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Green roof a lasting legacy
Two Sardis secondary graduates have left a long-lasting impact, maybe even a legacy, at their former school.
Shanelle Marshall and Bailey Derksen, 2008 graduates, are the young masterminds behind Sardis secondary's soon-to-be green roof. After over a year of research the two pitched the idea to the school administration and district officials to build the green roof atop their school, and received approval at the end of last school year.
"As a school, we need to lead by example," said Marshall. "The environment is our planet. It's our home. We take such good care of our homes, why not look at the bigger picture with our planet. We have to do something now. We need to be more united in protecting our home."
Green roofs incorporate the use of vegetation, like grass, to help filter pollutants from air and rainwater, and reduce the heat island effect of urban areas. Extensive green roofs - like the one to be built at Sardis - are light weight with a soil depth of three to six inches. And they're low maintenance, "self sustaining," with drought-resistant grasses.
"People think it's a garden on the roof, but it's more like an ecosystem," said Marshall. "Our roof right now is reflecting UV rays directly back into the atmosphere, causing global warming."
A green roof will also last twice as long as a conventional roof, and minimize heat loss as well as protect the building from direct solar heat. Construction of the greenroof will start soon on the north east wing of the school, above the theatre and dance studio, facing Stevenson Road, and is due to be finished in the next two years.
