Green Roof Carbon Sequestration Potential of Dalhousie’s Halifax … · 2019-04-30 · green roof...

TEAMMUIR I

(Jacobson,2016)

GreenRoofCarbonSequestrationPotentialof

Dalhousie’sHalifaxCampuses

APRIL2016

CODYMACDONALD-ENVIRONMENTALENGINEERING

JASMINBURCHELL-ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCEANDPSYCHOLOGY

NICOLESCOTNEY-ECONOMICS

OLIVIAKUEBER-INTERNATIONALDEVELOPMENTSTUDIES

PITCHAKONPADUNGDETPASUTON-ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE&BIOLOGY

SAMDELLAPINNA-COMMUNITYDESIGNANDSUSTAINABILITY

TEAMMUIRMENTOR:ADAMCHEESEMAN

ENVS3502CAMPUSASALIVINGLABWITHTARAHWRIGHT

TEAMMUIR II

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

This project aims to determine the carbon sequestration potential if extensive green roofs were

installed on viable buildings on Dalhousie University's Carleton, Sexton, and Studley campuses in Halifax

RegionalMunicipality. Reasons to undertake this project are the potential to offset Dalhousie University's

carbonemissionsandfulfilltheuniversity'sgoalsregardingsustainability.

Research methodology consisted of determining which Dalhousie University buildings were

consideredviableinsupportinggreenroofs,usingtheArcGIStodetermineroofsurfaceareas,selectingagreen

roof plant species that can thrive in Nova Scotia's climate, and the carbon sequestration potential of that

species.

Byusingroofsurfaceareavaluesinconjunctionwithcarbonsequestrationpotentialvalues,several

scenariosforthetotalamountofcarbonthatcouldbesequesteredwerelaidout.Thetotalcarbonsequestration

wascalculatedtobe11,843to370,773kgofcarbon,or43,393.44to13,585,348.56kgofcarbondioxide.It

was estimated that Dalhousie University’s carbon emissions could be decreased by 7.00% through the

implementationofgreenrooftechnology.Thisreductionisroughlyequivalenttoremoving2,166mid-sizecars

fromtheroad.

The implementation of green roofs still decreases the total greenhouse gas emissions released by

Dalhousie.Althoughfindingsdidnot indicatea largemitigationofDalhousieUniversity’scarbonemissions,

green roofs may still be used as a method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, it is

recommended that Dalhousie University consider the implementation of green roofs, or other sustainable

techniques. This will provide opportunities for additional research while still continuously reducing

environmentalimpacts.

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

1INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................................1

1.1BACKGROUNDANDRATIONALE.......................................................................................................................................31.1.1TYPESOFGREENROOFS.............................................................................................................................................31.1.2GREENROOFBENEFITS...............................................................................................................................................31.1.3RELEVANTWORKCONDUCTED.....................................................................................................................................41.1.4THEDALHOUSIECAMPUS............................................................................................................................................51.1.5POLICIESONGREENROOFSINHALIFAX.........................................................................................................................6

2RESEARCHMETHODS.......................................................................................................................................................8

2.1METHODSOVERVIEW...................................................................................................................................................82.2DATACOLLECTION........................................................................................................................................................92.2.1LITERATUREREVIEW..................................................................................................................................................92.2.2ARCGIS.................................................................................................................................................................102.3DATAANALYSIS..........................................................................................................................................................112.3.1CALCULATIONS........................................................................................................................................................112.3.2ARCGIS.................................................................................................................................................................112.4DELIMITATIONSANDLIMITATIONS.................................................................................................................................122.4.1DELIMITATIONS.......................................................................................................................................................132.4.2LIMITATIONS..........................................................................................................................................................13

3RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................................14

3.1VIABLEBUILDINGS&TOTALROOFAREA........................................................................................................................143.2PLANTSPECIES&CARBONSEQUESTRATION....................................................................................................................153.3SCENARIOS................................................................................................................................................................16

4DISCUSSION.................................................................................................................................................................17

5CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................................................18

5.1RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................................................................................18

6ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................................................................20

7REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................................21

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LISTOFTABLES

Table1:SummaryofDataCollectionMethods..................................................................................................................................9

Table2:Summaryofliteraturesearchmethods............................................................................................................................10

Table3:SummaryofCarbonSequestrationPotentialScenariosAnalyzed.......................................................................11

Table4:CompliedDelimitationsandLimitations.........................................................................................................................12

Table5:ViableHalifaxCampusBuildings.........................................................................................................................................14

Table6:ScenarioCalculations...............................................................................................................................................................16

LISTOFFIGURESFigure1:ContextMap...................................................................................................................................................................................2

APPENDICES

AppendixA-GISSTEPS

AppendixB-CARBONSEQUESTRATIONCAREQUIVALENCYCALCULATIONS

AppendixC-OriginalProposal

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1 INTRODUCTION

Although it iswildly controversial among the public, there is substantial scientific consensus that

humanactivitycontributestoclimatechange(Boer,2014).Whileitisdifficulttopredicttheeffectsofclimate

change,itwilllikelyhaveadverseimpactsonecosystems(Döll&Zhang,2010)andsociety(Field,Barros,&

IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,2014).Humanactivitycontributestoclimatechangebecausewe

getourenergyfromburningsubstancesthatemitgreenhousegases.DalhousieUniversityemitted97,393,000

tonnes(CO2equivalent)ofgreenhousegasesintheacademicyearof2013-2014(OfficeofSustainability,2014).

Toimprovetheirpractices,DalhousieUniversityistakingstepstomitigateandreducetheircarbonfootprint

(OfficeofSustainability,2014).DalhousiehasjoineduniversitiesacrossCanadainsigninga“ClimateChange

StatementofAction”acommitmenttoreducinggreenhousegasemissions(Pottle&Reagan,2012).Inlightof

this,ourresearchprojectinvestigatesthefeasibilityofaprojectthatwouldoffsetcarbonemissions.Thisoffset

wouldbeachievedthroughcarbonsequestration,aprocessbywhichatmosphericcarbonisremovedfromthe

atmosphere and stored in another form (liquid or solid). Specifically, the project will focus on carbon

sequestrationbyplants; throughphotosynthesis,plantsremovecarbondioxidefromtheair,andstore it in

theirtissuesassugar.

ThisprojectfocusesonthecampusesofDalhousieUniversitylocatedinHalifaxRegionalMunicipality,

NovaScotia,whicharetheCarlton,Sexton,andStudleycampuses.Partofthereasoningbehindthisstudyarea

isthatitisdifficulttosequestercarbonthroughplantsonanurbancampuswithmanyroadsandbuildings.An

innovative solution to this is the use of green roofs; a roof of a building that is covered with vegetation.

Dalhousie University already has some green roofs installed such as theMona Campbell building and the

LeMarchantPlacebuilding.Thisproject’sresearchexploredthepotentialforgreenroofsonexistingHalifax

campusbuildings.

Thisproject’sresearchaimstodeterminethecarbonsequestrationpotentialof installingextensive

green roofs on viable buildings pre-dating 2016 on Dalhousie University’s Halifax campuses. Extensive is

defined inSection1.1.1,andtheclassificationofwhatconstitutesaviablebuilding issetout inSection3.1.

Figure1,locatedbelow,providesacontextmapoftheDalhousieUniversitybuildingsconsideredinthisproject.

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Figure 1: A context map of the Dalhousie University buildings considered in this project,locatedinHalifaxRegionalMunicipality,NovaScotia

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1.1 BACKGROUNDANDRATIONALE1.1.1 TypesofGreenRoofs

Greenroofs,alsoknownasvegetativeroofs,canbedescribedaslayersoflivingvegetationontopofa

conventional roof (Miller, 2008). Modern green roofs can be classified as intensive or extensive systems,

dependingontheplantmaterialusedandtheintendedusagefortheroofarea(Getter&Rowe,2006).

Intensivegreenroofsaredesignedtobesimilartolandscapingfoundatnaturalgroundlevel,andare

thereforemuchheavierastheyhostalargerdiversityofplantspeciesanddeeply-rootedplants(Getter&Rowe,

2006). Theweight of vegetation anddeeper substrate requires costlier andmore complex buildingdesign

structurestosupportthistypeofroof(CreditValleyConservation,2008).Theyareoftenintendedforpublic

accessandthereforerequireregularmaintenance.

Extensive green roofs, on the other hand, are much smaller in depth and more lightweight than

intensive green roofs. These characteristics narrow the range of plant species they can support to herbs,

grasses, mosses, and sedum (Getter & Rowe, 2006). Extensive green roofs requireminimal maintenance

comparedtointensivegreenroofs,astheyarenotintendedforpublicaccess(Getter&Rowe,2006).Rather,

extensivegreenroofsareoftenusedtosatisfyengineeringandperformancegoalsofthebuilding(Miller,2008).

Duetothenatureofthisproject’sresearch,focushasbeennarrowedtosolelyextensivegreenroofs.

Reasoningforthisisthattheyarelesscostlyandrequirelessstructuralsupportthanintensivegreenroofs,

allowingthemtobemorefeasiblyimplementedonexistingbuildingsonDalhousieUniversity’sHalifaxcampus.

1.1.2 GreenRoofBenefits

Environmental

Therearenumerousenvironmentalbenefitsthatresultfromtheimplementationofagreenroof.The

installation of a green roof essentially offers a replacement for the vegetated footprint destroyed by the

construction of the building. Benefits of this vegetation include the management of storm water runoff.

Vegetationaidsindecreasingthevolumeofstormwaterrunoffbyabsorbingtheprecipitationandreducing

infiltration into groundwater,which results in a reduction of flooding and less stress onmunicipal sewer

systems(Getter&Rowe,2006).Greenroofsmayretain70to90percent(%)ofprecipitationduringsummer

months,and25 to40% inwintermonths (GHRC,2014). Additionally, thequalityof stormwater runoff is

improvedwiththeinstallationofagreenroof,asimpervioussurfacescollectpollutants,includingoil,heavy

metals, salts, pesticides and animal wastes. These contaminants may wash in to streams and waterways,

resultinginanegativeeffectonbothecosystemsandhumanhealth(Getter&Rowe,2006).

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Replacingconventionalrooftopswithagreenroofalsoresultsinmitigationofwhatisknownasthe

urbanheatislandeffect.Thisistheoccurrenceofwarmtemperaturesinurbanareasduetothelargeamount

ofbuiltsurfaceswhichabsorbheatandradiateitbackintheeveninghours(Getter&Rowe,2006).Nightair

temperatures therefore remainhigh in built-up areas. Theurbanheat islandoccurs as a result of reduced

vegetation and increased impervious surfaces, combinedwith the heat-absorbing properties of structures,

whichinturncreateshighertemperaturesinsideandoutsidethebuilding(Getter&Rowe,2006).Greenroofs

aidinthereductionoftheurbanheatislandthroughtheprocessofevapotranspiration,inwhichmoistureis

abletore-entertheatmosphereandthereforecoolcities(GHRC,2014).

Economic

Roofstransferthegreatestheatlossfrombuildingsinthewinterandthehottesttemperaturesinto

buildingsinthesummer(GRHC,2014).Greenroofsofferasolutiontohighenergybillsbyhelpingtomaintain

internal building temperatures, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions (Castleton et al., 2010).

