
Landscaping Water Conservation
ASU's campus is Arizona's largest public arboretum, dedicated in 1990 and committed to proper water management and conservation while educating visitors about the complex ecological systems on earth. Facilities Management has instituted several practices designed to reduce the amount of water used in landscaping on campus. About two-thirds of campus is watered at night to prevent evaporation. Additionally, an initiative is currently underway to automate the remaining systems so that the different plants on campus receive water based on both current weather conditions and a given plant´s evapotranspiration rate. Existing flood irrigation infrastructure has been preserved for future use with a grey water system when practicable.
Reduce your outdoor water use
Outdoor water use accounts for 60 to 70 percent of home water use. Large lot sizes, non-native plantings, and private pools are primarily to blame. Though Phoenix's identity as an oasis in the desert is built largely on outdoor water use, increasing sustainability here may mean a move toward a more compact city with desert landscaping and community pools.
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> Engineers Without Borders at ASU
> Students for Sustainability listserv
> Student Sustainability Coalition (email for more info)