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.