Indoortemperatureshavebeenshowntobe3-4°Clowerunderagreenroofwhenoutdoortemperaturesare

between 25 to 30 °C, while every 0.5 degrees decrease in internal building air temperature may reduce

electricityuseforairconditioningupto8percent(Getter&Rowe,2006).Buildingownershavetheopportunity

tosavemoneyonrenovatingout-datedstormwaterinfrastructureandtopowercoolingandheatingsystems

(Getter&Rowe,2006).Additionally,greenroofshavethepotentialtoout-liveconventionalrooftops,whichis

along-termcostsavingbenefit(GRHC,2014).

1.1.3 RelevantWorkConducted

In2006,agroupofstudentsenrolledinthecourseEnvironmentalProblemSolvingII(ENVS3502)

conducted an analysis to determine the feasibility of a Rainwater Collection system (RWCS) at Dalhousie

University. The foremost objective of their researchwas to examine an alternative sustainable solution to

reduce water consumption on campus. In the course of their data generation, the team chose interactive

techniques such as interviews and surveys to obtain crucial information and recommendations from

professionals“intheareasofwaterresourcemanagement,geology,engineering,plumbing,urbanplanningand

economics”(Abdual,Arsenault,Bachiu,Garrey,MacGillivray,&Uloth,2006).Otherproceduresundertookby

theteamincludeanextensiveresearchonthefunctioningofRWCSandwaterusageatDalhousieUniversity.

Subsequent to the compilation of the gathered information, their analysis has indicated the area between

UniversityofKing’sCollegeandLifeSciencesCentreasthemostfeasiblelocationforaninstallationofRWCS

(Abdulaletal.,2006).InspiteofthefactthattheirresearchstudywaspredominantlyonRWCS,theirarticle

doescontaindiscussionthatrelatestogreenroofs.Hence,reviewingtheirresearchstudycouldbebeneficial

becausebothRWCSandgreenroofsarecategorizedassustainabledevelopmentdesigns.

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In2009,afeasibilityanalysisofagreenroofontheLifeScienceCenterwasconductedbyagroupof

students enrolled in the same university course. They conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the economic,

environmentalandsocialimpactsofgreenroofs.Theyfoundthatthoughtheenvironmentalbenefitsofgreen

roofsoutweightheenvironmentalcosts,economiccostscaninitiallybehighandsocialbenefitsaredifficultto

quantify.AlimitationoftheirstudywasalackofinformationregardingLifeScienceCenter’sstructureandroof

capacity(Blocketal.,2009).Lastly,theteamconcludedthattheirprojectwouldbebeneficialtoanyonehas

similarinteresttotransformDalhousieUniversityintoamoreenvironmentallyfriendlycampus.Thisreport

gavealotofinformationonthecostsandbenefitsofgreenroofs,butwasrestrictedinscopetotheLifeScience

Centreandwaslimitedintheinformationtheycouldobtainaboutthebuilding’sstructure.Ourstudywilluse

avarietyofmethodstogetasmuchinformationaspossibleaboutcampusbuildingstructure,sothatphysical

feasibilityofgreenroofinstallationcanbeestablishedintheliterature.

In2015,anothergroupofstudentsconductedastudythatexaminedgreenroofsasapossiblestrategy

tomitigatetherisksofstormwateronStudleycampus.Thegoaloftheirstudywasto“addressthecurrent

issues with storm water management on Studley campus and apply a sustainable solution to mitigate

associatedenvironmentaldamages”(Cranstone,Hu,Laing,Watling&Zhang,2015).Theirreportacknowledged

theinstallationofagreenroofasanaffordableandhighlyeffectivewaytoimprovestormwatermanagement

andreducetheamountofwaterreachingsewers.ThroughtheuseofArcGIS,theprojectdefinedthetotalviable

surfaceareaofbuildingsonStudleycampusandestimatedtheinstallationcosttotheUniversity(Cranstoneet

al.,2015).Althoughthisstudywassimilarinthesensethatitfocusedonthepotentialofinstallationofgreen

roofsforDalhousie’sStudleycampus,theprojectonlyconcentratedontheeffectsthatgreenroofswouldhave

onthereductionofstormwateroncampus.

Incontrasttotheseprojects,ourprojectwillcontributetotheinformationonprojectedbenefitsof

greenroofinstallationonDalhousieUniversitycampusbyaddinginformationregardingcarbonsequestration

potential.Inaddition,ourstudywillapproximatelyquantifytheamountofcarbonsequesteredthroughgreen

roofinstallation.ThiswillgivetheOfficeofSustainabilitynumberstoworkwithastheyprojecttheircarbon

footprintinthefuture.

1.1.4 TheDalhousieCampus

TheDalhousie institutionhas threemajorcampuses located indowntownHalifax.Thesecampuses

include Sexton campus, Studley campus and Carlton campus. These three campuses combined consist of

approximately76buildings,manyofwhichhavethepotentialforthedevelopmentofagreenroof.Auniversity

campusisacomplexsystemduetothevariousprocessesthatarerequiredfornormaloperation.University

campuses can be associatedwith a large number of carbon emissions, some ofwhich are associatedwith

TEAMMUIR 6

transportation,electricity,heating,studentlaboratoriesandpilotscaleplants.Infact,campussustainabilityis

becomingan increasingconcerndue to theenvironmental impactsof theactivitiesconductedatuniversity

campuses (Alshuwaikhat & Abubakar, 2008). Therefore, education institutions are beginning to integrate

sustainablepracticesintoregularoperationbyimplementingsustainabilityintocurriculum,andevengoingas

faras signing international chartersanddeclarations (Nejati,2013).The implementationofgreenroofson

Dalhousiecampusbuildingsisanopportunitytoimprovethesustainabilityofthecampus.

Dalhousiehas implementedgreenroofsonsomeoftheirbuildings inanattempttopromotegreen

buildingthroughtheirsustainablebuildingpolicy.ThebuildingscontaininggreenroofsonDalhousieCampus

include the Mona Campbell, LeMarchant Place and Wallace McCain buildings. The green roofs on these

buildingsvaryinscale,andtheultimategoalofthesegreenroofsisnotnecessarilycarbonsequestration.For

example,whiletheMonaCampbellbuildinghasvegetativegreenrooftohelpfilterairpollutants,someofthe

otherobjectivesforimplementationincludereducingstormwaterrunoffandmitigatingtheurbanheatisland

effect.ThegreenroofoftheWallaceMcCainbuildingisaccessible,makingitanintensivegreenroofavailable

forpublicuse.Finally,theLeMarchantPlacegreenroofhasbothvegetationandsolarhotwatercollectorsto

help improvethesustainability.Therefore,agreenroofcanimprovesustainability inanumberofdifferent

ways.Theimplementationofafullscaleextensivegreenroofcomposedentirelyofvegetationmayprovean

effectivemannerofimprovingcampussustainabilitythoughcarbonsequestration.

1.1.5 PoliciesonGreenRoofsinHalifax

TheinstallationofgreenroofsacrosstheHalifaxcampuseswouldalignwithDalhousieUniversity’s

Sustainability Policy. This policy indicates that Dalhousie University focuses on sustainability goals,which

includesupportingphysicalsystemsthatenhancesustainabilityanddecreaseairemissions(Dalhousie,2009).

Agreenroof isaphysicalsystemthatnotonlyenhancessustainability,buthaspotential fordecreasingair

emissions through carbon sequestration. The policy also indicates that new and existing policies will be

developedtoachievethesesustainabilitygoals(Dalhousie2009).Thus,in2011,DalhousieUniversityapproved

asustainablebuildingpolicytoreduceenvironmentalimpactsandrepresentleadershipinsustainablebuilding

practices.Thepolicyindicatesthatanynewbuildinggreaterthan10,000squarefeetwillbedesignedtoachieve

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification, at aminimum. The policy also

indicatesthatanysmallerrenovationsandretrofitswillbeconsideredforsustainablebuilding,andtheconcept

ofLEEDforexistingbuildingswillbeexplored(Dalhousie,2011).TheLEEDGreenBuildingRatingSystemis

designedtobenchmarkhighperformancegreenbuildings.

AlthoughgreenroofsarenotmandatoryforLEEDcertification,thereareseveralratingpointsthatcan

beobtainedfrombenefitsassociatedwithgreenroofs.TheLEEDGoldcertificationrequiresqualificationfor

TEAMMUIR 7

atleast60ofthe110availableratingpoints,andtheimplementationofgreenroofscanhelpachievethisgoal

(CanadaGreenBuildingCouncil,2009).Becauseofthis,ourprojectassumesthatmostbuildingsconstructed

onDalhousieUniversityHalifaxcampusesinthefuturewillhavegreenroofs.Thus,ourprojectexploresthe

somewhatneglectedpossibilityofgreenroofsonexistingDalhousieUniversityHalifaxcampusbuildings.

Althoughgreenroofsprovideuniqueopportunities forsustainablebuilding, therearecurrentlyno

regulationsorby-lawsthatrequiretheirimplementationwithinHalifax.However,itisworthnotingthatthis

maynotbethecaseinthefuture.Infact,Torontoimplementedagreenroofby-lawin2009whichrequiredthe

installationofgreenroofsforlargeinstitutionalandindustrialbuildings(CityofToronto,2013).Installationof

green roofs may help compliance with any future policy or regulation amendments in Halifax Regional

Municipality.

TEAMMUIR 8

2 RESEARCHMETHODS

Todeterminewhichbuildingswereviable,aliteraturereviewofpaststudentprojectsonthesubject

ofgreenroofsatDalhousieUniversitywasconducted.Literaturereviewwasalsoconductedtodeterminethe

carbonsequestrationpotentialofgreenroofs:FirstbyidentifyingplantspeciesnativetoNovaScotiathatcould

thrive on green roofs, then by discovering the quantitative carbon sequestration potential of these native

plants.While these literature reviews took place, the surface area of viable buildingswas identified using

ArcGIS.Withthequantitiesofcarbonsequestrationandroofsurfacearea,calculationsweredonetodetermine

thepotentialforcarbonsequestrationonDalhousieUniversity’sHalifaxcampuses.

2.1 METHODSOVERVIEW

Theresearchperformedwasdeductiveandquantitativeinnature.Theliteratureresearchperformed

inthebackgroundstudyindicatesthatanextensivegreenroofisabletosequestercarbonfromtheatmosphere.

ThismeansitisreasonabletoexpectthattheDalhousieUniversityHalifaxcampuseswouldbeabletosequester

carbonifextensivegreenroofswereinstalled.Thequantitativedatacollectedallowedfortheestimationofthe

amountofcarbonsequestrationpossible,ifextensivegreenroofswereinstalled.

The purpose of the research was to determine the carbon sequestration potential from installing

extensive green roofs on viable buildings (as defined in Section 3.1) in the Dalhousie University Halifax

campuses.Therefore,therewasquantitativedatacollectedbasedonDalhousieUniversitybuildinginformation

andcarbonsequestrationpotentialsofextensivegreenroofs.Themajorgoalwastocollectbuildingsurface

area(measuredinmetressquared{m2}),andcarbonsequestrationpotentialofplants(measuredinkilograms

of carbon dioxide per squaremetre {kg CO2/m2}) to determine the total amount of carbon (measured in

kilogramsofcarbondioxide{kgCO2}) thatcouldbesequestered.The typesofdatabeingcollectedand the

methodsofcollectionhavebeenbrieflysummarizedinTable1.

