Fix your gaze on Archbishop Alter Library’s roof from ground level, and you might not notice its new green look. But a bird’s eye view reveals an extraordinary sight – a sea of 8,880 sedum plants promising summertime blooms of yellow amidst a rainbow of foliage that spans 4,440 square feet of rooftop. At the center are the Mount’s initials, MSJ, writ large by 177 recycled trays of white marble.
It is a vision of school spirit illuminated by nature’s beauty. Even more, the new green roof atop this quiet house of study is a bold move toward environmental responsibility.
Sedum plants are the green roof’s key ingredients that conserve energy and preserve the environment. Arranged in a modular design over a protective roof membrane, they act as super building insulators. Thanks to the sedums, the library will stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter while using 25 to 50 percent less energy.
The green roof also helps purify the air and waterways. Its plants make oxygen and soak up carbon dioxide to enhance air quality. They also absorb half of the rainfall that ordinarily runs off the library’s roof and flows to storm sewers. Any residual water that makes it through this plant-based filtration system is cleaner and drains gently, which prevents flooding.
Installed on August 6, 2008, the Mount’s green roof marks a milestone in the College’s history. It is one of a kind both on campus and among area academic institutions. “We’re the first local college to have a green roof on a major building,” says Linda Liebau, director of institutional communications. “This is the biggest initiative we have ever done in terms of environmental impact.”
The idea to go green atop the library sparked two years ago when the minds of Chief Financial Officer Anne Marie Wagner, B.A., ’84 and Grounds and Landscape Manager Jeff Oelker came together. After a local newspaper article piqued their interest, the pair attended a green roof conference in Chicago and was soon sold on the concept.
“The green roof offers insulation, which leads to energy savings,” explains Anne Marie. “It is also expected to last twice as long as a traditional roof – 25 to 30 years.”
But beyond the benefits that the College stands to gain, installing the green roof was “the right thing to do,” she says.
Archbishop Alter Library, the second largest building on campus, provided the perfect green roof site on campus. A longtime promoter of environmental awareness and education, the library is the College’s information center – an ideal setting for learning earth-friendly lessons. Plus it was the next building on campus scheduled for roof replacement.
Funded in part by a $100,000 grant, the green roof project developed as a collaborative effort among Mount faculty and staff, architects, designers, roofers, and many others. “We started out with just an idea,” recalls Jeff Oelker, who served as project manager. “But everybody worked together and we made the green roof happen. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Caring for the earth is part of the Mount’s heritage and mission as a college founded by the Sisters of Charity. Environmentalist and former Mount Biology Professor Paula Gonzalez, SC, Ph.D., ’52, who participated in the installation of the green roof, reflects, “All religions call us to care for the planet because it belongs to the good God. We must also realize that we are part of nature, and that whatever is happening to the planet is happening to you and me.”
Sister Paula, who founded
EarthConnection, a building that epitomizes green design, sees the Mount’s green roof as a reminder that our decisions to care for the planet will determine its future. Even more, she says, it teaches us that living in an earth-friendly way is possible right now.
Alongside its positive environmental impact, the green roof promises to bear rich educational fruit. “We’re an educational institution, and we’re trying to learn from this,” Anne Marie Wagner explains. The Mount community will gain new insight from the green roof, as will the many visitors it continues to draw to campus, she adds.
Meg Riestenberg, Ph.D., ‘68 and Mark Fischer, Ph.D., faculty members in the Mount’s Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, see the green roof’s educational potential. They plan to monitor how the temperature changes on the planted part of the roof compare to temperatures on an adjacent untreated roof. Students of Drs. Riestenberg and Fischer will then analyze this data in their science classes.
The green roof is also helping to teach the importance of responding to environmental need – a learning point that is being taken to heart at the Mount. “There has definitely been an increasing concern about the environment among everyone on campus,” says Jeremy Adam, a senior majoring in business administration and president of the Student Government Association.
Jeremy points to the recycling program’s focus on reusing old materials, trayless meals eliminating hundreds of pounds of waste daily in the dining areas, and the Campus Police’s increased use of bikes and electric carts to reduce fuel consumption – all of which contribute to “the common goal of reducing our footprint on the earth.”
This effort to live lightly on the planet is what Archbishop Alter Library’s new green roof and other ecological initiatives on campus are all about. It shows the College’s commitment to environmental stewardship put into practice. United in hope for a better tomorrow, the Mount community is befriending the earth today.