The Community Roots Academy at Laguna Niguel, California, has spent the last two years making water-wise updates both indoors and outdoors, resulting in a beautiful courtyard full of native California species, a spokesperson recently revealed in an email to The Cool Down.
The project was conducted with the help of the local Moulton Niguel Water District, as well as specialists from Urban Ecology.
Community Roots started out with a deteriorating courtyard full of water-guzzling turfgrass. Not only was it bad for water conservation in a drought-stricken state, but it was also an unnecessary expense, just like any traditional turf grass lawn. And even with all that water, the school couldn't keep the grass green.
So Community Roots got to work. First, the school secured a rebate from Orange County for the project. Then it replaced 10,114 square feet of turf with a combination of California native species, other water-wise plants, and gravel and mulch areas to create a desert landscape that reflects the area's natural beauty.
The project includes an eye-catching simulated dry creek bed full of river stones, as well as a rain garden to catch and make use of rainwater.
The plants chosen for the project include deer grass, Cleveland sage, yarrow, spreading rush, California sagebrush, blue-eyed grass, Indian mallow, and spider agave.
The school estimates that it is saving 445,000 gallons of water per year, with an expected lifetime savings of over 13 million gallons. The garden was also designed to minimize its impact on the environment by repurposing concrete from the courtyard into benches for the new space.
Community Roots also replaced its indoor fixtures with water-saving models that are estimated to save 11 million gallons over their lifetime.
In total, the desert garden cost over $82,000, but the county's rebate covered over $40,000. Individuals and organizations carrying out similar projects in California can get help using the Save Our Water rebate finder.
"Our friends at the Moulton Niguel Water District and Urban Ecology helped transform our courtyard from an overused lawn to a beautiful water-wise space where our students regularly gather," Community Roots co-founder and executive director of operations and resource development, Eve Fein, told The Cool Down. "I encourage schools, businesses, and residents to explore what's possible through their local water agency."
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