BuildinginformationwascollectedbyfirstdeterminingthenumberofDalhousieUniversitybuildings

whicharecapableofsupportinganextensivegreenroof.Criteriaforvalidroofsweretoberelativelyflatand

toappearcapableofsupportingagreenroof.Theseviablebuildingswerethenusedtodeterminethetotal

surfaceareaavailable forextensivegreenroof installation.Carbonsequestrationpotential informationwas

collectedbasedonexistingextensivegreenroofsandvaryingvegetationspecies.Vegetationspeciesfocused

onvegetationthatisabletoacclimatetotheHalifaxclimate.ThemethodsofdatacollectionincludedArcGIS

analysis,andliteraturereview.Interviewsweretobeconductedonlyiftheliteraturesreviewandgeographic

information system (GIS) analysis were unable to provide sufficient information; however this was

TEAMMUIR 9

unnecessaryastheinformationwasreadilyavailable.Themajorityofthedatacollectionwasassociatedwith

literatureresearch.

Table1:SummaryofDataCollectionMethods

Information DatatobeCollected MethodofCollection

Building

Information

BuildingscapableofsupportingagreenroofwithinHalifax

Campuses

LiteratureReview

Totalsurfaceareaofviablegreenroofspace ArcGISSoftware

Carbon

Sequestration

Potential

Determinationofoptimalplantspeciesforgreenroofsat

DalhousieUniversity,HalifaxNovaScotia

LiteratureReview

Carbonsequestrationpotentialofspecificplantspecies LiteratureReview

TotalcarbonsequestrationpotentialofHalifaxCampuses DataAnalysis

2.2 DATACOLLECTION2.2.1 LiteratureReview

Theresearchprojectdidnotinvolveanyformofsampling,andthereforealiteraturesearchwasone

ofthechosenmethodsfordatacollection.Itwasdeterminedthatthiswouldbethemostreliableandefficient

methodtocollectdata.Thisisbecausethemajorityofrelevantcarbonsequestrationinformationwasreadily

availableinliterature.Thisalsominimizedthetimeassociatedwithresearchbyavoidingtheschedulingand

developmentofinterviews.

Firstly, a list of all buildings on Dalhousie’s Halifax campuses was obtained from their website

(DalhousieUniversity,n.d.).To findoutwhichbuildingswereviable foragreenroof, literaturereviewwas

conductedanalyzingpreviousstudiesperformedongreenroofs.Thefirsttaskwasreviewingpreviousprojects

conductedatDalhousieUniversitythatareassociatedwithgreenroofs.Thisinformationwasobtainedfrom

Dalhousie online libraries and previous ENVS 3502 projects. These studies were able to provide some

informationonbuildingscapableofsupportingagreenroof.However,theinformationofbuildingsuitability

wasinsufficient,andfurtheranalysiswasperformedusingothersources.Thesesourcesincludedmunicipality

by-lawsrelatedtogreenroofs,andbestpracticesforgreenroofs.Basedonthis,criteriawereformedtoassess

abuilding’sabilitytoholdagreenroof:theslopeoftheroof is lessthan10°,andtheroof isnotonasmall

residential-style building. If a building fit these criteria, it was considered viable. Dalhousie University

infrastructureinformationwasanalyzedusingArcGIS.

Finally,literaturereviewwasperformedtodeterminepotentialplantspeciesforimplementationon

thegreenroof.Thisinvolvedresearchingcharacteristicsofdifferentplantsincludingtopicsonnativelocation,

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carboncontent,carbonsequestrationpotential,etc.Differentspeciesareabletosequesterdifferentquantities

ofcarbon,basedontheirgrowingcapacity.Thissectionoftheliteraturereviewfirstdeterminedspeciesthat

wereabletoacclimatetoHalifax’sclimate.Then,thespeciescommonlyusedongreenroofswiththisclimate

werefound.ThespecieswithpotentialuseforextensivegreenroofsinHalifaxwerethenfurtheranalyzedfor

theirspecificcarbonsequestrationrates.Asummaryof thedatabasesandkeywordsused in this literature

reviewcanbeseeninTable2.

Table2:Summaryofliteraturesearchmethods

Research DatabasesSearched KeyWords

Nativegreenroof

species

ProQuest

WebofScience

GreenRoof

Sedum

Sedumcarbon

sequestrationrates

Agricola,BiologicalandAgriculturalIndex

EnvironmentalSciencesandPollutionManagement

CarbonSequestration

[SpeciesName]

CarbonContent

Sedum

2.2.2 ArcGIS

ArcGIS,acomputerprogramprovidedbyEsriwithpermissionfromDalhousieUniversity,wasusedto

calculatethetotalsurfaceareaofviablegreenroofspaceonDalhousieUniversity’sHalifaxcampusbuildings.

Theuseofthisresearchtoolwasquantitativeinnature.

To use ArcGIS as a research tool, data was required. Specifically, data on building footprints

(representingthespacebuildingstakeupwithintheirlots,providinganapproximatesizeoftheirroofs)within

DalhousieUniversity’sCarlton,Sexton,andStudleycampuseswasneeded.Dataforbuildingswasbeobtained

throughtheuseofDalhousieUniversityGISCentre’sin-housedata,specificallytheHalifaxMunicipality2012

CorporateDataset.PermissiontousethisdataisgrantedtoDalhousieUniversityfaculty,staff,andstudents

(Dalhousie University, 2015a); thus, the SUST 3502 students undertaking this project had access to these

datasets. In the cases that thesedatasetsdonotprovide sufficientbuildingdata, the shapefiles (a file type

containing geographic data aswell as other information)were createdmanually inArcGISusing the same

projectionastheDalhousieUniversityGISCentre’sdataset.

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2.3 DATAANALYSIS2.3.1 Calculations

The carbon sequestration potential (measured in kg CO2) of extensive green roofs on Dalhousie

UniversitycampuswascalculatedbyusingthesurfaceareasimulatedfromArcGISandthevaluesobtained

fromplantspecies literaturereview.Thespecificcarbonsequestrationvalue(measured inkgC/m2)of the

plantspecieswasmultipliedbythetotalsurfacearea(measuredinm2)ofthegreenroofs.However,thevalues

foundintheliteraturereferredtotheweightofonlythecarbonatomsthemselves,sothishadtobeconverted

tokgofCO2throughstoichiometry.Thecarbonsequestrationpotentialofthesedumspecieswasanalyzedto

determineboththeminimumandthemaximumsequestrationratefoundintheliterature.Thecalculations

consideredminimum roof coverageof 50%andmaximum roof coverageof 100%.A carbon sequestration

potentialwascalculatedforfourdifferentscenarios.Thecalculationsperformedtoanalyzethesefourdifferent

scenarioshavebeensummarizedinTable3.

Table3:SummaryofCarbonSequestrationPotentialScenariosAnalyzed

Scenario SpecificCarbonSequestration

Rate

Roofcoverage

MinimumSequestrationPotential Minimumsequestrationrate 50%

LowsequestrationPotential Minimumsequestrationrate 100%

HighSequestrationPotential MaximumSequestrationrate 50%

MaximumSequestrationPotential MaximumSequestrationrate 100%

Calculations were also performed to illustrate both the quantity of carbon dioxide produced by

DalhousieUniversity,andthecarbonsequesteredbyextensivegreenroofs.Theamountofcarbonproducedby

Dalhousie University was compared to the weight of a blue whale. The amount of carbon that would be

sequesteredasaresultofgreenroofinstallationwascomparedtothecarbonemissionsofvariouspassenger

vehicles.Theamountofcarbonsequesteredhasbeenrelatedtotheequivalentemissionreductionthatwould

beseenfromremovingthevehiclesfromtheroad.Theanalysiswasperformedforsmall,medium,largeand

hybrid cars for a varyingvariousannual traveldistances.This comparisonwasperformed to illustrate the

impactsofcarbonsequestrationatalevelthatisunderstandablebythegeneralpublic.

2.3.2 ArcGIS

ArcGISwas used to calculate the total surface area of roof space inmetres squared on Dalhousie

University’s threeHalifax campuses. In theproject’sdata analysis stage, this informationwas thenused in

conjunctionwithcriteriaidentifyingwhichroofswereconsideredviablefortheinstallationofgreenroofsand

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data regarding carbon sequestration potential to determine the total amount of carbon that may be

sequestered. An overview process taken in ArcGIS is described below; see Appendix A for a detailed

transcriptionofthestepstakentoobtainbuildingroofareaestimates.

Withtheappropriatedatagathered,ArcGISwasusedto isolatebuildingsonDalhousieUniversity’s

Carleton, Sexton, andStudley campuses.The shapefilesof thosebuildingswere selectedandexportedasa

separatelayer.Theareaofeachbuildingshapefilewasthencalculatedinthatnewlayer’sAttributeTableand

exportedinaformatviewableatalatertimeinMicrosoftExcel.Roofareawasestimatedbycalculatingthearea

ofthebuildingfootprints,whichprovidedanapproximatesizeoftheirroofs.

AmajorbenefitofusingArcGISasaresearchtoolisthatoncetheappropriatedata(shapefiles)are

gathered, theprogramcanbeusedtoalmost instantlycalculaterequiredareavalueswithonlysmalleffort

exertedbytheuser.ArcGIScanalsothenbeusedtocreatemapstoaidwiththerepresentationsofresearch

findingsinwrittenreportsorpresentations.

2.4 DELIMITATIONSANDLIMITATIONSSeveral delimitations (constraints set by the researchers) and limitations (constraints beyond the

researchers’control)werepresentinthisproject.Theyareasfollows:

Table4:CompliedDelimitationsandLimitations

Delimitations Description

Detailofroofcriteria RoofcriteriawereonlyestimationsofwhichDalhousieUniversity

buildingswouldbeconsideredviableandmaynotbeinfalliblycorrect

Itmaybepossibletoinstallgreenroofsonbuildingsnotincludedin

thisproject’scriteria

Estimationsofroofcoverage Roofcoveragewasestimatedwithgeneralisedscenarios,howeveron

acase-by-casebasis,buildingsmaysupportsmallerareasofgreen

roof

Costconsiderations Thisprojectdidnotfocusonthefinancialimplicationsofinstalling

greenroofs

Costmaybeadeterminingfactorinwhetherornotgreenroofswere

tobeinstalledonDalhousieUniversitybuildings

Limitations Description

Time Thisproject’sfocuswasnarrowedgiventheamountoftimeavailable

foritscompletion

TEAMMUIR 13

Givenmoretime,financialimplicationscouldhavebeenconsidered,

andmoreinformationcouldhavebeengatheredontheviabilityof

buildingstosupportgreenroofs

Literatureavailable–Carbon

sequestrationpotential

Onlytwousableresourceswerefoundtobeavailableregarding

carbonsequestrationpotential

Givenalargedifferenceinthecarbonsequestrationnumbers,more

documentationcouldhavepotentiallymeantmoreaccurateproject

results

Literatureavailable–Carbon

sequestrationpredictions

Theliteratureavailablewaslackingdetailastohowmuchcarbon

couldbesequesteredbeyondthefirstyearofimplementation

Availabilityofcarbonsequestrationinformationoverseveralyears

wouldhaveallowedthisproject’sresultstogiveabetterideaofgreen

roofeffectiveness

2.4.1 Delimitations

Adelimitationinourstudywasthebuildingsweeliminatedfromthestudybasedoncertaincriteria

suchasminimumroofarea(averysmallroofmaynotbeworthrenovating)ortypeofroof(buildingswithflat,

broadroofswillbefavouredoverbuildingswithpitchedroofs).Nootherinformationcouldbefoundonthe

architectureofDalhousieroofsandtheirabilitytosupportagreenroofinthetimeallotted.

