April, 2012
Green Roofs- A LEED to the future
Kelly May
Tiffany Mears
David Tapia
Introduction:
Many colleges are competing to be green, which is not only great for the college, but also for the
environment. Our idea for Cecil College is a green roof on the new Math and
Engineering Building. As researched in two previous LEED papers, green roofs have many
benefits such as run-off retention, interior heating and cooling cost reduction, and water shed
protection (Hedgel; Hold and McMachon). As great as these points are, we suggest
implementing a green roof for all these benefits, but also to bring more wildlife to Cecil College.
Overview:
Our suggestion involves planting flora that will bring butterflies, birds, and other native wildlife to
nest on the green roof. We currently have Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) nesting on the
Physical education Building roof at Cecil and we want to make more homes for them and other
birds along with the butterflies. The types of birds and butterflies will differ from the prior white
papers (Rinehart; Tedesco, et al.) because there will be no trees on this proposed green roof.
Butterflies need specific plants to lay their eggs on, these are called host plants. The larvae
need these plants to survive because they cannot move far enough to locate their own food.
For this reason we propose an active butterfly/bird green roof.
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There are two different kinds of green roofs; intensive and extensive (Hedge; Hold and
McMahon). We chose to apply an extensive roof to the Math and Engineering Building based on
the type of academic studies proposed for that building. We believe that an intensive roof would
not be utilized enough by engineering and math students.
The Benefits:
●
The roof would be a safe haven for wildlife from the growing quantity of students on
campus.
●
Habitat restoration is key for LEED certification standards (Noble) Having a green roof
could earn the school up to 17 points toward LEED certification. (U.S Green Building
Council, 2011)
●
Birds and Butterflies (along with bees) are natural pollinators, without which many
flowers would not be able to produce fruit.
●
The increase in plant life will bring an increase in wildlife, and both of these have been
dwindling exponentially over the years. (USA today, 2008)
The Plants Recommended for Rooftop Wildlife at Cecil:
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
●
●
Red root (Ceanothus herbaceus Raf)
Wild Lilies (Allium acuminatum)
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●
Sedums (Sedum sieboldii)
●
●
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
Talinum (Phemeranthus calycinus)
●
Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea )
We chose the above flora due to the length of time they have been living on roofs in our area.
(Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.,2011;GreenRoofs.com, 2011)
Types of Birds and Butterflies to expect :
●
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
●
Carolina Wren (thgothorus ludouicianus)
●
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
●
Roufous-sided towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalum)
(12Ap)
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●
Vesper Sparrow (Pooeectes gramineus)

Pecks Skipper (Polites peckius)
●
Northern Broken Dash (Wallengrenia egeremet)
2010)
●
Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)
●
Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)
●
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)
●
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardul)
2009)
(Randys Nature Photography, 2005)
(Gardens with wings,
(Summer Azure butterfly, 2012)
( jspippen@duke.edu, 2005)
(Spring Azure Butterfly, 2006)
(Butterfly-Photos Wallpapers Pictures,
● Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
(Chessalee, 2007)
These butterflies will live their life cycle, from larvae to adult on the roof with these plants, and
come back for years to come. Other butterflies will be pollinating visitors.
(Butterflies and Moths of North America, 2012)
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Other Local Schools that have Green Roofs:
 Harford Community College
 University of Maryland
 Pennsylvania State University
CECIL COLLEGE COULD BE NEXT!
The Costs of a Green Roof:
Between $15 to $20 per square feet. (Urban Design Tools, 1999-2007)
● One flat of flora will cover approximately 35 square feet and contains 71 plugs (individual
plants), so that then divides into about 63 cents per plant.
In conclusion:
The competition to be green is great in many aspects; it saves money and energy, creates more
space for wildlife and plant life, and ultimately is environmentally friendly. The continuation of
turning Cecil College into a green campus is imperative and we believe that implementing a
green roof is the next best step. The habitat we could provide for the species mentioned would be
an area of undisturbed peace and could possibly bring about an elevation in the population of
these native species. The benefits will pay for themselves and there are locally owned farms that
we have included that will provide the flora for this project. Emory Knoll Farms plants and sets
up green roofs. They know what plants work and which plants would need the least maintenance.
