Make a Green Roof Model
funded by
U.S. Green Building Council
Materials
• Plastic container
• Filter Material, cut to fit container
• Fleece, cut to fit container
• Potting soil, enough for a thin layer
• Sedum, 1-2 plants, sometimes sold as
“stonecrop”
• Water
Tools
•Drill
•Scissors
Filter Material
A cut-to-fit furnace filter made of
recycled materials is a good
representation of the filtration level on
the Ford Rouge’s Green Roof. They
are inexpensive at big-box home
stores, and one filter is enough for
several models.
Select a Container
This project can be
made large or small.
A transparent or
translucent container
allows students to see
the completed layers.
Select your container and drill a few
drainage holes in the bottom.
The Green Roof drains water to a collection
system to be reused.
Filter Layer
Measure your container,
and cut filter material to fit.
Options
A layer of
packing
peanuts can
be used in
place of the
filter material.
Be sure they
are not the
kind that
dissolves
when wet!
Fleece Layer
Add a layer of fleece
on top of the green
filter or packing
peanuts. Some fabric
stores sell fleece
made of recycled
plastic called ecofleece! This layer will
hold water for the
sedum.
So Far…
Your project should look like this:
Soil Layer
Next, add a thin layer of potting soil on top.
This layer is so
the sedum roots
can hold on. On
the Green Roof,
this layer is made
of a crushed
shale mixture.
Last Step…
Add sedum plants and enough water to
dampen the soil. Sedum requires almost
no upkeep.
There is a
sprinkler
system on the
Green Roof,
but it has
almost never
been used!