2.4.2 Limitations

AlimitationtothisprojectwasthedetailinwhichthepotentialcarbonsequestrationofHalifaxcampus

buildingswascalculated.Thesecalculationswerelimitedaccordingtowhatdataisavailableintheliterature.

Datawasalsolimitedduetowhichgreenroofplantspecieshadcarbonsequestrationdata.

TEAMMUIR 14

3 RESULTS3.1 VIABLEBUILDINGS&TOTALROOFAREA

Weidentifiedtwenty-twobuildingsasviabletoberetrofittedwithgreenroofsbasedonthecriteria

weadoptedtoassessviability.Mostly largeacademicbuildingsweredeemedviableastheytendedtohave

large, flat roofs.By and large, small residential-style structureswere considerednot viable as theyusually

featuredslopedroofs.Thebuildingareasidentified,retrievedfromaMicrosoftExcelfileproducedusingdata

fromHalifaxMunicipality2012CorporateDataset,areasfollows:

Table5:ViableHalifaxCampusBuildings

BuildingName Area(squaremetres)

A,B,C,DBuildingcomplex&SextonLibrary 8853.94

BurbidgeBuilding 704.90

ChaseBuilding 797.30

ChemicalEngineering(FBuilding) 1236.80

ClinicalResearchCentre 3049.67

CollaborativeHealthEducationBuilding 1751.73

DalhousieArtsCentre 3652.88

DentistryBuilding 2848.31

G.H.MurrayBuilding(GBuilding) 730.43

GerardHall 573.75

GoldbergComputerScienceBuilding 191.42

HoweHall 5504.62

IndustrialEngineering(IBuilding) 380.56

KennethC.RoweManagementBuilding 2721.88

KillamLibrary 3386.56

LifeSciencesCentre 8271.71

LifeSciencesResearchInstitute 2831.74

MarionMcCainArtsandSocialSciences 3567.49

O'BrienHall(MBuilding) 557.21

RalphM.MedjuckBuilding(HBuilding) 1360.67

RisleyHall 2206.43

SirJamesDunnBuilding 2034.04

StudentUnionBuilding(SUB) 2598.65

TupperBuilding&KelloggLibrary 1400.24

TEAMMUIR 15

WeldonLawBuilding&LawLibrary 1951.63

Note:AsShapefilesofsomeDalhousieUniversitybuildingswerenotavailable,theareaoftheCollaborative

HealthEducationBuildinghasbeenestimatedbymanuallycreatingpolygonsinArcGISandcalculatingthe

areasfromthere.

3.2 PLANTSPECIES&CARBONSEQUESTRATION

Wefoundthatduetotheshallowgrowingmediaprofileofextensivegreenroofsthatrangefrom6

inchesorless,perennialplantssuchasforbs,sedum,moss,andgrassesarecommonlyselectedforcultivation

(GreenRoofTechnology,2016).Characteristicssharedamongthesespeciesarelowgrowthheight,afibrous

rootsystem,andminimalmaintenance.Inaddition,anyplantspeciesgrownongreenroofsmustalsobeable

tothriveunderintenseheat,cold,windanddrought.Asaresult,thesefactorsposedachallengeindetermining

suitablevegetationtypeforgreenroofs.

SomeoftheappropriateplantspeciesforHalifaxRegionalMunicipality’sclimatecompriseofgrasses,

shrubs,andmosses.PlantspecieswefoundthatgrowsuccessfullyongreenroofsinHalifax’sclimatewereBlue

Fescue (Festucaglauca),Chives (Alliumschoenoprasum),HairyGoldenrod(Solidagobicolor),Three-toothed

Cinquefoi(Potentillatridentata),Crowberry(Empetrumnigrum),PovertyOatGrass(Danthoniaspicata),Wavy

Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa), Golden Root (Rhodiola rosea), Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), and

SeasidePlantain(Plantagomaritima).Amongthisgreatvariationofnativeplantspecies,severalSedumspecies

such asSedumTernatum,SedumXenox, andSedumMatrona have been identified to possess a remarkable

capabilitytowithholdtheirresilienceandresistanceunderHalifax’shumidcontinentalclimate.Despitethe

differentappearanceswhichsetonespeciesfromoneanotherintheSedumgenus,allofthemshareseveral

things in common. All Sedum species are classified as succulent plants (United States Department of

Agriculture,n.d.),sotheyareabletostorewaterintheirthickleavesandrequireminimalsupplementalwater.

Incontrasttoothergreenroofplantspecies,Sedumcan“surviveandthriveonaslittleastworainspermonth”

(Vela,2014).Inaddition,paststudieshavealsoobservedthat“Sedumabsorbscarbondioxideandturnsitinto

malic acid,which is usedduring theday for photosynthesis. Thepores in the leaves only open at night to

minimizethelossofmoistureduringthehotanddryday”(Maja,2015).

The information we found for each species on carbon sequestration potential wasminimal. Most

searchesof“carbonsequestration”andaspeciesnamehadnoresults.Aboutfivepaperswerefoundonspecies

thatcouldgrowinNovaScotia,andtwoofthemincludedresultsonseveralSedumspecies.Thesepapersalso

hadthemostappropriateinformationforourproject,focusingspecificallyongreenroofsinclimatessimilarto

NovaScotiaclimate,andincludingabove-andbelow-groundsequestration.ThesetwopaperswerebyGetter,

Rowe,Robertson,Cregg,&Andresen(2009)andWhittinghill,Rowe,Schutzki,&Cregg(2014).Wittinghilletal.

TEAMMUIR 16

foundthatafteroneyear,manytypesofSedumgrowntogethersequestered5.87kgCarbon/m2.Getteretal.

foundthatonaveragethedifferenttypesofSedumsequestered0.375kgC/m2.Getteretal.explainedthattheir

higherresultcouldbeduetotheirstudyusingdeepersubstrate,irrigation,andgrowingthedifferenttypesof

Sedumtogether.

Severalresearchstudieshave indicatedthatspeciesrichnessdoes in fact intrinsicallyconnectwith

plantproductivity. For instance, it hasbeenobserved that suchphenomenon contributes to an increaseof

efficiency in assimilation of nutrients and solar energy, which then consecutively helps to yield a greater

productionofbiomass(UniversityofGotthenburg,2011).Furthermore,someresearchershavealsonotedthat

“plantspecieswithtallerheight,largerdiameter,andlargershootandrootbiomass”aremuchmoreeffective

atstoringcarboninplantbiomass(Andresenetal.,2009).Besides,itisalsoadvantageoustoincorporatenative

plantspeciestothegreenroofsastheyarebelievedtohaveevolvedaspartoftheregion’secosystem(Virginia

DepartmentofEducation,2013).

3.3 SCENARIOS

The two numbers we found for Sedum sequestration were very different. In addition, there was

insufficient informationonDalhousieUniversitycampusroofs, sowemadeassumptions inrelation toroof

area. These assumptions could be incorrect; however we accounted for this in the results with scenario

calculations.Weperformedcalculationsforfourdifferentscenariosusingthetwosequestrationresultsand

bothabestcaseandworstcasescenarioforusableroofarea.Thesecalculationsaresimplyalinearrelationship,

and therefore linear interpolationcanbeused todetermine thecarbonsequestrationofany roof coverage

percentagebetween50%and100%,fortherespectivespecificsequestrationrate.Inthebestcasescenario,

100%oftheroofareaweapprovedinourbuildingselectionwouldbeconvertedtogreenroofarea. Inthe

worstcasescenario,50%oftheroofareaweapprovedwouldbeconvertedtogreenroof.Forexample,ifsome

buildingswesaidcouldholdgreenroofsactuallycannot,orifsomebuildingscan’tfill100%oftheirroofwith

vegetation,the50%scenariowouldaccountforthis.Theresultsofthefourscenariocalculationsareshownin

Table6.

Table6:ScenarioCalculations

SpecificSequestrationRate

RoofCoverage TotalRoofSurfaceArea

Totalcarbon(C)sequestered

TotalCarbonDioxide(CO2)Sequestered

5.87kg/m2 100% 63,164m2 370,773kgC 13,585,348.56kgC0250% 31,582m2 185,386kgC 679,265.05kgC02

0.375kg/m2 100% 63,164m2 23,687kgC 86,790.54kgC0250% 31,582m2 11,843kgC 43,393.44kgC02

TEAMMUIR 17

4 DISCUSSION

Thegoalofthisprojectwasfindthecarbonsequestrationpotentialofinstallingextensivegreenroofs

onpre-existingbuildingsonDalhousieUniversity’sHalifaxcampuses.Accordingtoourcalculations,theanswer

tothisis11,843to370,773kgofcarboninthefirstyearofgreenroofinstallation.Thisresultsinamassof

43,393.44to13,585,348.56kgofcarbondioxidebeingremovedfromtheatmosphere.Afterthefirstyear,more

carbonwouldbesequesteredinthesoil,butnotquiteasmuchaswassequesteredinthefirstyear(Whittinghill

etal.,2014).Thisisaverywiderangeofresults,makingitdifficulttointerpret.Themainreasontherangewas

so large was the differing results of the literature review, suggesting that more research is needed to

understandcarbonsequestrationofplantsongreenroofs.

Taking themedian of our range (6,814,371 kg of carbon dioxide), installing green roofs on viable

DalhousieUniversitybuildingswouldsequesterenoughcarbontobetheequivalentoftakingapproximately

2,166mid-sizecarsofftheroadforoneyear*.Thefullrangeofcalculationsfordifferentvehiclescanbeseen

inAppendixB.Itisimportanttonotethattheseresultsonlyconsidercarbondioxidefromthecombustionof

fuel,notfortheentirelifecycleofthecar.Althoughthisresult issubstantial,DalhousieUniversity’scarbon

footprintismuchlarger,andthissequestrationonlyrepresents7.00%ofthetotalfootprint.Thisisalsobased

onagenerousassumptionthatthemediansequestrationrateisused.Dalhousiecurrentlyemitsgreenhouse

gassesatarateofaround97,393,000kgcarbondioxideequivalentsperyear(OfficeofSustainability,2014).

This is roughlyequal to themassof537bluewhales,basedonabluewhalemassof181,437kg (National

Geographic, n.d.). The highest sequestration estimation would sequester carbon dioxide equivalent to the

weightofapproximately75bluewhales.ThisshowsthatinordertooffsetDalhousieUniversity’slargecarbon

footprint,manyothermethodsofcarbonreductionmayneedtobeimplemented.

