Baby Steps...

Some highlights from this past week:

- Made contact with FloraSource, Ltd. I told them about my project and they said they could help make it happen!

- So many supporters; includes professors, students, green roof advocates, and friends

- Scheduled to meet with The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) chairman on Thursday to discuss my project

Still don't know what a green roof is? Well, here's a more thorough explanation:

"Green roofs supplement traditional vegetation without disrupting urban infrastructure -- they take a neglected space and make it useful.

Green roofs last longer than conventional roofs, reduce energy costs with natural insulation, create peaceful retreats for people and animals, and absorb storm water, potentially lessening the need for complex and expensive drainage systems. On a wider scale, green roofs improve air quality and help reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, a condition in which city and suburban developments absorb and trap heat. Anyone who has walked across a scalding parking lot on a hot, summer day has felt one effect of an Urban Heat Island.

The layers of a green roof must, like any roof, accommodate drainage and protect the building from the elements with a waterproof membrane. But they also must create a growing area and potentially provide support, irrigation and root protection barriers while staying as light as possible."

Would you like to read more?

Resource: What is a Green Roof  by Sarah Dowdey on HowStuffWorks.com 

Shrek says: "Green roofs have layers. Ogres have layers. Green roofs have layers. You get it? We both have layers. "

A semi-failed mini adventure:

Last week I wanted to see what the roof of the Social Ecology building looked like. I was very happy with what I came across! Here are some pictures of what different levels of the roof look like now. Although the roof looks like the perfect roof-candidate for the youCgreen project, I don't know if the building is structurally sound. 

 

First Level Rooftop

 

Another Section of the First Level Rooftop

 

           Second Level Rooftop

I walked up from one floor to the next thinking of the endless possibilities. So much potential space just waiting to Cgreen. Then I went further up the stairs and....dead end. 

I should have figured I wouldn't be allowed on the roof...but I mean, a girl can try...

Stay posted.

Green Roofs

Hello out there. My name is Connie, I'm a student at UC Irvine and green advocate, nice to cyber-meet you! 

Have you ever heard of a green roof? If not, I'll tell you a little bit about it. In a nutshell, a green roof is like having a low maintenance lawn on top of a building to provide benefits like stabilizing the building's internal temperature, creating a natural habitat for wildlife, and preventing storm water run off. Universities like UPenn and Chapman have projects like this on their campuses, which has made me wonder why we don't have something like this on UCI's campus...I believe it's doable. 

My project is called youCgreen and my goal is to create a green roof on one of the buildings at UCI, preferably the Social Ecology building by Middle Earth (one of the freshman dorming communities for those of you who don't go to the UCI). I want the green roof to be a rooftop study lounge kind of area for students to enjoy the great outdoors while reading and catching up on hw before class and just to hang out. Hopefully youCgreen will eventually expand out to other UC campuses to start green roofing too. youCgreen is still in the fetus stage, its existence was conceived just a few days ago. Follow my blog to keep track of its growth. I'll update it as much as I can.

I'm so excited about youCgreen and would appreciate your support. Spread the word! If you have any questions, ideas, or just want to chat, feel free to email me at youcgreen@gmail.com. Thank you!

More sites to learn about green roofs:

Chicago Gardens

Wise Words of Wikipedia on Green Roofs

LiveRoof