Why a Green

Roof?
 Green Roofs
• Conserve Energy
• Create a Wildlife Habitat
• Filter out pollutants, heavy metals, and CO2
out of the air.
• Reduce storm-water runoff.
 Green Roof versus Old
Fashion Roof
Green roofs last 2-3 times longer than a normal
roof.

Why?
 Green Roof versus Old
Fashion Roof
Green roofs last 2-3 times longer than a normal
roof.

 Regular roofs can get 25-80 degrees F hotter

during the summer than green roofs.

 How does that hurt a roof?

 Green Roof versus Old
Fashion Roof
Green roofs last 2-3 times longer than a normal
roof.

 Regular roofs can get 25-80 degrees F hotter

during the summer than green roofs

But what are the different layers of a green roof?

Green Roof Layers
Other Ways a Green Roof
Pays
• Roeper would help publicize green roofs,
and the green roof would help Roeper's
marketing
• Parents will want to send their children to
Roeper
• Roeper alumni would want to donate more
money to Roeper's fundraisers.
There is only ONE
negative
 30% more expensive
 The Benefits
of a Green Roof
The Science Behind
How They Work
 Heating and Cooling
 Heating:
 Reduces winter heat loss by 26%
 Better Insulation
 Adds mass
 Cooling:
 Reduces summer cooling needs by 26%
 Better Insulation
 Evaporative Cooling
 Water’s hydrogen bonds use a lot of energy (heat) to
break and let the water evaporate.
 The particles with the most energy leave the area first.
 Urban Heat Island Effect
Urban Heat Island: A city significantly hotter than its surroundings

Sun’s Light/Heat Hits the Earth

Absorbed by Man-Made Surfaces,

Including Roofs During the Day Absorbed by the Plants and Soil on
the Green Roofs

Released at Night
Not Released at Night

Less Heat is Dissipated from the City,

Increasing Overall Temperature Reduced Overall Temperature
 Storm-Water Runoff
 Traditional roofs do not absorb storm-water
that hits it. Instead, water runs off the roof on to
the ground below.
 Problems:

 Expensive drainage systems installed

 Erodes soil when water runs off saturated soil into
bodies of water
 Leeches nutrients and adds toxins when the filth
from roof tops hit the soil
 With a green roof…
Roof Longevity
 Toxins and Native Species
 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released
by humans each year
 Because of acid rain and particles that enter

rainwater, toxins enter drinking water

supplies
 Michigan’s native species population has

declined by over 19% in the past five years.

 In cities, 40%-80% of land that was once

forest or grass is now covered by rooftops

(on average)
Toxins and Native Species
 Emission of SO2  Emission of Soot

Emissio
Industri
Year Househo Industri Househo n of
al Industri
Total ld Total al ld
Source
Sources Sources  Sources al Dust
s

 1460.
1999 1857.5 397.4 1159.0 953.4  205.6 1175.3
1
 1995.
2000 1612.5 382.6 1165.4 953.3 212.1 1092.0
1

2001 1947.8 1566.6 381.2 1069.8 851.9 217.9 990.6

2002 1926.6 1562.0 364.6 1012.7 804.2 208.5 941.0

2003 2158.7 1791.4 367.3 1048.7 846.2 202.5 1021.0

Annual
Change 12 14.7  0.6  3.5 5.2 -2.9  8.5
(%)    
Reduces CO2 Emissions
 Plant Species Used
 Sedum is preferred to grass because it’s hardier
 Sedum: Genus Crassulaceae
 Over 400 Species
 Succulent (stores water in leaves and stems)
 Better for Evaporative Cooling and Temperature Regulation
 High tolerance to cold
 Can be Edible!
 Money Savings
A green roof costs over $7,000 less per year of
use than a traditional roof.
Traditional Roof Green Roof
Installation Cost $0.4 Million $0.5 Million
Lifespan 20 Years 36 Years
Cost Per Year $20,000 $13,000

This doesn’t even account for reduced

maintenance and utility fees!!
STEPS
 Steps Taken
 Thought of different projects we as a group could do
to make our school more environmentally friendly,
and decided that a Greenroof would be a great
addition to Roeper.
 Needed to learn more about Greenroofs and
benefits.
• Did extensive research online
• Visited the La Salle bank
 Got the support of Student Government, Amnesty,
Café Brigitte, and the RPC.
 Raised awareness and money at the all-school picnic.
• Displayed a poster-board about Greenroofs, along with the RGC’s
mission statement
• Got petition signatures from members of the Roeper community
• Sold pumpkins to decorate
 Found out that the roof is strong enough to support
the extra weight of a Greenroof
 What next?
 Continue to build up information to eventually
present to the Board.
 Continue to raise awareness and get support from
the Roeper community.
 Visit MSU’s Greenroof research program.
 Find organizations to help fund the project.
 Present to the Board of Trustees.
Additional Benefits

( Roeper Benefits )

(&)

( Ecological Benefits )
 (:l:) Roeper Benefits (:l:)
QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture. are needed to see this picture.

.erutcip siht ee s ot dedeen era QuickTime™ and a

ro s serpmoced )de s serpmocnU( FFIT TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
a dna ™emiTkciuQ are needed to see this picture.
 $ Economic Benefits $
 Will eventually pay for its self !!!!
 A (Large) reduction in energy

consumption/ Cost
(+) More money for Roeper (yeah!)
- Scholarships

- Group/ Organization Support

- [ Yeah, I know …. Endless possibilities ]

 Personal Benefits

 Green Roofs have a longer life-span than

standard roofs
 Being surrounded by garden-like settings
can prove to be psychologically and
aesthetically beneficial

ü ( * Better for Learning * )

 Publicity Benefits
 Environmental impact = Major Publicity
( 1.) ( 2.)

( 3.) ( 4.)

Lame !!!
GREEN ROOF AND
THE ROEPER
PHILOSOPHY
Do they relate?
So, What Can You Do to Help?
 Spread the word and get support for our idea
 Check out our FaceBook Group!
 Look for Opportunities to Volunteer
 The Actual Installation
 Bring Friends!

 Get As Many People As You Can to Sign Our

Online Petition
 http://www.petitiononline.com/roepergc/petition.html
 Google “The Roeper School Green Roof Petition”