-Cola Bottling Plant Niles, Illinois
- Illinois Government
Illinois Government
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2006
Lt. Gov. Quinn sets goal to make Illinois the soybean-roof capital of the world!
Soybean roofs help reduce our dependency on foreign oil!
CHICAGO – Today, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn rolled up his sleeves to help a work crew complete a soybean rooftop amidst the skyscrapers of the Magnificent Mile. Quinn also saluted U.S. Equities Realty – property manager of the North Michigan Avenue building – for making the switch from foreign-produced black asphalt to natural, Illinois-grown soybeans.
Our goal is to make Illinois the soybean-roof capital of the world in order to reduce our
dependency on foreign oil,
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.
With gasoline prices at more than $3 a gallon, it is urgent that Illinois families and businesses reduce dependence on foreign sources of petroleum. And converting from the traditional black asphalt that covers most Illinois rooftops is a cost-effective way to do just that.
Soybean rooftops boast highly reflective soybean-derived white coating that stays cool, unlike the traditional black asphalt roof 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.
We commend U.S. Equities Realty for sealing this Magnificent-Mile rooftop with
environmentally friendly, Illinois-grown soy products instead of petroleum products from the
Middle East,
Quinn said.
U.S. Equities Realty is joining the parade 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 last year Quinn helped the University of Illinois at Chicago convert to a soybean rooftop.
Quinn was joined at the rooftop press conference by Dean Johnson, senior vice president with U.S. Equities Realty, and Grant Gable, president and COO of Green Products, producer of the soy-based rooftop sealant.
U.S. Equities Realty is a leading full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Chicago. Green Products, located in Romeoville, is a company dedicated to creating biobased products designed to replace and outperform petroleum products.
For more information about energy-efficient green products such as soy, and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, please visit www.BlackoutSolutions.org.