The mission of Spelman College's sustainability initiative "is to extend our reach and engage the Spelman community in authentic conversations that will increase awareness, knowledge, and action on campus.” With this in mind, a team of senior environmental science and studies majors proposed a conceptual plan to address rainwater runoff on land owned by the College. Georgraphic Information SYstems were used to compute green vs. impervious area of the campus. A cost-analysis and feasibility study was performed. Through conversations with Facilities Management it was recommended that green roofs would be implemented to collect rainfall before it is able to pool on impervious surfaces. The green roofs are proposed for the John D. Rockefeller Fine Arts building (Fine Arts building) and the lower half of the Facilities Management Services building (FMS). The implementation of this project is significant because extreme runoff events on campus result in flooding for surrounding lower-elevation communities.
