My Submission to NatGeo’s “The Green Effect”

Alright friends, family, readers – I need your help!  I have submitted an entry idea to National Geographic’s contest “The Green Effect.”  I am asking that you head on over (http://greeneffect.nationalgeographic.com/idea/2343/) and rate my project idea!  Thanks so much!

With $20,000 I would install an intensive greenroof system on the roof of the new Gloucester County College (Sewell, New Jersey) campus building that is set to be constructed within the coming year. As a student at GCC I have been working this year with my Environmental Science professor to implement this idea. We have given three presentations to students, faculty, and staff explaining the concept and its advantages, collected several signatures petitioning our college’s president to act, and set meetings with the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders. 

This small step would make a big difference because it would give students at GCC their first taste of green building and their first example of how our environment can be bettered through creative means. 

The construction of the greenroof system would create jobs for engineers, designers, and manufacturers, as well as those who would maintain the garden throughout each year. 

Some positive environmental effects that a greenroof would have on my campus are: 
1) a major reduction in polluted storm-water runoff 
2) the pulling of up to 5lbs/m2 of particulate matter from the air per year 
3) enormous reductions in our heating and cooling needs 
4) the ability to grow herbs and vegetables to be sold locally 
5) an interactive, outdoor classroom for science classes 

My small school needs this! I believe that initiating this idea would set a major precedent in my community regarding conscious building!

GCC Aims for Green Campus

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

by Jessica Driscoll

DEPTFORD TWP. Gloucester County College showed its green spirit for Earth Day on Tuesday with information booths, a film festival and a visit by creatures from the Academy of Natural Sciences.

“This is our second annual Go Green day and we decided it would be beneficial to hold it around Earth Day,” said Cheryl Budd, student activities coordinator at GCC and organizer of Tuesday’s event. “We reached out to various outside vendors and a lot of the students got involved. It’s an event to make people aware of what they can do for the earth as individuals.”

GCC held a logo design contest for this year’s event and all participants wore the green design.

This year’s winner Brittany Goetz, 21, of Mullica Hill said she was inspired to draw a “really cool tree” and then wrapped it around the planet in order to commemorate Earth Day.

“I think days like this are important for everyone,” said Goetz. “Everyone needs to go more green and show that they care for the environment.”

Two petitions were also circulating the event, one to get Dr. Davis to join the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and the other for the installation of “green roofs” on new campus buildings.

“We want Dr. Davis to sign a commitment to make a plan for the college that will reduce emissions and do the right thing by buying clean energy technology,” said Dr. Susan Glenn, a science professor at GCC. “There are 600 college and university presidents already signed up.”

“And the green roofs I learned about from Dr. Glenn,” said Christina Meares, 23, of Pitman. “It’s about having grass and shrubs on the roofs of new buildings which will pull in particulate matter and absorb stormwater so it won’t run off and pollute drinking water. It would also greatly reduce heating and cooling costs and there are a lot of grants out there that would help support a program like this.”

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The above article was written about a campus-wide Earth Day event I helped coordinate at the community college from which I recently graduated.  The latter of the two petitions mentioned is one that I drew up urging students, staff, and faculty to get behind the installation of greenroofs on all newly constructed campus buildings.  I collected about 80 signatures (probably a good number for such a small school) and last night finally e-mailed the school president and his secretary requesting an appointment to present the design concept as well as the petition and to answer any questions.