Thisstudyfilledagapinexistingresearch;therewasnoresearchdoneoncarbonsequestrationofall

viableroofsontheHalifaxcampuses.However,thisresearchdidnotconsidertwootherthings:theamountof

carbon dioxide emittedwhen building a green roof, and the amount of carbon dioxide emissions avoided

throughbuildingenergysavingsfromgreenroofs.Byincorporatingthesetwovalues,futureresearchcould

findanoverallnetcarbonfootprintofgreenroofs.

*Basedonamid-sizecardrivingadistanceof12,000milesatafuelconsumptionrateof33milespergallonandacarbondioxideproductionrateof8.65kgCO2pergallonoffuel.

TEAMMUIR 18

5 CONCLUSION

The feasibility analysis indicated that the assessment of the carbon sequestration potential was

relatively small, sequestering only 7% of Dalhousie University’s total emissions. This is a highly variable

estimationduetothelackofprecisionassociatedwiththespecificcarbonsequestrationrates.Howeveritis

stillclearthatgreenroofswouldbeunabletooutbalancethetotalcarbondioxideemissions,evenifinstalled

onallviablebuildingsonDalhousie’sUniversityCampus.Fortunately,thisisstillasufficientamountofcarbon

dioxidesequestrationtoequateremoving2,166mid-sizecarsfromtheroad.Eventhoughthesequestration

resultsareverysmall,itwouldstillprovidesDalhousieUniversitywithasmallerglobalwarmingimpact.Itis

strongly believed that additional research is required in the hope to ensure a more sustainable and safe

environmentthroughthemeansofextensivegreenroofcarbonsequestration.

OurresearchexaminedexistingbuildingsonDalhousie’sHalifaxcampuses,ratherthanonesyettobe

built.Olderbuildingsdonothavegreenroofs,suggestingthattheoptionofgreeningoldbuildingshasnotbeen

looked into.Basedonourresults, itwouldbeworthwhile forDalhousie to implementgreenroofsonolder

buildingsinordertoreducethecarbonfootprintoftheUniversity.

In conclusion, green roofs are a valuable part of any initiative for improving the sustainability of

buildings on campus. For this reason, it is highly recommended that Dalhousie University consider the

implementationofadditionalgreenroofsorothersustainabletechniquestomitigateenvironmentalimpacts

andprovideadditionalopportunitiesforresearch.

5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS

Thepurposeof thisresearchprojectwas to focuson thecarbonsequestrationpotentialof installing

additionalgreenroofsonviablebuildingsonDalhousieUniversityHalifax’scampuses.Wekeptthescopeof

ourresearchrathernarrow.WeonlyexaminedthecarbonsequestrationpotentialofSedumplantsthatwere

cultivatedongreenroofs(duetoitsprevalentuseinNovaScotiaandtheavailabilityofresearch),andonly

considered green roof implementation for relatively flat rooftops (to maximize the likelihood of

implementationwithoutdelvingintoalargeamountofdetailregardingcosts).Thescopeofourprojectcould

bebroadenedbyexploringtheeffectivenessofmoreplantandrooftypes,andbyincludingbuildingsbeyond

DalhousieUniversity’scampusesontheHalifaxpeninsula.

Nevertheless,ithasbeenillustratedthatextensivegreenroofscanbesuccessfullyinstalledonuneven

surface rooftops, though installmentcostsareestimated tobemoderatelyhigher.Assuch, researchcanbe

broadened by incorporating factors that were not included. In this research, green roofs are simply a

TEAMMUIR 19

sustainable technique that may help pave the way for Dalhousie University to undertake sustainable

management.DalhousieUniversitycanalsoconsiderotherenvironmentallyfriendlyinitiativestoenhancethe

healthofthesurroundingenvironmentwhilereducingexpensesfromenergyuse.

Thisstudyfocusedonexistingandoldbuildingsratherthannewones.Itiscounter-intuitivetoattempt

toreducecarbonfootprintbybuildingLEEDcertifiedbuildings,becauseunlessthesebuildingsarecompletely

carbon-neutral, theywilladdtothecarbonfootprintoftheschool.Findinginnovativeandefficientwaysto

improveoldbuildingsiscrucialtoreducingDalhousie’sfootprint.Agreenroofisonestrategy,butitshouldbe

accompanied bymany others, such as changing old lights and plumbing fixtures, ormaking heatingmore

efficient.

TEAMMUIR 20

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

WewouldliketothankourwonderfulcourseinstructorDr.TarahWrightforhelpingusimproveourresearch strategies and allowingus to do this research in her course. Thank you toAdamCheeseman, theTeachingAssistantwhosesageadviceguidedusthroughtheprojectweekly.Aswell,beingDalhousiestudentshasallowedustoaccessinformationthatwouldotherwisebeprivatetous,sowearegratefulthatDalhousieallowedustodothisresearchinitsfullcapacity.

TEAMMUIR 21

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System:AFeasibilityStudyforDalhousieUniversity,1–19.Halifax,NS:DalhousieUniversity.Retrieved

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past-projects/2006.html

Alshuwaikhat,H.M.,&Abubakar,I.(2008).Anintegratedapproachtoachievingcampussustainability:

Assessmentofthecurrentcampusenvironmentalmanagementpractices.JournalofCleaner

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AmericanForests(n.d.).Acarbonconundrum.Retrievedfromhttps://www.americanforests.org/a-carbon-

conundrum/

Andresen,J.A.,Cregg,B.M.,Getter,K.L.,Robertson,G.P.&Rowe,D.B.(2009).Carbon

sequestrationpotentialofextensivegreenroofs.EnvironmentalScience&Technology,43(19),7564–7570.

doi:10.1021/es901539x

Blok,K.,Hutt,J.,Inglis,S.,Saunders,L.,&Wainwright,H.(2015).GreeningNewHeights–AFeasibilityAnalysis

ofaGreenRoofontheLifeSciencesCenter,3–8.Retrievedfrom

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projects.html

Boer,K.(2014).Summarizingthegreenhouseeffect.SolarToday,28(5),12–13.

CanadaGreenBuildingCouncil(2009).LEEDCanadaforexistingbuildings:operationsandmaintenance2009.

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http://www.cagbc.org/cagbcdocs/LEED%20Canada%20EBOM%20rating%20system.pdf

Castleton,H.F.,Stovin,V.,Beck,S.B.M.,&Davison,J.B.(2010).Greenroofs;buildingenergysavingsandthe

potentialforretrofit.Energyandbuildings,42(10),1582-1591.

CityofToronto(2013).Torontomunicipalcode:Chapter492,greenroofs.Retrievedfrom

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/1184_492.pdf

Cranstone,S.,Hu,S.,Laing,E.,Watling,D.,&Zhang,Z.(2015).Thegreeningofstormwater

management-MitigatingtherisksofstormwateronStudleycampusthroughtheinstallationofgreenroofs.

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3502---past-projects.html

CreditValleyConservation(2008).Lowimpactdevelopmentstormwatermanagementplanninganddesign

guide.Retrievedfromhttp://www.creditvalleyca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/lid-swm-guide-

chapter4-4.2-green-roofs.pdf

DalhousieUniversity(n.d.).BuildingDirectory.Retrievedfromhttp://www.dal.ca/campus-maps/building-

directory.html

DalhousieUniversity(2009).Sustainabilitypolicy.Retrievedfrom

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TEAMMUIR 22

repository/SustainabilityPolicy.pdf

DalhousieUniversity(2011).Dalhousiesustainablebuildingpolicy.Retrievedfrom


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TEAMMUIR 23

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students.JournalofCleanerProduction,48,101-107.

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TEAMMUIR 24

APPENDIXA-GISSTEPS

GISSteps

The following are the steps taken using ArcGIS using the Halifax Municipality 2012 Corporate Dataset to

calculatethetotalsurfaceareaofroofspaceinmetressquaredonDalhousieUniversity’sCarleton,Sexton,and

Studleycampuses.

Calculatingroofareafromexistingbuildingshapefiles

AfterdesiredDalhousieUniversitybuildingswereselectedmanuallyusingSelectbyAttributes,making the

buildingstheirownshapefileby:

SelectExportData

Export:SelectedFeatures

Outputfeatureclass:“DalBuildings.shp”

Dissolving“DalBuildings.shp”sothatatotalareamaybecalculated:

Inputfeatures:DalBuildings.shp

Outputfeatures:DalBuildings_dissolve.shp

Calculatingtheareaof“DalBuildings_dissolve.shp”:

OpenAttributeTable

AddField…

Name:Area_m2

Type:Double

OK

Rightclickthe“Area_m2”columninthe“DalBuildings_dissolve.shp”AttributeTable

CalculateGeometry…

Property:Area

Units:SquareMetres[m2]

OK

Exportingthe“DalBuildings_dissolve.shp”AttributeTabletoafileformatthatMicrosoftExcelcanread:

Export…

Outputtable:DalBuildings_TotalArea.csv

OK

CreatingnewDalhousieUniversitybuildingpolygons

Using ArcCatalog, created a new shapefile titled “New_DalBuildings.shp” with the Spatial Reference

“NAD_1983_CSRS_UTM_Zone_20N”(thesamecoordinatesystemastheHalifaxRegionalMData2012).

AddedittotheworkingArcGISfile.

TEAMMUIR 25

Usingbuilding lotsizes,adjacentbuildings,andGoogleMaps(2016)asreference,buildingpolygonswhere

drawn.

Addedanewfieldtitled“Names”tothe“New_DalBuildings.shp”AttributeTable

InEditToolbar,addedappropriatebuildingnamestothe“New_DalBuildings.shp”AttributeTable

CalculatingtheareaofnewDalhousieUniversitybuildingpolygons

Calculatingtheareaof“New_DalBuildings.shp”:

OpenAttributeTable

AddField…

Name:Area_m2

Type:Double

OK

Rightclickthe“Area_m2”columninthe“New_DalBuildings.shp”AttributeTable

CalculateGeometry…

Property:Area

Units:SquareMetres[m2]

OK

Exportingthe“New_DalBuildings.shp”AttributeTabletoafileformatthatMicrosoftExcelcanread:

Export…

Outputtable:NewDalBuildings_Area.csv

OK

TEAMMUIR 26

APPENDIXB-CARBONSEQUESTRATIONCAREQUIVALENCYCALCULATIONS

Miles/Gal AverageDistanceDriven(miles)

CarbonDioxideProduced(kgremoved)

CarsRemovedFromRoad(SmallSequestration)

CarsRemovedfromRoad(LargeSequestration)

CarsRemovedfromRoad(MedianSequestration)

SmallCar 37 6000 1403.31 31 9681 4856

9000 2104.97 21 6454 3238

12000 2806.63 16 4841 2428

MediumCar 33 6000 1573.41 28 8635 4331

9000 2360.12 19 5757 2888

12000 3146.82 14 4318 2166

LargeCar 24 6000 2163.44 21 6280 3150

9000 3245.16 14 4187 2100

12000 4326.88 11 3140 1575

Hybrid 50 6000 1038.45 42 13083 6563

9000 1557.68 28 8722 4375

12000 2076.90 21 6542 3282

Carbondioxideemissionsfromfuelcombustionwereestimatedfromfourdifferentinternetsources.Itwas

foundthatemissionratewas8.019kgCO2/Gal(AmericanForests,n.d.),8.91kgCO2/Gal(EIA,2015)8.89kg

CO2/Gal(USEPA,n.d.)and8.80kgCO2/Gal(USEPA,n.d.).Anaverageemissionrateof8.65kgCO2/Galwas

usedtoperformthecalculations.Itwasalsofoundthatthefuelefficiencyofasmallcar,mediumcarandlarge

car could be estimated at 24miles/Gal, 33miles/Gal and 37miles/Gal, respectfully (Carbon Independent,

2015).

