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Sprouts House Rainwater Harvesting Living Laboratory

Sprouts House Rainwater Harvesting Living Laboratory
Grant Type
Annual Grant
Project Status
Active
Award Period
FY2025
Awarded Amount
$84,700

Project Description

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.

Project Outcomes

Construction on the houses began in April 2025 and culminated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2025, celebrating the evolution of the once abandoned houses into a vibrant sustainability hub, located at 415 N. Mountain Ave.  

The Sprouts House Rainwater Harvesting Living Laboratory project successfully installed a rainwater harvesting system capable of collecting more than 6,500 gallons of rainwater, achieving the project’s primary infrastructure goal. In parallel, the team provided hands on sustainability workshops for 168 U of A students, 108 Tucson Unified School District K-12 students, and 163 K-12 educators across the region at the site.   
 
In the early stages of the project, four School Garden Workshop Fellows provided their insight and expertise on the rainwater schematic through site visits and design charettes. They completed over 20 hours of training and service, supporting rainwater harvesting projects across the Tucson Unified School District and hosted three workshops for over 56 students in the School Garden Workshop course. 

The completed system enhances long-term protection of the historic site by directing rainwater away from the building and toward a collection system, cycling reused storm water through the landscape. As a now fully functional sustainability learning center, the Sprouts House team looks forward to hosting university, pre-k-12 educators, and K-12 student field trips to Sprouts House.   

U of A School Garden Workshop students were instrumental in designing and contributing to the rainwater harvesting landscape and will continue to provide maintenance and stewardship. 

Check out this video from TUSD about the grand opening in fall of 2025, watch the Sprouts House tour video produced by our team and Arizona Environment, or learn more about the project by reading this UA News article.

A brick house with green trim and a rain water tank.

Department
School of Geography, Development, and Environment

Project Manager
Moses Thompson

Project Manager (secondary)
Jared Hoyos Acuña

Categories
Social Sustainability
Water Reduction

Supporting Documents
Approved Budget
Final Budget