nearly complete

compared to last month  there is a big difference.

we still need to add some plant biomass, the gutters, and some monitoring equipment

the plants

Nothing beats a trip to Emory Knoll farms on a sunny day to pick up greenroof plants.  Not only can you see how the plants are grown (and watered using solar energy- see the pic below), but you can also observe how they have been performing on several demonstration roofs (see pic above).  The farm's owner/operator, Ed Snodgrass was generous enough to give me a small tour of the grounds and share some of the wisdom about greenroof plants he has gained through years of experience. Ed and Lucy Snodgrass are the authors of the book, Greenroof Plants.

adding the media

Thanks team of volunteers from UMBC, UMCP and Stevenson University!

Media

We got our media from Stancills . You may know them as Skygarden. I was lucky to meet the father/daughter duo behind this family owned and operated business.  They were interested in the details of my study and asked some good questions. 

cutting the filter fabric, protection fabric, and drainage layer

I had some "help" with this.

careful with the corners and note the patch

The greenroof layers

Once the platforms (above right) were built, we were ready for the next step.  We got our greenroof supplies from Conservation Technology in Remington. They were very instructive and supportive.  The first layer added, shown here, was the water-proofing membrane.

the platform construction in action

*note the waterproofing membrane has already been added in some of these pictures (see above re: the membrane)

Chesapeake Center for Youth Development

We were really lucky to have support from students in the carpentry class at the Chesapeake Center for Youth Development.  The mission of this organization is to make a positive difference in the lives of youth who are vulnerable to becoming involved in the juvenile justice system. They were a great help.  Here they are helping us add structures to the concrete walls that will support the platforms in the future.

how to make 18 experimental greenroof platforms

First, a huge amount of credit is due to Dr. Bradley Rowe and his research program at Michigan State University. We modeled our design off of theirs, specifically following the VanWoert et al. (2005) article in volume 34 of the Journal of Environmental Quality.

Here is a picture of the site shortly after we began...

greenwall in san fransisco

Saw this at the ASCE LID conference
I am always impressed by the quality research presented at these conferences.
I think next year it will be in Philadelphia...

bp carwash in the spring

much different than in in the fall ....