Instead of simply being hot, unsightly places that catch rainwater and send it down pipes onto the street or into storm sewers, rooftops are now seen as possible "green" places to absorb stormwater, improve water quality, mitigate heat islands, improve air quality, add wildlife habitat and add aesthetic value to the area. Green rooftops have been used in Europe for years, but a lack of expertise and imposition of traditional building codes have restricted the usage in the United States. Research and demonstrations in the public and private sectors is prompting more interest in the potential positive impacts.
Michigan State University (MSU) is installing a vegetative roof on 3, 500 sq. ft. on a science building with sedum that will grow into a flowering carpet. Part of the roof will use conventional materials for research purposes to evaluate reductions in airborne pollution; water runoff; and moderation of temperatures for both the building and those around it. This is in addition to research started in 2000 with Ford Motor Co. on a 10.6 acre green roof, the world's largest, on an assembly plant in Dearborn.
For more university research, go to www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroof/. It also links to other land-grant university green roof research at Penn State and North Carolina State University.
- John Church, Extension educator, natural resources
Is Our Energy Forecast Stormy Or Just Windy?
It's no secret that in the foreseeable future it will be necessary to tap into new methods of energy production to maintain our society. This energy will come from many sources but the fastest emerging new energy science relates to wind.
North America has a huge potential for developing wind energy, but is a very distant second to Europe in tapping this potential. Europe currently generates five times the amount of electricity from wind as does North America. But throughout North America, wind power is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. This is due to changing technological and economic factors which have brought the price of producing power from the wind down to levels comparable to the energy production costs associated with coal, natural gas, and nuclear methods.
Relatively soon, many Illinois residents will have something in common with Denmark citizens, that routinely see turbine blades larger than the wings of a jet airliner, slowly turning in the breeze like the spokes of a wheel. Clean, renewable, efficiently produced energy helping provide us the lifestyle we currently enjoy.
Bluffs and ravines are important natural resources in areas throughout Illinois. A good place to start protecting our bluffs and ravines is to control stormwater runoff and soil erosion.
To manage stormwater runoff :
Decrease the amount of runoff by minimizing paved and other hard surfaces. Use gravel or paving stones for driveway paths or patios.
Detain runoff by using swales, berms, and other devices to help surface runoff slow down with curves, gravel trenches, and low areas. Avoid straight ditches heading directly for the ravine or bluff.
Redirect rain gutters and other runoff to vegetated areas on your property or install rain barrels or rain gardens.
Never run a drainage pipe to the edge of your ravine or bluff.
To manage erosion:
Limit the amount of bare soil. Minimize exposed soil and disturbance of ground cover.
Provide the least possible disruption of an area's natural features.
Plant deep rooted native vegetation to reduce erosion damage caused by surface runoff.
Protect new seeded areas with control blankets, mulches, and/or landscaping fabrics to help retain soil until plants are established.
Install silt fences and/or haybales to catch soil during construction. During the construction period after a rainfall inspect site for any erosion problems.
Protect new seeded areas with control blankets, mulches, and/or mindscape fabrics to help retain soil until plants are established.
Remove lawn waste and other debris from the ravine or bluff. Sunlight cannot penetrate waste- thus damaging vegetation and destroying habitat. Leaves and grass clippings also allow bacterial, oxygen consuming materials, phosphorus, and nitrogen to be released into our waterway.
- Susan Meeker, Extension educator, natural resources
Fun Finding Nature
Technology has opened a new, fun way for families to explore and learn about nature and the world together. Called GeoCaching, it is a sport that combines the technology of GPS (Global Positioning System) with a nature based scavenger hunt.
The sport consists of two parts. The first is using a handheld GPS receiver to navigate to points of interest others have found and marked. Equally as fun is finding new and interesting natural wonders or educational sites to mark and post for others to find. These sites are called geocaches. Information about the site and location coordinates are shared through clubs or websites. A group interested in the sport facilitates the non-profit site GeoCaching.com as a place to post information about geocaches around the world.
All a family needs to get started is a simple GPS unit, time, and interest in exploring nature together. Search the available geocaches in your area or for an area where you will be traveling to, select one or more of interest. Then, have fun locating the caches and viewing the nature around them. More information can be found at GeoCaching.com.
- Stanley (Jay) Solomon, Jr. , Extension educator, engineering technology
Backyard Biodiversity
At this time of year, most of us are not thinking about our lawns, but it is a good time to begin planning ways to improve your home landscape to increase biodiversity. The space around our homes provides us with places to play and relax. To local wildlife, however, expanses of lush, green grass might as well be asphalt. Lawns provide animals with no shade, shelter, or food, and the runoff from fertilizers and pesticides applied to lawns can contaminate wildlife habitats.
This spring, consider ways to create a landscape that is not only beautiful but also promotes a variety of animal and insect life. Some options include converting a section of your lawn to a prairie or wildflower meadow, planting native varieties and imitating natural habitats by planting in clusters and having a diversity of trees, shrubs and plants.
The National Audubon Society has an informative website
Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) is the nation's largest water quality problem. NPS pollution seems to flow from many different sources and can not be traced to a specific origin or starting point. NPS pollution normally occurs when water washes over the land, and picks up an array of contaminants including oil and sand from roadways, agricultural chemicals from farmland, and nutrients and toxic materials from urban and suburban areas. This runoff finds its way into our rivers and lakes. The term nonpoint is used to distinguish this type of pollution from point source pollution, which comes from specific sources such as sewage treatment plants or industrial facilities. Huge strides have been made in cleaning up major point sources, but our precious water resources are still threatened by the effects of polluted runoff. Polluted runoff is the cumulative result of our everyday personal actions and our local land use policies. Major types of pollutants are listed below.
Pathogens: Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses, that comes from the fecal waste of humans and animals.
Nutrients: Nutrients are compounds that stimulate plant growth. Under normal conditions, nutrients are beneficial and necessary, but in high concentrations, they can become an environmental and health threat.
Sediment: Soil eroded by runoff usually ends up in stream beds or ponds where they can alter stream flow and decrease the availability of healthy aquatic habitat.
Toxic Contaminants: Toxins include heavy metals, pesticides and organic compounds.
Debris: Trash interferes with our enjoyment of water resources and, in the case of plastic and styrofoam, can be a health threat to aquatic organisms.
What you do–simple but important things, like conserving water, disposing of hazardous waste properly and environmentally gardening–is the key.
