What do sedums, salmon and sheriffs have in common? They’re all part of an eco-roof, or “green roof” which BRING plans to install on a street front building at the new Glenwood site. The roof will be covered with hardy, succulent plants called sedums, grown by inmates at the Lane County Sheriff Forest Work Camp (FWC), which will help make the Willamette River a friendlier environment for salmon.
Green roofs offer an elegant solution to a critical problem facing urban planners: the torrent of stormwater running off impervious surfaces like streets, parking lots and buildings into rivers and streams. Stormwater is warmer than river water and contains pollutants, which harm salmon and other aquatic life. Besides reducing stormwater run-off and moderating water temperature, green roofs provide lots of other environmental benefits. They improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide, increase humidity, and keep the building underneath cooler in summer and warmer in |
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winter—and of course, the aesthetics of a carpet of plants beats out asphalt any day.We’re very excited about our green roof, “Sedums Save Salmon” project. A committee has been formed to plan, coordinate and oversee the whole event, from propagating the plants, to installing the roof and monitoring the results. Volunteer coordinators Sue Jakaboksy, Tomoko Sekiguchi and Sarah Kae Madsen are heading up the effort in coordination with BRING’s Education Committee. One of our biggest tasks will be to obtain the vast number of sedums needed to cover the roof of a 3,000 sq ft building. Thanks to the Forest Work Camp, we’re well on our way. Last fall, FWC agreed to assist BRING in propagating sedums for what will be the first green roof on a commercial building in Lane County and they have already doubled the number of healthy plants.
The Forest Work Camp (FWC) is one of Lane County's alternative incarceration programs for low risk offenders. Led by Sgt. Dan Buckwald, FWC crews provide labor and other services to governmental and non-profit agencies throughout Lane County. FWC differs from most prison programs, offering inmates the chance to learn skills that help them in the job market once they leave. |
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They may receive training in first aid, CPR, wild land fire fighting, building trades, a food handlers card or, credit towards certification from the Lane Community College culinary program. There is two-acre garden that grows food served at the camp, proudly tended by inmates who are investing in, and reaping benefits from, this opportunity to participate. A group went out recently to tour the camp and were impressed with the many innovative approaches being used to run the program on a meager budget, including shopping for supplies at BRING!
Working together with many groups and individuals to bring about innovation and change is what BRING is all about. With total need of 14,000 sedum plants, we will likely be inviting the while community to join in what the Forest Work Camp is starting. If you would like to be part of the “growing” team of the first green roof of Lane County, please contact Sarah Madsen by email at Madsen@Oregonfast.net. If you do not have email, give us a call at BRING and we’ll send the message along. |
Summer means heat, heat means thirst and thirst means more juice, water and other beverages are consumed, often away from the home and convenient recycling bins. Many drinks are packaged in plastic bottles—and many of them end up in the trash. Since only carbonated beverages have a 5¢ deposit; juice, water and tea bottles are tossed more often than pop and beer bottles.
• Nationally, the recycling rate for PET is less than 25 percent. It is much higher in the 10 states with bottle deposit laws, especially Michigan, which requires a 10-cent deposit on each container.