CC students and Facilities Services installed a 2,650-square-foot live green roof on the Honnen Ice Arena in August to help with sustainability efforts, transforming the formerly barren roof into a lush carpet of 12,800 succulent sedums. Honnen is the least efficient building on campus, which makes it an ideal place to study the roof’s effectiveness for application elsewhere on campus. Studies show green roofs reduce stormwater runoff by 65 to 90 percent in the summer and 25 to 40 percent in winter. The drought-tolerant sedums provide a low-maintenance green space that helps reduce heating and cooling costs, extends roof life by as much as 40-50 years, lowers interior sound levels by as much as 40 decibels, and provides a natural air filtration system, with one square foot of green roof foliage able to filter seven ounces of dust and smog per year. Josh Ortiz, CC landscape and grounds supervisor, says, “without the students we wouldn’t have been able to get this done.”