Last updated: November 2024
Arizona is experiencing an unprecedented drought, now nearing 15 years and surpassing the most severe drought in over 110 years of recorded history (1). For Phoenix residents, accustomed to extreme heat and minimal rainfall, rising temperatures are bringing new health risks (3). Diminished rainfall not only leads to water scarcity but also raises temperatures, as the sun’s energy, instead of being absorbed to evaporate moisture, intensifies the heat on the ground (2). In 2023 alone, extreme heat claimed at least 147 lives, with Arizona seeing the majority of these fatalities. By early August, over 100 heat-related deaths had been reported in the state (2). In response to these challenges, the Watershed Management Group (WMG) has collaborated with Arizona State University’s Sustainability Teachers’ Academies to develop a program that maximizes the desert’s limited rainfall to build community resilience (3). Their Schoolyard Water Education Program brings educational services to Phoenix schools, focusing on designing and installing rain gardens as part of outdoor learning initiatives (3). This hands-on approach transforms schoolyards into interactive laboratories where students learn the principles of sustainability through direct engagement with their surroundings (3). A project at Clarendon Elementary School in Phoenix involved constructing a rain garden with native plants and wood chip mulch to help retain moisture (3). These gardens offer students a living classroom, where they can observe seasonal changes in native plant life, distinguish beneficial species from invasive weeds, and track rainfall to measure the garden’s water intake from rooftops and direct rain (3). Beyond the academic learning, rain gardens provide cooler, safer spaces for students to gather, fostering a lasting connection with nature and a deeper understanding of sustainable water practices (3).
A Rain Garden at Clarendon Elementary in Phoenix shows newly planted native species and wood chip mulch.
Water- Use it Wisely
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Green areas for water management
- Rain gardens
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Drought
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Physical water retention and availability
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Water stress (increased demand)
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Implementation of green areas for water management (e.g. rain gardens), Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Strategy, plan or policy development, Community-based programs (e.g. "Green Your Laneway Program"), Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity, Habitat mapping, restoration and monitoring-focused management, Citizen science and monitoring initiatives (e.g. species observations, habitat assessments, and data collection efforts)
Project objectives
The goals of the Clarendon Elementary Rain Garden project as part of the larger Schoolyard Water Education Program were to:
1. Provide educational services focused on designing, constructing and monitoring rain gardens (4).
2. Teach students through hands-on activities and using outdoor learning laboratories to create and enhance outdoor classrooms on school campuses (4).
3. Select a space for the rain garden that benefits students and staff, but also considered the broader community and ecosystem (drought and climate resilience) (3).
4. Include students and teachers in the implementation, planning and monitoring of the rain garden (3).
5. Incorporate native plants into the new rain garden ecosystem to provide habitat and food for native insects and wildlife, unlike non-native species.(3).
6. Build a rain garden that utilizes rainwater effectively to harness the limited rain the desert provides to build communities resilient to these challenges (3).
7. Create safer, cooler spaces for students to gather and offer an ongoing connection to nature (3).
Implementation activities
Living in the desert in Phoenix, the community are no strangers to extreme heat and sparse rainfall (3). However, as temperatures rise, so do health concerns (3). To address this issue the Watershed Management Group (WMG) and ASU’s Sustainability Teachers’ Academies have engaged in a variety of activities including:
1. Founding the Schoolyard Water Education Program in 2020 to partner with schools across Phoenix to provide educational services focused on designing, constructing and monitoring rain gardens (4).
2. Selected the location of the rain garden at Clarendon Elementary to benefit the students and staff, but also considered the broader community and ecosystem (3).
3. Hosted a workshop for teachers with WMG and ASU staff that covered water harvesting principles and benefits of native plants to help develop lesson plans to educate students (3).
4. Students devised plans determining low areas for water to pool and infiltrate, placements for shade trees and shrubs, and elevated areas for walking paths (3).
5. Students identified where to avoid planting due to utility lines and selected a wide array of colorful, native plants including native edible varieties such as Milkweed, Mexican Honeysuckle, and Dalea Bicolor, to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, bringing vibrant colors to the landscape. (3).
6. Spread wood chip mulch around the plants to protect the soil from the intense sun, nourish the plants, and improve soil health (3).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
- Other
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Urban heat islands
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore native species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
-Non-governmental organisation (NGO): The watershed management group founded the Schoolyard Water Education Program which provides educational, training and assistance for covering costs of the rain garden implementation (4).
-Researchers, university: ASU is a partner in the Schoolyard Water Education Program but contributes to the project by hosting workshops for teachers and being on site for educational purposes during implementation (3)
-Citizens or community groups: Students and staff of Clarendon Elementary participated in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the project (3).
-Public sector institution: Clarendon Elementary provided the land for the rain garden to be built and partnered with the project (3).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Research organisation / University
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved soil quality
- Achieved improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved stormwater management
- Achieved improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
- Enhanced support of pollination
- Achieved enhanced support of pollination
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Expected improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Achieved increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
City of Phoenix (n.d.). Drought Information. [Source link];
2.
Gilbert, M. (2023). Phoenix’s brutal, record-breaking summer just hit another terrible milestone. [Source link];
3.
Water Use it Wisely (2024). Build a Rain Garden: Nature Based Solutions from Schools to Your Home. [Source link];
4.
Watershed Management Group (n.d.). Services for Your School. [Source link];
5.
Maricopa Association of Governments (n.d.). Arizona Demographics . [Source link];
WMG can provide educational services focused on designing and constructing rain gardens.
WMG
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.