A+ for Rainwater Harvesting at Manzo Elementary

TL;DR

Monza Elementary School in Tucson, with a high poverty population, uses rainwater harvesting to water their garden spaces and teach students about water conservation.

Transcript

first the ring the rain goes to roof and it gets to God and then the rain had to get all of the third to come sticks and leaves my name is Bloo Baldwin and I'm the ecology program coordinator at Monza Elementary Monza is a school in the Tucson Unified School District which is huge it serves about 60,000 students many of whom are qualifying for free... Read More

Key Insights

• 💦 Monza Elementary School, located in a poverty-stricken area of Tucson, utilizes rainwater harvesting to water their garden spaces and teach students about water conservation.
• 👾 Students and community volunteers built all the ecological infrastructure at Monza Elementary, including garden spaces and desert tortoise habitats.
• 💦 Through rainwater harvesting, the school saves water, reduces reliance on municipal supplies, and creates a fun and engaging learning environment.
• 🌱 Rainwater is preferred by plants over groundwater due to the presence of chemicals in the latter.
• 💦 Capturing all the rainwater that falls on rooftops in Tucson could potentially fulfill all water needs in the area.
• 😋 Monza Elementary emphasizes the importance of harvesting rainwater to ethically grow food in a dryland area.
• 🧑‍🎓 By involving students in outdoor projects and gardening, Monza Elementary fosters collaboration, problem-solving, and a sense of ownership among students.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the idea of rainwater harvesting develop at Monza Elementary?

The school counselor discovered that getting students outdoors and involved in hands-on projects was more beneficial for students dealing with poverty and crisis situations. This led to the development of garden spaces and eventually the implementation of rainwater harvesting.

Q: How many cisterns does Monza Elementary have, and how much water do they hold?

Monza Elementary has 16 water harvesting cisterns, each holding around a thousand gallons of water. In total, they have about 16,000 gallons of water to last them from the beginning of the school year until the winter rains.

Q: What is the main purpose of rainwater harvesting at Monza Elementary?

Rainwater harvesting serves both water conservation and educational purposes. Through this practice, students learn about the importance of using renewable water sources and discover that plants prefer rainwater over tap water.

Q: How does Monza Elementary ensure sustainability during the hot summer months?

The school wraps up its gardening activities before it gets too hot in Tucson. During the summer, they only grow native, drought-resistant crops that can survive mainly on the monsoon rainfall.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Monza Elementary, located in a poverty-stricken area of Tucson, utilizes rainwater harvesting to water their garden spaces.

• The school's ecosystem was built by students and community volunteers through small grants and partnerships.

• By practicing rainwater harvesting, the school saves water, provides hands-on learning opportunities, and cultivates a sense of pride and ownership among students.