TEAMMUIR 27

APPENDIXC-TEAMMUIRPROPOSAL

PROPOSAL-FEEDBACK.DOCX DRAFT

GREEN ROOF CARBON SEQUESTRATION

POTENTIAL OF DALHOUSIE’S HALIFAX

CAMPUSES Preliminary Research Proposal

Preparedby:OliviaKueberNicoleScotney

CodyMacDonaldJasminBurchellHutPitchakonSamDellapinna

SubmittedtoDr.TarahWrightandAdamCheeseman

March3,2016

TEAMMUIR I

TABLEOFCONTENTS

1PROJECTDEFINITION.......................................................................................................................................................1

2BACKGROUNDANDRATIONALE..........................................................................................................................................2

2.1GREENROOFS.............................................................................................................................................................22.2GREENROOFBENEFITS..................................................................................................................................................22.3RELEVANTWORKCONDUCTED........................................................................................................................................32.3.1POLICIESONGREENROOFSINHALIFAX.........................................................................................................................4

3PROPOSEDRESEARCHMETHODS........................................................................................................................................5

3.1METHODSOVERVIEW...................................................................................................................................................53.2DATACOLLECTION........................................................................................................................................................63.2.1LITERATUREREVIEW..................................................................................................................................................63.2.2ARCGIS...................................................................................................................................................................63.3DATAANALYSIS............................................................................................................................................................63.3.1CALCULATIONS..........................................................................................................................................................63.3.2ARCGIS...................................................................................................................................................................73.4DELIMITATIONSANDLIMITATIONS...................................................................................................................................7

4SCHEDULEANDBUDGET...................................................................................................................................................8

4.1OVERALLSCHEDULE........................................................................................................ERROR!BOOKMARKNOTDEFINED.4.2BUDGET ERROR!BOOKMARKNOTDEFINED.

5DELIVERABLESANDCOMMUNICATIONPLAN.......................................................................................................................10

5.1COMMUNICATIONPLAN..................................................................................................ERROR!BOOKMARKNOTDEFINED.

6REFERENCES11

TEAMMUIR II

LISTOFTABLES

Table3-1:SummaryofDataCollectionMethods.........................................................................................................5

Table41:TasksandMilestoneswithResponsibilities.................................................................................................8

LISTOFFIGURES

Figure1..........................................................................................................................................................................9

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1 PROJECTDEFINITION

Though it is wildly controversial among themasses, there is substantial scientific consensus thathumanactivitycreatesgreenhousegasemissionsthatcontributetoclimatechange(Boer,2014).Thoughitisdifficulttopredicttheeffectsofclimatechange,itwilllikelyhaveadverseimpactsonecosystems(Döll&Zhang,2010) and society (Easterling&Apps, 2005). Carbondioxide is amajor greenhouse gas of concern,whichhumansemitbyburningfossilfuelsforelectricity(“CarbonDioxideEmissions,”2016).DalhousieUniversityemittedover84,000tonnesofcarbondioxideintheacademicyearof2013-2014.Toimprovetheirpractices,DalhousieUniversity is taking steps tomitigate and reduce their carbon footprint (Office of Sustainability,2014).InlightoftheDalhousieOfficeofSustainability’sgoalofcarbonneutrality,ourresearchinvestigatesthefeasibility of a project that would offset carbon emissions. This offset would be achieved through carbonsequestration,aprocessbywhichatmosphericcarbonisremovedfromtheatmosphereandstoredinanotherform (liquid or solid). Specifically, our project will focus on carbon sequestration by plants: throughphotosynthesis,plantsremovecarbondioxidefromtheair,andstoreitintheirtissuesassugar.

TherearenotasmanyopportunitiesforplantcarbonsequestrationintheCityofHalifax(wherethelargerDalhousiecampusis)asthereareinruralareas.Aninnovativesolutiontothisisagreenroof;aroofofabuildingthatiscoveredwithvegetation.DalhousieUniversityalreadyhassomegreenroofsinstalledsuchastheMonaCampbellbuildingandsoon,theLeMarchantPlaceBuilding.OurresearchwillfindmorepotentialforgreenroofsonHalifaxcampus(i.e.theCarlton,Sexton,andStudleycampuses)buildings.

Ourresearchwilldeterminethecarbonsequestrationpotentialofinstallingextensivegreenroofsonviablebuildingspre-dating2016onDalhousieUniversity’sHalifaxcampuses.Extensiveisdefinedinpart2.1,andthedeterminationofwhatconstitutesaviablebuildingissetoutinsection3.

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2 BACKGROUNDANDRATIONALE

2.1 GREENROOFS

Green roofs are classified into two types, intensive and extensive. Intensive green roofs are oftenintendedforpublicaccessandconsistofgreatersoildepthsthanextensivegreenroofs.Intensivegreenroofsareabletohostalargerdiversityofplantspeciesanddeeply-rootedplantsduetotheirgreatersoildepths.Theyaremuchheavierinweightthanextensivegreenroofs,oftenrequiringmorecostlyandcomplexbuildingdesign structures to support them (Credit Valley Conservation [CVC] & Toronto and Region ConservationAuthority [TRCA], 2008). Intensive green roofs are often intended for public access and require regularmaintenance.

Extensive green roofs are much smaller in depth andmore lightweight than intensive green roofs.Althoughtheycansupportasmallerselectionofplantspecies,extensivegreenroofsrequirelessmaintenancethanintensivegreenroofsbecausetheyarenotintendedtobeseenbythepublic.Additionally,theyalsodonotrequirefertilizationandirrigationlikeintensivegreenroofs.

Ourresearchfocusesonextensivegreenroofsbecause,asnotedabove,intensivegreenroofsaremorecostly and require more structural stability. This means an extensive green roof is more feasible to beimplementedonDalhousieUniversityHalifaxcampusbuildings.

2.2 GREENROOFBENEFITS

Environmental

Fromanenvironmentalperspective,onebenefit is thatgreen roofsaid in themanagementof stormwater runoff. Stormwater is storedby the substrate and later takenupbyplants,where it returns to theatmospherethroughtranspirationandevaporation(GreenRoofsforHealthyCities[GRHC],2014).Inthisway,greenroofsdelaythetimeatwhichrunoffoccurs,thusdecreasingstressonsewersystems.Insummermonthsgreenroofsretain70-90%oftheprecipitationthatfallsonthem,whileinwintertheyretainbetween25-40%(GRHC,2014).

Vegetationonrooftopsalsoreduceswhatisknownasthe‘UrbanHeatIsland’effectbyabsorbinglightwhichwouldotherwisebeconvertedintoheatenergy.Throughtheprocessofevapo-transpiration,moistureisabletore-entertheatmosphereandcoolcitiesintheprocess(Draper,2002).Greenroofsalsoreducethedistributionofdustandparticulatematterthroughoutthecity,inadditiontosmog,whichcanplayaroleinthereductionofgreenhousegasemissionsaswellasadaptingurbancitiestoawarmerclimate(GRHC,2014).

Improvedairqualityisanotherenvironmentalbenefitofgreenroofs.Theplantsongreenroofsareabletocaptureairbornepollutantsandatmosphericdeposition,whilealsofilteringnoxiousgases(GRHC,2014).Bymoderating temperature,greenroofsmayalso reducedemandonpowerplants,potentiallydecreasing theamountofcarbondioxideandotherpollutantsbeingreleasedintotheair(GRHC,2014).

Economic

Roofs transfer the greatestheat loss frombuildings in thewinter and thehottest temperatures intobuildingsinthesummer(GRHC,2014).Increasedinsulationwhichgreenroofsprovideforbuildingsallowsforareduceddependenceonenergytomoderatethetemperatureofthebuilding.Indoortemperatureshavebeen

TEAMMUIR 3

showntobe3-4°Clowerunderagreenroofwhenoutdoortemperaturesarebetween25to30°C,andinthewinterheatlossisminimizedthroughaddedinsulationontheroof(Dunnett&Kingsbury,2004,33).Ownersthereforehavetheopportunitytosavemoneyontheclimatecontrolofthebuilding.Additionally,greenroofshavethepotentialtoout-liveconventionalrooftops,whichisalong-termcostsavingbenefit(GRHC,2014).

2.3 RELEVANTWORKCONDUCTED

In 2006, a group of students enrolled in the course Environmental Problem Solving II (ENVS3502)conducted an analysis to determine the feasibility of a Rainwater Collection system (RWCS) at DalhousieUniversity. The foremost objective of their researchwas to examine an alternative sustainable solution toreduce water consumption on campus. In the course of their data generation, the team chose interactivetechniques such as interviews and surveys to obtain any crucial information and recommendations fromprofessionals“intheareasofwaterresourcemanagement,geology,engineering,plumbing,urbanplanningandeconomics”(Abdulaletal.,2006).Otherproceduresundertookbytheteamincludeanextensiveresearchonthe functioning of RWCS and water usage at Dalhousie University. Subsequent to the compilation of thegathered information, their analysis has indicated the area between University of King’s College and LifeSciencesCentreasthemostfeasiblelocationforaninstallationofRWCS(Abdulaletal.,2006).InspiteofthefactthattheirresearchstudywaspredominantlyonRWCS,theirarticledoescontaindiscussionthatrelatestogreenroofs.Hence,reviewingtheirresearchstudycouldbebeneficialbecausebothRWCSandgreenroofsarecategorizedassustainabledevelopmentdesigns.

In2009,afeasibilityanalysisofagreenroofontheLifeScienceCenterwasconductedbyagroupofstudents enrolled in the same university course. They conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the economic,environmentalandsocialimpactsofgreenroofs.Theyfoundthatthoughtheenvironmentalbenefitsofgreenroovesoutweightheenvironmentalcosts,economiccostscaninitiallybehighandsocialbenefitsaredifficulttoquantify.AlimitationoftheirstudywasalackofinformationregardingLifeScienceCenter’sstructureandroofcapacity(Blocketal.,2009).Lastly,theteamconcludedthattheirprojectwouldbebeneficialtoanyonehas similar interest to transformDalhousie University into amore environmentally friendly campus. Thisreportgavealotofinformationonthecostsandbenefitsofgreenrooves,butwasrestrictedinscopetotheLifeScienceCentreandwaslimitedintheinformationtheycouldobtainaboutthebuilding’sstructure.Ourstudywilluseavarietyofmethodstogetasmuchinformationaspossibleaboutcampusbuildingstructure,sothatphysicalfeasibilityofgreenroofinstallationcanbeestablishedintheliterature.

