2008 Woodie Awards
From Black to Green
MacCARES secures funding for a green roof over the 'fishbowl'
By: Emily Howland
Issue date: 3/31/06 Section: Features
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MacCARES has taken yet another step towards making the Macalester campus free of carbon emissions by growing plants on the fishbowl.
Plant life will grow to new heights on campus this spring when a pilot green roof project will be implemented on top of the fishbowl—the link between Turck Hall and Doty Hall—on Apr. 14. A group of five members of MacCARES, the environmental student organization on campus, will grow plants on top of the fishbowl to reduce storm water runoff and save the college money by improving roof insulation.
The green roof is one part of a surge of environmental activism sponsored by MacCARES this semester.
“We have a really interesting mix of activism, both on-campus and off, that I believe are far more ambitious than any previous environmental activism in Macalester's history,” said Richard Graves '06, a co-head of the project.
MacCARES is also backing efforts to build a wind turbine off campus that will produce more energy than Macalester's existing windmill and helped plan the clean energy rally on Mar. 27 at the capitol building in St. Paul.
The project is part of MacCARES' greater goal to reduce carbon emissions. The self-sustaining green roof, also known as a living roof, is a cutting edge solution to reduce emissions and the negative impact of climate change. The system will also increase the lifespan of the roof membrane by 20 to 35 years.
“We're being wasteful and we want to prove we can be efficient and impact the environment less,” Graves said.
Graves, Alese Colehour '09, Timothy Den Herder-Thomas '09, Angelina Lopez '09, and Ellen Rogers '09 decided through extensive research to use a containerized method known as an intensive system. Intensive systems involve planting the grasses in 2 x 2 foot steel blocks on the ground and placing them on top of the roof membrane. The group will use a conveyer belt to transport the blocks to the roof of the fishbowl.
Plant life will grow to new heights on campus this spring when a pilot green roof project will be implemented on top of the fishbowl—the link between Turck Hall and Doty Hall—on Apr. 14. A group of five members of MacCARES, the environmental student organization on campus, will grow plants on top of the fishbowl to reduce storm water runoff and save the college money by improving roof insulation.
The green roof is one part of a surge of environmental activism sponsored by MacCARES this semester.
“We have a really interesting mix of activism, both on-campus and off, that I believe are far more ambitious than any previous environmental activism in Macalester's history,” said Richard Graves '06, a co-head of the project.
MacCARES is also backing efforts to build a wind turbine off campus that will produce more energy than Macalester's existing windmill and helped plan the clean energy rally on Mar. 27 at the capitol building in St. Paul.
The project is part of MacCARES' greater goal to reduce carbon emissions. The self-sustaining green roof, also known as a living roof, is a cutting edge solution to reduce emissions and the negative impact of climate change. The system will also increase the lifespan of the roof membrane by 20 to 35 years.
“We're being wasteful and we want to prove we can be efficient and impact the environment less,” Graves said.
Graves, Alese Colehour '09, Timothy Den Herder-Thomas '09, Angelina Lopez '09, and Ellen Rogers '09 decided through extensive research to use a containerized method known as an intensive system. Intensive systems involve planting the grasses in 2 x 2 foot steel blocks on the ground and placing them on top of the roof membrane. The group will use a conveyer belt to transport the blocks to the roof of the fishbowl.
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