On Tuesday September 9th, 2008 the staff at Minnetrista installed the demonstration Green Roof on one of the main building’s arbor arm that flanks the front entrance.  As the first green roof in Delaware County, this is an amazing feat.  This project not only shows visitors the aesthetics of a green roof, there will be an informational kiosk that demonstrates how the green roof affects the temperature of the roof, the amount of water coming off the roof, and the quality of that water. Using the other arbor arm as a control, the monitoring equipment will demonstrate the differences using an easy-to-use interface that will display real-time temperature and water flow off the roof. Additionally, students form Ball State University’s Natural Resources and Environmental Management Department will perform water quality analysis on water samples taken from both of the roofs to see if any differences occur. This project was funded by the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, through its White River Watershed Project, using grants obtained from the Ball Brothers Foundation and The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.

 

Workers install the green roof modules

 

The finished green roof