In2015,anothergroupofstudentsalsoconductedastudy,whichexaminedapossiblestrategythatcanhelptomitigatetherisksofstormwateronStudleycampusthroughtheinstallationofgreenroofs.Thegoaloftheirstudywasto“addressthecurrentissueswithstormwatermanagementonStudleycampusandapplyasustainable solution tomitigate associated environmental damages” (Cranstone et al., 2015). Their reportacknowledgedtheinstallationofagreenroofasanaffordableandhighlyeffectivewaytoimprovestormwatermanagementandreducetheamountofwaterreachingsewers.ThroughtheuseofGIS,theprojectdefinedthetotalviablesurfaceareaofbuildingsonStudleyCampusandestimatedtheinstallationcosttotheUniversity(Cranstone et al., 2015). Although this study was similar in the sense that it focused on the potential ofinstallationofgreenroofforDalhousie’sStudleycampus,theprojectonlyconcentratedontheeffectsthatgreenroofswouldhaveon the reductionof stormwateron campus. In contrast to theirproject, ourprojectwillcontributetotheinformationonprojectedbenefitsofgreenroofinstallationonDalhousiecampusbyaddinginformationregardingcarbonsequestrationpotential.

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In addition, our studywill approximately quantify the amount of carbon sequestered by green roofinstallation. This will give the Office of Sustainability numbers to work with as they project their carbonfootprintinthefuture.

2.3.1 PoliciesonGreenRoofsinHalifax

TheinstallationofgreenroofsacrosstheDalhousieHalifaxcampuseswouldalignwithDalhousie’sSustainability Policy. This policy indicates that Dalhousie focuses on sustainability goals, which includesupportingphysicalsystemsthatenhancesustainabilityanddecreaseairemissions(Dalhousie,2009).Agreenroofisaphysicalsystemthatnotonlyenhancessustainability,buthaspotentialfordecreasingairemissionsthroughcarbonsequestration.Thepolicyalso indicates thatnewandexistingpolicieswillbedeveloped toachieve these sustainability goals (Dalhousie 2009). Thus, in 2011, Dalhousie University approved asustainablebuildingpolicytoreduceenvironmentalimpactsandrepresentleadershipinsustainablebuildingpractices.Thepolicyindicatesthatanynewbuildinggreaterthan10,000sq.ftwillbedesignedtoachieveLEEDgoldcertification,ataminimum.Thepolicyalsoindicatesthatanysmallerrenovationsandretrofitswillbeconsideredforsustainablebuilding,andtheconceptofLEEDforexistingbuildingswillbeexplored(Dalhousie,2011).TheLeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmentalDesign(LEED)GreenBuildingRatingSystemisdesignedtobenchmarkhighperformancegreenbuildings.

AlthoughgreenroofsarenotmandatoryforLEEDcertification,thereareseveralratingpointsthatcanbeobtainedfrombenefitsassociatedwithgreenroofs.TheLEEDGoldcertificationrequiresqualificationforatleast60ofthe110availableratingpoints,andtheimplementationofgreenroofscanhelpachievethisgoal(CanadaGreenBuildingCouncil,2009).Becauseofthis,ourprojectassumesthatmostbuildingsconstructedonDalhousieHalifaxcampusesinthefuturewillhavegreenrooves.Thus,ourprojectexploresthesomewhatneglectedpossibilityofgreenroovesonexistingDalhousieHalifaxcampusbuildings.

Althoughgreenroofsprovideuniqueopportunities forsustainablebuilding, therearecurrentlynoregulationsorby-lawsthatrequiretheirimplementationwithinHalifax.However,itisworthnotingthatthismaynotbethecaseinthefuture.Infact,Torontoimplementedagreenroofby-lawin2009whichrequiredtheinstallationofgreenroofsforlargeinstitutionalandindustrialbuildings(CityofToronto,2013).InstallationofgreenroofsmayhelpcompliancewithanyfuturepolicyorregulationamendmentsintheHalifaxarea.

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3 PROPOSEDRESEARCHMETHODS

Todeterminewhichbuildingsareviable,wewillconductaliteraturereviewofpaststudentprojectsonthesubjectofgreenroofsatDalhousie,andifnecessarywillconductinterviewswithknowledgeablepersons.Todeterminethecarbonsequestrationpotential,wewillconductaliteraturereviewonplantspeciesnativetoNovaScotiathatcouldthriveonagreenroofandthecarbonsequestrationpotentialoftheseplants.Wewillattempttoquantifytheamountofcarbonthattheseplantscouldsequester.Wewillfindtheareaoftheroofsof viable buildings using Arc Geographic Information System (ArcGIS). With the quantities of carbonsequestrationandroofarea,wewillmakecalculationstodeterminethepotentialforcarbonsequestrationonDalhousie’sHalifaxCampuses.

3.1 METHODSOVERVIEW

The research being performed is deductive and quantitative in nature. The literature researchperformedinthebackgroundstudyindicatesthatanextensivegreenroofisabletosequestercarbonfromtheatmosphere.ThismeansitisreasonabletoexpectthattheDalhousieUniversityHalifaxcampuseswouldbeabletosequestercarbonifextensivegreenroofswereinstalled.Thequantitativedatacollectedwillallowfortheestimationoftheamountofcarbonsequestrationpossible,ifextensivegreenroofswereinstalled.

Thepurposeoftheresearchistodeterminethecarbonsequestrationpotentialfrominstallingextensivegreen roofs on viable buildings in the Dalhousie University Halifax campuses. Therefore, there will bequantitative data collected based on Dalhousie University building information and carbon sequestrationpotentials of extensive green roofs. The major goal is to collect building surface area (m2) and carbonsequestrationpotentials(gCO2/m2)todeterminethetotalamountofcarbon(gCO2)thatcouldbesequestered.The types of data being collected and themethods of collection have been briefly summarized in Table 1.BuildinginformationwillbecollectedbyfirstdeterminingthenumberofDalhousieUniversitybuildingswhicharecapableofsupportinganextensivegreenroof.Thisinformationwillthenbeusedtodeterminethetotalsurfaceareaavailableforextensivegreenroofinstallation.Carbonsequestrationpotentialinformationwillbecollectedbasedonexistingextensivegreenroofsandvaryingvegetationspecies.VegetationspecieswillfocusonvegetationthatisabletoacclimatetotheHalifaxclimate.ThemethodsofdatacollectionwillincludeArcGISanalysis,andliteraturereview.InterviewswillbeconductedonlyiftheliteraturereviewandGISanalysisisunabletoprovidesufficientinformation.Themajorityofthedatacollectionwillbeassociatedwithliteratureresearch.

Table3-1:SummaryofDataCollectionMethods

Information DatatobeCollected MethodofCollection

BuildingInformation

BuildingscapableofsupportingagreenroofwithinHalifaxCampus LiteratureReview

Interview

Totalsurfaceareaofviablegreenroofspace ArcGISSoftware

CarbonSequestrationPotential

DeterminationofoptimalplantspeciesforgreenroofsatDalhousie LiteratureReview

Carbonsequestrationpotentialofspecificplantspecies LiteratureReview

TotalcarbonsequestrationpotentialofHalifaxCampus DataAnalysis

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3.2 DATACOLLECTION

3.2.1 LiteratureReview

Theliteraturereviewwillbeperformedbyanalyzingpreviousstudiesperformedongreenroofs.ThefirsttaskwillbereviewingpreviousprojectsconductedatDalhousieUniversitythatareassociatedwithgreenroofs.ThiswillbedoneintheattempttodetermineifthereareanypreviousstudiesreferringtotheviabilityofgreenroofsonDalhousiecampusbuildings.Thesestudieswouldbeabletoprovidethebuildingscapableofsupporting a green roof. If this information is unavailable, then studies will be performed on DalhousieUniversityroofcharacteristicsthatarecapableofsustainingagreenroof.DalhousieUniversityinfrastructureinformationwillbeanalyzedusingArcGIS.Finally,literaturereviewwillbeperformedtodeterminepotentialplantspeciesforimplementationonthegreenroof.Thiswillinvolveresearchingcharacteristicsofdifferentplantssuchasnativelocation,carboncontent,carbonsequestrationpotential,etc.Differentspecieswillbeabletosequesterdifferentquantitiesofcarbon,basedontheirgrowingcapacity.Thetotalcarbonsequestrationwillbecalculatedfromvaluesusedfromliterature,basedonplantspeciesandextensivegreenroofdata.

AninterviewingprocesswillbeconsideredifthedesiredinformationregardingDalhousieUniversityinfrastructure isnotavailable.Thiswill involvenon-probabilisticcriterionsamplingthroughtheprocessofinterviewingpersonswiththeknowledgeongreenrooftechnologyandDalhousieUniversityHalifaxcampusinfrastructure. The interviewwill be conducted in the form of an exploratory consultation. The interviewprocesswillrequestinformationregardingwhichbuildingsarecapableofsupportingextensivegreenroofs.

3.2.2 ArcGIS

ArcGIS,acomputerprogramprovidedbyEsriwithpermissionfromDalhousieUniversity(DalhousieUniversity, 2015a),will beused to calculate the total surface areaof viable green roof spaceonDalhousieUniversity’sHalifaxcampusbuildings.Useofthisresearchtoolwillbequantitativeinnature.

TouseArcGISasaresearchtool,dataisrequired.Specifically,dataonbuildingfootprints(representingthespacebuildingstakeup,andthusthesizeoftheirroofs)withinDalhousieUniversity’sCarlton,Sexton,andStudleycampusesisneeded.DataforbuildingswillbeobtainedthroughtheuseofDalhousieUniversityGISCentre’sin-housedata.PermissiontousethisdataisgrantedtoDalhousieUniversityfaculty,staff,andstudents(DalhousieUniversity,2015b;DalhousieUniversity,2015c); thus, theSUST3502studentsundertaking thisprojectwillhaveaccesstothesedatasets.Inthecasethatthesedatasetsdonotprovidesufficientbuildingdata,theappropriateshapefileswillbecreatedmanuallyinArcGISusingsatelliteimagery(includedintheDalhousieUniversityGISCentre’sdatasets)asabasereference.

3.3 DATAANALYSIS

3.3.1 Calculations

ThecarbonsequestrationpotentialofextensivegreenroofsonDalhousiecampuswillbeanalyzedbyusing the surface area calculated from ArcGIS and the values obtained from green roof and plant species

TEAMMUIR 7

research.Thecarbonsequestrationpotentialofthevariousplantspecieswillbereviewedtodeterminetheoptimumsequestrationrate.Theoptimumvaluecanthenbemultipliedbythetotalavailablesurfaceareatodeterminethetotalcarbonsequestration.

3.3.2 ArcGIS

ArcGISwillbeusedtocalculatethetotalsurfaceareaofviablegreenroofspaceinmetressquared(m2)onDalhousieUniversity’sthreeHalifaxcampuses.Indataanalysis,thisinformationwillbeusedinconjunctionwithdataregardingcarbonsequestrationpotentialandwhichroofsarecapableofsupportinggreenroofstodeterminethetotalamountofcarbonthatmaybesequestered.

Once thedata identifyingwhichbuildingscouldsupportgreenroofs isgathered through literaturereview,inArcGIStheshapefilesofthosebuildingswillbeselectedandexportedasaseparatelayer.TheareaofeachbuildingshapefilecanthenbecalculatedinArcGISinmetressquaredandexportedinaformatthatmaybeviewedatalatertimeeitherinArcGISorMicrosoftExcel.

