Conserving city groundwater while nurturing plants and gardens at the University of Guelph Arboretum is the dual purpose of a rainwater harvesting system upgraded this month at a campus greenhouse.
The project – which collects thousands of litres’ worth of rainfall instead of tapping local groundwater resources – follows last year’s installation of a separate system at the arboretum’s demonstration gardens intended to promote rainwater harvesting among city residents.
Resource stewardship drives both initiatives, said arboretum director Justine Richardson.
“Rainwater is especially important for our seedlings and propagation trials and misting table, and sustainability measures are essential to our operations,” she said. “Harvesting rainwater means less pressure on the water table. Collecting water from the atmosphere and using it in our operations is better for our plants and the planet.”
Read more at University of Guelph
Photo Credit: Hay123.5 via Wikimedia Commons
