![]() "The landscape architect picked so there would be a variety of colors over the seasons," says Schlesinger, who also helped coordinate the roof installation. The green roof sits on top of portions of the building's fourth floor and the top floor as well, so the changing and growing plants on the green roof can be seen from two sides of the upper floors. "In the first year, we'll come out every month or so, but as the years go on it becomes less and less." Eventually the green roof will only require quarterly care. "I come out here with a crew and we'll hand weed throughout the growing season and install fertilizer if needed," Stamer says. As a benefit, the upkeep is very manageable. The green roof is expected to last more than 20 years and actually helps protect the roofing and waterproofing material underneath it. It's lightweight to minimize the extra pressure on the structure. Engineered media doesn't compact, so it stays at four inches, or at the depth you place on the roof. "Regular soil compacts, holds too much water and would clog the roof drains," says Stamer. There are also wild spring onions and alliums. Most of the plants on the green roof are sedums, which are drought-tolerant plants with water-retaining leaves. This soil doesn't have a lot of organic matter like you would find in regular soil. The majority of the plants on the roof are placed in about four inches of "growing media," largely made up of expanded shale and sand. "On this roof there are different varieties, a mix of ground covers and accent plants," Stamer says. Here, all the plants have to be able to store water and survive long periods without rain. Higher elevation, direct sun and minimal shade all make this rooftop a completely different environment than the ground below, Stamer says. She is with the Prospect Waterproofing Company, the group that installed and cares for the green roof at NPR. The green roof helps with storm water management and water quality by filtering rainwater, and it helps mitigate the urban heat island effect by providing more green space and contributing to a cooler city at large, says Erin Stamer. The NPR bees also help to pollinate plants in the surrounding neighborhood, traveling up to three miles from the hive. Miller will get half of the honey in return for caring for the bees, and NPR plans to distribute a small amount to visitors next year. The bees will start producing honey next spring and are expected to yield about 60 pounds (or about five gallons) of honey per hive. "In the spring, we'll add additional boxes on top of these that they'll use to deposit the honey and they'll keep their young in the lower boxes." But Miller says if 10 thousand bees survive the winter, then NPR should have between 40 to 50 thousand bees on its roof next year. No matter what he does, a portion of the bees will die during winter. "The bees also stop flying and stay in the hive." The syrup gets too cold to eat," he says. "Once it gets below 50 degrees we have to stop feeding, them and they're on their own. That's equivalent to a five gallon bucket per hive each month. The bees will start producing honey next spring and are expected to yield about 60 pounds of honey per hive.
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