St. Louis Community College Campus Wildwood (STLCC-Wildwood) is a “green” campus, built with environmentally-friendly materials and architecture. It was designed to enhance occupant comfort and health, reduce operating costs, conserve natural resources and reduce each building’s impact on the environment and the community. STLCC-Wildwood is the first community college in the Midwest to receive the United States Green Building Council’s LEED Gold level certification.

The Wildwood Community College is located very close to Babler State Park in Missouri and the green roof is accessible from the central atrium, planted with a varitiy of Sedums. While there is certainly no shortage of wildlife in and around the park, this pair of Killdeer birds choose this green roof as a safe place to start their new family. The green roof plants provide comfortable nesting and heat rising from the building keeps the nest nice and cozy. Installed on June 13, 2007, the Green Roof Blocks modular system has flourished and the resident Killdeer birds and their young seem pleased as well.

In addition to the greenroof, the STLCC-Wildwood facility design incorporates a number of green elements in an effort to achieve Gold Leed certification, including a light-reflecting membrane that has been applied to the remainder of the roof; optimal energy efficiency through the use of numerous ceiling fans; artificial lighting that automatically balances to accommodate variations in natural light; an east-west solar orientation to fully capitalize on sunlight for heating, cooling and natural light; two- and three-story cisterns at the entrances that collect rainwater for irrigation, and more – see here for more info.