Fleming College

The Frost Campus has sprouted a green roof. Green roof project organizers have stayed true to the original guiding principles and objectives of the plan – local soils, local plants and student learning. Located on a section of roof over the new Environmental Technology Wing (southeast corner), the 1,200 square-foot garden features native Ontario meadow plants such as Coreopsis, Rudbeckia, Wild Thyme and grasses. The plant species will grow in a six-inch-deep mixture of local organic matter such as peat, manure, compost, and wood shavings. Roof Greening Systems (RGS) from Cambridge, Ontario grew and installed the Fleming green roof. While the green roof is currently self-sufficient, RGS will be visiting on occasion to ensure maintenance and quality control. According to Sara Kelly, Frost Campus faculty member and the green roof project coordinator, greening roof tops is about converting dead space into living systems. Green roofs have a proven ability to absorb and filter storm water, cool and clean air, provide habitat for insect and bird life, and insulate the building below. Ms. Kelly says the opening of the green roof was, “a momentous occasion.” Since it opened on October 11, she has had a number of students and staff up on the roof to see the project firsthand.  Looking ahead, she says the college will continue greening portions of the roof and will develop curriculum pieces for integrating the green roof into Fleming’s School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences programming. Research and innovation partnership opportunities will also be explored.