Emory Knoll Farms is also a local farm that has provided all of the plants to the colleges using
green roofs that were mentioned above. Contact Carey Rowson at
Crowson@greenroofplants.com or Ed Snodgrass at ed.snodgrass@greenroofpants.com for more
information on Emory Knoll Farms or to make an appointment.
Bibliography:
Alexander C. Martin, H.S. (1951). American Wildlife and Plants A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits. New
York, New York: Dover publications.
Burr, Mega and Brent Turner 18, November 2010. “Reptile and Amphibian Habitat Restoration” Retrieved
from V. Beth Kuser Olsen’s Homepage, Ceil College: Maryland. Available online at
<http://clab.cecil.edu/bolsen/LEED_white_papers/>.
Butterflies and Moths of North America. (2012, April 23). Retrieved April 23, 2012, from Regional Checklist:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/checklists?species_type=0&tid=1420 (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lidstormwater.net/greenroofs_cost.htm
"Campus Sustainability · University of Maryland." Campus Sustainability · University of Maryland. University
of Maryland, 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.sustainability.umd.edu/content/campus/green_buildings.php>.
Center for Green Roof Research."Center for Green Roof Research. PennState, 2007. Web. 19 Apr. 2012.
<http://web.me.com/rdberghage/Centerforgreenroof/Home.html>.
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<http://www.harford.edu/GreenHCC/WaterLandProjects.asp?FA>.
GreenRoofs.com. (2011). American Plants. Retrieved April 23, 2012, from GreenRoofs:
http://www.greenroofs.com/Greenroofs101/plants_for_us.htm
Hold, John and McMahon Ashley. Ashley. “Cecil College is going green.” Retrieved from V. Beth Kuser Olsen’s
Homepage. Cecil College: Maryland. Available online at
<http://clab.cecil.edu/bolsen/LEED_white_papers/>
Jones, Randi. "List of Butterflies of Maryland." The Butterfly Site. 2006. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.thebutterflysite.com/maryland-butterflies.shtml>.
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"Modern Green Roof Technology." Modern Green Roof Technology. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.greenroofs101.com/>
Noble, Alexandria. April 2009. “Bainbridge Campus Habitat Restoration.” Retrieved from V. Beth
Kuser Olsen’s Homepage. Cecil College: Maryland. Available online at
<http://clab.cecil.edu/bolsen/LEED_white_papers/>
Raven. "Butterflies and Moths of North America | Collecting and Sharing Data about Lepidoptera." Butterflies and
Moths of North America. 4 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sighting_details/613572>.
Rinehart, Shelby. November 2009. “Birds Habitats of Cecil College.” Retrieved from V. Beth Kuser
Olsen’s Homepage. Cecil College: Maryland. Available online at
<http://clab.cecil.edu/bolsen/LEED_white_papers/>
Stutz, Bruce. "Green Roofs Are Starting to Sprout in American Cities | Energy Bulletin." Energy Bulletin. Yale
Environment 360, 10 Dec. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-1203/green-roofs-are-starting-sprout-american-cities>.
Tuner, Samantha. November 2010. “Bat Habitats of Cecil Colleg.” Retrieved from V. Beth Kuser
Olsen’s Homepage. Cecil College: Maryland. Available online at
<http://clab.cecil.edu/bolsen/LEED_white_papers/>
Urban Design Tools. (1999-2007). Retrieved April 23, 2012, from Urban Design Tools: http://www.lidstormwater.net/greenroofs_cost.htm
USA Today. (2008, April 9). USA Today, Retrieved April 30,2012, from U.S. losing bees and beekeepers:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-04-08-beekeepers_N.htm
U.S Green Building Council.(2011). Retrieved April,30 2012, from How to achieve certification:
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1991
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Green Roof Plant List: http://www.wetlandstudies.com/about-wssi/officedocs/2009_Green%20Roof%20Plant%20Listpdf
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