This summer was the fourth anniversary of the installation of Regis High School's green roof. The Spring 2010 edition of the Regis Alumni News magazine featured a story about greening efforts at Regis. A reprint of the roof feature from that article is provided here.


Above: A picture of the Regis green roof.

In May of 2006, Regis hired an engineering firm, O’Dea, Lynch, Abbattista Consulting Engineers, to conduct an energy audit of the school in hopes of discovering ways to save money on annual operating costs. The firm examined our electrical usage, heating and cooling systems, building “envelope”, and hot water supplies. We were shocked to learn how much energy and other materials we have been rather mindlessly wasting, to the detriment of not only our budget, but our environment as well.

As awareness of climate change increases, so does the amount of information available about new technologies designed to help institutions such as Regis act as responsible stewards of their local environments. We responded by making improvements to our building and eliminating inefficient and wasteful practices. So what began as a way to “green” Regis’ wallet ultimately developed new meaning, as “greening” both saves money and is the appropriate ethical response to the challenging environmental issues facing today’s world.

Ever wonder what’s on Regis’ roof? Only a student bent on testing the SOPs would have reason to venture beyond the fifth floor, so few have solved the mystery for themselves. Colorful myths have arisen over the years, no doubt. Seniors try, often successfully, to convince freshmen that there is a pool up there, but the truth may surprise you the most—nothing! That will soon change, however, as the roof is the site of the most extensive undertaking associated with this initiative. The Green Roof Project began in the summer of 2009, when Regis hired Greensulate, a firm specializing in the design, engineering, installation, and maintenance of green roof systems to replace its sacristy and lower courtyard roofs. Encouraged by the success of this initial demonstration, Regis recently begun the full-scale replacement of its upper roofs, to be completed prior to the start of the 2010-11 school year.

A green roof is “a living extension of an existing or newly constructed roof.” It consists of a waterproofing membrane, drainage system, lightweight growing medium and plants. How does cultivating an enormous rooftop garden help Regis? By crowning the building with a thin layer of vegetation, Regis not only adds beautiful green space to Manhattan’s concrete jungle, but also improves its aforementioned building “envelope”, effectively stabilizing its interior climate, thereby lowering the cost of cooling the building. In addition, green roofs tend to last about two and a half times longer than standard roofs, because the layer of vegetation shields the roof itself from weather damage. The environmental impact, on the other hand, is more obvious. Green roofs clean and cool the air as its plants consume carbon dioxide and emit oxygen in photosynthesis. They provide homes for the city’s insect and bird populations, thus increasing biodiversity. Green roofs also absorb storm water that would otherwise flow into the city’s sewer system, limiting the volume of runoff and preventing street floods and sewage spills.

Although Regis made these plans independent of any curricular concerns, the Green Roof Project caught the attention of Dr. Stuart Gaffin, Director of Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research. “The roof space is one of the most impressive potential urban green roof sites I have seen,” he wrote in a letter to Rev. Philip G. Judge, S.J. ’80, President of Regis. “As Regis is a leading academic institution in New York City, it is an ideal opportunity to expand the school’s science and sustainability curriculum by creating an outdoor living laboratory.” Regis will thus install scientific monitoring equipment, including a weather station, green roof temperature and soil moisture monitoring stands, a flow rate measurement system, and biodiversity monitoring equipment. All data will stream live via the internet. Columbia will have access to the data for use in their ongoing research, but monitoring capability will also be an invaluable resource to Regis’ Science Department, particularly to the Science Research Project. A network of paths and platforms will connect each station, making the space easily navigable. “We are very excited about this project and the value the data will bring to your students and teachers, not to mention the discussion of New York City urban heat and runoff island mitigation strategies and biodiversity enhancement.”

As it turns out, Gaffin’s isn’t the only project eager to utilize this newly available green space. Dr. Matthew Palmer, also of Columbia University, will plant an experimental meadow of native grasses. Dr. Luca Matone of the Science Department will utilize one of the elevated platforms for astronomical observation. Even Cater To You, Regis’ cafeteria service, intends to maintain an herb garden. Indeed, the enthusiasm generated by the project seems contagious, and it seems students will soon get their chance to visit the roof after all!

Electricity and the Regis Roof
It takes an enormous amount of energy to keep Regis running at top speed. With the cost of energy steadily rising, we need to be ever mindful of ways we can save. Though it has been temporarily removed to allow construction of the green roof, Regis recently installed a 20 kilowatt solar panel array on the upper roof. This fixture typically generates 5-7% of the school’s electricity needs, but don’t take our word for it—You can track its performance, both current and historical, on the internet! Please visit www.regis.org and click on “Solar Energy Stats” in the “Useful Links” section.