Inthisprocessanymajorrooffeatures(suchasventilationdevices)thatwouldnotsupportagreenroofmustbeacknowledged.Todealwiththis,shapefileswillbecreatedfortheserooffeatures,theirareaswillbecalculatedandexportedfromArcGIS,andthenthoseareaswillbesubtractedfromthebuildingareadatainMicrosoftExcel.Ifthisprocessdoesnotworkasexpected,analternativewayofdealingwiththeserooffeatureshasbeenidentified.Hereseparatebuildingshapefileswhichdonotincludetherooffeaturesmaybecreated,andtheirareascanthenbecalculatedandexported.

Amajorbenefit ofusingArcGISas a research tool is thatonce theappropriatedata (shapefiles) aregathered,theprogramalmostinstantlycalculatestheareavaluesrequiredbytheprojectwithonlysmalleffortexertedbytheuser.ArcGIScanalsothenbeusedtocreatemapstoaidwiththerepresentationsofresearchfindingsinwrittenreportsorpresentations.

3.4 DELIMITATIONSANDLIMITATIONS

Adelimitationinourstudyisthebuildingswewilleliminatefromthestudybasedoncertaincriteriasuchasminimumroofarea(averysmallroofmaynotbeworthrenovating)ortypeofroof(buildingswithflat,broadroofswillbefavouredoverbuildingswithpitchedroofs).Moreprecisecriteriawillbeestablishedthroughouttheresearchprocess.

Anotherdelimitationisanassumptionofwhichvegetationtypeswillbeplantedinordertoprovidecarbonsequestrationcalculations.Astandardsetofplantswillbeselectedforthecalculationsofcarbonsequestrationacrosseachofthethreecampuses,ratherthandeterminingadesiredsetofplantsforeachindividualbuilding.

A limitationtothisproject isthedetail inwhichthepotentialcarbonsequestrationofDalhousieUniversityHalifax campus buildings can be calculated. These calculations will be limited according to what data isavailableintheliterature.Datawillalsobelimitedtemporallydependingonwhattimerangethedatacovers,aswellasinscope,dependingonwhichgreenroofplantspecieshavecarbonsequestrationdata.

TEAMMUIR 8

4 SCHEDULEANDBUDGET

Team Muir’s research project schedule is summarized in a Gantt chart, presented as Figure 1. FurtherinformationontheproposedtasksandwhoisdesignatedtocompletethemisprovidedinTable4-1.Ourteammemberswillprocureallwork.Assuch,fundingisnotrequiredtocontinuewithourproposedresearch.

Table4-1:TasksandMilestoneswithResponsibilities

Week(Datesall2016) TasksandMilestones Responsibility

Week3(Jan24-30) ENVS3502groupsassigned --

Jan26-Worksheetcompleted Everyone

SecretFacebookgroupsetup Hut

Jan31-Feb6 Weeklymeeting-determinationofresearchmethods Everyone

Feb7-13 CreateproposaltemplateandGoogleDocumentFolder Nikki

ReviewofpotentialGISrequirementsandcapabilities Sam

Reviewofexisting/capacityofgreenroofspecies Hut

Considerstructuralandtechnicalrequirements Cody

Initiateliteraturereview OliviaandJasmin

Weeklymeeting-researchprojectdevelopment Everyone

SnowdayWorkSheet Everyone

Feb14-20(Studybreak) IndividualizedResearch Jasmin,Hut,Olivia

Finalizeresearchquestion LeadbySam,supportedbyteam

ReviewpastENVS3502proposals Everyone

Developmethods SamandCody

Groupmeetingtodelegatesectionsofproposalwriting Everyone

Feb21-27 Groupmeeting-tofinalizeourresearchquestionandproposalresponsibilities

Everyone

Weeklymeeting-finalizationofmethodssection Everyone

Feb28-March5 Groupmeeting-worktowardsproposal Everyone

ResearchproposaldueMarch3rd Everyone

March6-12 Reviewfeedbackonproposal Everyone

Determineifinterviewsarerequired CodyandSam

Literaturereview Olivia,JasminandHut

March13-19 Furtherdelineaterolesandresponsibilitiestocompleteourresearchproject

Everyone

March20-26 Brainstormingsessionforpresentation Everyone

March27-Apr2 InternalReviewPechaKuchaSlide Everyone

Draftresearchprojectdueforinternalreview Everyone

Apr3-9 PechaKuchaprepandpresentation Everyone

Apr10-16 FinalizeandsubmitfinalProject Everyone

TEAMMUIR 9

Figure1:TeamMuir'sResearchProjectDevelopmentSchedule

WeeklyMeeting

ProjectDefinition

LiteratureReview

ResearchMethods

WeeklyMeeting

CreateProposalTemplateandPreliminaryResearch

WeeklyMeeting

AdditionalGroupMeeting

WinterStudyBreak

DevelopListofPotentialInterviewees

AdditionalGroupMeeting- prepareresearchproposal

WeeklyMeeting

GroupMeeting- finalizeresearchproposal

WeeklyMeeting

ResearchProposalDue

PotentiallyInterviewGreenRoofExperts

WeeklyMeeting

BrainstormingSessionforPechaKuchaPresentation

WeeklyMeeting

DevelopPechaKuchaPresentationSlides

WeeklyMeeting- darftReseachProjectdue

InternalReviewPechaKuchaSlide

FinalProject- InternalReviewDraft

GroupPechaKucha

FinalResearchProjectSubmission

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5 COMMUNICATIONPLANANDDELIVERABLES

Thepurposeofthisprojectistoprovideanunderstandingofthecarbonsequestrationpotentialifgreenroofs were installed on viable Halifax campus buildings.We hope our project will be useful to DalhousieUniversity;specificallytheOfficeofSustainability,astheyconsiderhowtomeettheirgoalofcarbonneutrality.OurcommunicationobjectiveistoprovideclearanddefensibleresearchthatcanbeconsideredbytheOfficeofSustainability,ourprofessorDr.TarahWright,ourmentorAdamCheeseman,aswellascurrentandfutureENVS3502students.

Indevelopingourwork,ourteamwillcommunicatebythreemainmethods:

1. In-classgroupdiscussions(heldweekly)

2. SundayResearchGroupsessions(asrequired)

3. FacebookandGoogleDocs-ongoingdiscussionandsharingofinformationrelatedtoourresearch

Our major deliverable will be our final report that presents our project, outlines our methods andsummarizesourfindingsInaddition,ourgroupwilldevelopapresentationtobedeliveredonApril5,2016.

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6 REFERENCES

Abdulal,H.,Arsenault,L.,Bachiu,T.,Garrey,S.,MacGillivray,M.,&Uloth,D.(2006).RainwaterCollection

System:AFeasibilityStudyforDalhousieUniversity(pp.1–19).Halifax,NS:DalhousieUniversity.

Retrievedfromhttp://www.dal.ca/faculty/science/environmental-science-program/research/envs-

3502---past-projects/2006.html

Andresen,J.A.,Cregg,B.M.,Getter,K.L.,Robertson,G.P.&Rowe,D.B.(2009).Carbonsequestrationpotential

ofextensivegreenroofs.EnvironmentalScience&Technology,43(19),7564–7570.doi:

10.1021/es901539x

Blok,K.,Hutt,J.,Inglis,S.,Saunders,L.,&Wainwright,H.(2015).GreeningNewHeights–AFeasibilityAnalysis

ofaGreenRoofontheLifeSciencesCenter(pp.3–8).Halifax,NS:DalhousieUniversity.Retrievedfrom


projects.html

Boer,K.(2014).SummarizingtheGreenhouseEffect.SolarToday,28(5),12–13.

CanadaGreenBuildingCouncil(2009).LEEDCanadaforexistingbuildings:operationsandmaintenance2009.

Retrievedfrom

http://www.cagbc.org/cagbcdocs/LEED%20Canada%20EBOM%20rating%20system.pdf

CityofToronto(2013).TorontoMunicipalCode.Chapter492,GreenRoofs.Retrievedfrom

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/1184_492.pdf

Cranstone,S.,Hu,S.,Laing,E.,Watling,D.,&Zhang,Z.(2015).TheGreeningofStormwaterManagement-

MitigatingTheRisksofStormwateronStudleyCamousthroughtheInstallationofGreenRoofs(pp.2–

6).Halifax,NS:DalhousieUniversity.Retrievedfrom


projects.html

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CreditValleyConservation.(2008).LowImpactDevelopmentStormwaterManagementPlanningandDesign

Guide.Retrievedfromhttp://www.creditvalleyca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/lid-swm-guide-

chapter4-4.2-green-roofs.pdf

DalhousieUniversity(2009).SustainabilityPolicy.Retrievedfrom


repository/SustainabilityPolicy.pdf

DalhousieUniversity(2011).DalhousieSustainableBuildingPolicy.Retrievedfrom


repository/SustainableBuildingPolicy.pdf

DalhousieUniversity(2015a).Libraries:ArcGIS(ArcInfolicense)forWindows.Retrievedfrom

https://software.library.dal.ca/index.php?page=2

DalhousieUniversity(2015b).Libraries:GISdatadownload.Retrievedfrom

https://arcgis.library.dal.ca/gisdata/gis/index.php

DalhousieUniversity(2015c).Libraries:GISinhousedata.Retrievedfrom:

http://libraries.dal.ca/locations_services/services/gis_centre/gis_inhouse_resources.html

Döll,P.,&Zhang,J.(2010).Impactofclimatechangeonfreshwaterecosystems:Aglobal-scaleanalysisof

ecologicallyrelevantriverflowalterations.HydrologyandEarthSystemSciences,14(5),783–799.doi:

10.5194/hess-14-783-2010

Draper,Dianna(2002).Ourenvironment:ACanadianperspective(2nded.).Scarborough:NelsonThomas

Learning.

Dunnett,N.,&Kingsbury,N.(2004).Plantinggreenroofsandlivingwalls.Portland,OR:TimberPress.

Easterling,W.,&Apps,M.(2005).Assessingtheconsequencesofclimatechangeforfoodandforest

resources:AviewfromtheIPCC.Increasingclimatevariabilityandchange:Reducingthevulnerability

ofagricultureandforestry(165–189).Springer.Retrievedfrom

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/1-4020-4166-7_8

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GreenRoofsforHealthyCities(2014).Greenroofbenefits:Greenroofsoffermanypublic,private,anddesign-

basedbenefits.Retrievedfromhttp://www.greenroofs.org/index.php/about/greenroofbenefits

OfficeofSustainability.(2014).GreenhouseGas(GHG)InventoryReport2013-2014.DalhousieUniversity.

Retrievedfrom

https://www.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sustainability/Dalhousie%20GHG%20Inventory%

202013-14-1.pdf

OfficeofSustainability.(2015).DalhousieUniversitySustainabilityMapTour.Retrievedfrom

http://www.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sustainability/Sustainability%20Map-

Final%20Jan%202015.pdf

UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.(2016).Overviewofgreenhousegasemissions.Retrievedfrom

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html

Evaluation Project Definition – 4.5/5 Background and Rationale – 4.5/5 Research Methods – 4/5 Schedule and Budget – 3.5/5 Deliverables and Communication Plan – 5/5 References and Appendices – 4/5 Organization, Specifications and Writing Style – 3.5/5 Total – 29/35 or 8.3/10

Key Next Steps – You need to consider our comments and add in

some updated references especially in background and

methods. No budget included. Really great proposal overall,

keep up the good work!

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