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<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Calibri></FONT></SPAN></P><SPAN
lang=en-us><B></B></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><B><FONT face=Arial>Sustainable Idaho
To Host Green Roof Tour at Student Union Building</FONT></B></SPAN></DIV>
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<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>MOSCOW,
Idaho – The Sustainable Idaho Initiative will host a tour of the University of
Idaho’s first green roof on Thursday, October 8 as part of its GreenHows
speaker series. Participants will meet in the SUB Silver room at 12:30 for a
brief presentation by project leader Mark Miller about the milestones and
challenges of implementation, followed by a viewing from the catwalk
overlooking the roof.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>The green roof was funded by a
grant from the Sustainable Idaho Initiative in fall 2007. Miller and his team
selected a tri-level 1,650 square foot section of roof at the southwest corner
of the SUB for the pilot project. With partial shade, shelter from winds, easy
access and structural soundness, the site supplied a solid foundation for the
university’s first earth and vegetation living roof.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>Miller and his team completed the
project in spring 2009 by planting a variety of native sedums, a genus of
hardy, drought-tolerant plants suitable for the long winters and hot, dry
summers of the Palouse. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>Green roofs provide myriad
benefits: decreasing the urban heat island effect, reducing and improving the
quality of runoff, microclimate control, insulation, habitat for insects and
birds, re-oxygenating the air, beautification, and more. By reducing energy
and sewer costs, green roofs provide an economic incentive as
well.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>Miller hopes the roof will be
used for applied research and other educational purposes, in addition to
providing a point of interest for visitors to the University of Idaho campus.
The green roof could be the first of many, supplying the university with a
model that can be duplicated on existing roofs and designed into future
building projects. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>For more information, contact
Alecia Hoene in the Environmental Science Program at</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
lang=en-us> </SPAN><A href="mailto:hoene@uidaho.edu"><SPAN
lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><U><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>hoene@uidaho.edu</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN
lang=en-us></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial>. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P dir=ltr><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>As
increasing environmental awareness drives interest in sustainable practices,
the University of Idaho continues to seek carbon reduction initiatives to meet
the current and future needs of society and to contribute to the quality of
life and the natural resources in Idaho, the nation and the world. The
University of Idaho emitted some 38,981 metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in 2007, which is equal to
3.59 tons per student. The university has set a goal to be carbon neutral by
2030 and has begun the work to reduce carbon emissions across operations. For
more information about the university’s sustainability efforts, contact the
University of Idaho Sustainability Center at</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us>
</SPAN><A href="mailto:uisc@uidaho.edu"><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>uisc@uidaho.edu</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
lang=en-us></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial> or visit</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.uisc.uidaho.edu"><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial>www.uisc.uidaho.edu</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
lang=en-us></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial>. </FONT></SPAN></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>