The Sprouts House will be a training center at 415 N. Mountain Ave, 85719, hosting a garden and sustainability living laboratory for the University of Arizona School Garden workshop course, Mansfeld Middle School, and a professional development training site for K-12 teachers both regionally and nationally.
School Garden Workshop secured funding from Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation that will be used to renovate two historic houses as instructional spaces. Supporting funding from the Campus Sustainability Fund will fund the installation of rainwater harvesting systems on the tops of the homes. The demonstration site will consist of both active and passive rainwater harvesting by collecting rainwater from across the property to support sustainable on-site growing practices. Funding will also support School Garden Workshop staff and students to oversee the design and installation of the rainwater harvesting system across the properties.
The project’s practical location sits at the nexus of University of Arizona instruction and community engagement. Mansfeld Middle school students will activate the space through an existing partnership with two science teachers and with the support of University of Arizona school Garden Workshop interns. The Sprouts House Rainwater Harvesting Living Laboratory will be sustainability in action, capturing rainwater for sustainable on-site agriculture, as well as a teaching facility for students and educators across the K-12 to university pipeline.
As of August 2025, construction began in April 2025 with a target completion date of September 2025. To date, four School Garden Workshop Fellows have provided their insight and expertise on the rainwater schematic through site visits and design charettes and have completed over 20 hours of training and service, supporting rainwater harvesting projects across the Tucson Unified School District. They also supported three workshops for over 56 students in the School Garden Workshop course.
Once the houses are fully renovated, the rainwater capture systems will be installed through workshops with UA School Garden Workshop students and K-12 students at Mansfeld Middle School.
