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An environmentally friendly element is being added to the roof of the Texas A&M University-Commerce Science Building, the first such project of its kind in the North Texas region.

Evergreen and perennials have been planted on the roof to help reduce the building's cooling costs. The plants absorb sunlight and the heat not transferred into the building results in lower electrical costs, said A&M-Commerce assistant professor of horticulture Dr. Derald Harp.

There are fewer than 10 green roofs in Texas, Harp said.

"Ours is one of the few in the country where research is being conducted on a roof and the first in North Central Texas," he said.

A grant from the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association has helped to fund the work. The project is being conducted in cooperation with the Agrilife Research and Experiment Station in Dallas.

Fifty undergraduate students in Harp's "Introduction to Horticulture" class planted the groundcover in the 250-square- foot-area on the roof. A&M-Commerce has applied for funding to triple the size of the groundcover area.

The idea of green roofs is gaining popularity in Austin, Houston, and Dallas, with the first in the state in Texas, he said.

The species of ornamental plants used on the roof will be evaluated this summer. Agriculture graduate student Chelsea Suttle is writing her master's thesis on the project.

A&M-Commerce staff member Jim Patton is assisting with the project. Collaborating were Agrilife Research Station faculty Dr. Raul Cabrera and Dr. John Sloan and Texas A&M University horticulture faculty member Dr. Michael Arnold.



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For Immediate Release/05-08-08/Mary Lou Hazal

SULPHUR SPRINGS GRAD STUDENT CONDUCTS GREEN ROOF RESEARCH



GREEN ROOF RESEARCH - Texas A&M University-Commerce student Chelsea Suttle discusses her plant research on the green roof atop the Science Building. The day was windy and cool as the plants were checked. Suttle is a graduate student from Sulphur Springs who is writing her master's thesis on the project.



(A&M-Commerce photo/Paul Bryan)



For Immediate Release/05-08-08/Mary Lou Hazal

A&M-C STUDENTS CONDUCT RESEARCH ON GREEN ROOF PLANTS



PLANT RESEARCH - Texas A&M University-Commerce student Emily Jacks, who is in the "Introduction to Horticulture" class, records information in her notebook. Horticulture students have been planting evergreen and perennials on the roof of the Science Building to help reduce the building's cooling costs. There are fewer than 10 green roofs in Texas, and the A&M-Commerce project is one of the few in the country where research is being conducted on a roof, according to Dr. Derald Harp, horticulture faculty member.



(A&M-Commerce photo/Paul Bryan)