Landscape Architect Articles

LASN Stewardship June 2009:A Rain Garden Thrives: Dixie Elementary School06-01-09 | News

A Rain Garden Thrives: Dixie Elementary School, San Rafael, Calif.

By April Philips, ASLA

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Photos Courtesy of APDW (April Philips Design Works)

During late fall of 2007, the landscape architecture firm of April Philips Design Works (APDW) along with a team of school, community and local business volunteers, constructed the Dixie Rain Garden at Dixie Elementary School in San Rafael, California. The beautification and green infrastructure project is a demonstration garden that educates the students and community about ecology and sustainability. It also performs as a case study garden to advance sustainable landscaping industry practices beyond the current status quo.

Dixie Elementary School is located in the beautiful Lucas Valley part of San Rafael, CA. As a California distinguished and Blue Ribbon School, it has a lot to be proud of. In the late 70?EUR??,,????'?????<

The vision was to design a rain garden that meets the following goals: 100 percent zero waste, pesticide free, native vegetation, organic soil amendments to increase permeability and water retention within the local soils, and to use only local recycled and salvaged materials. In addition to these requirements it needed to be 100 percent reliant on seasonal rain water instead of irrigation, to be 100 percent built by volunteers and to be able to be maintained by Kindergarten through 5th grade students.

One year later the rain garden has performed well as an outdoor classroom for teaching sustainability and as a case study on natural landscapes versus traditional. The mostly native plants, including a Coast Live Oak tree, salvia clevlandii, muhlenbergia rigens, and achilla millefolium, are thriving in just a year?EUR??,,????'?????<

APDW created a power point show that was used for funding and community outreach. The project was outlined in terms of its ecological, economical and educational value. Once the School District committed to part of the green infrastructure funds (material costs), the Home & School Club matched their donation.

The funds did not cover all of the construction costs for the installation. Fortunately for the school, the rest of the funding was donated by Philips, her firm, APDW, and a few local businesses. Tad Jacobs of Treemasters, volunteered heavy equipment and crew for the grading of the project. Jacob Voit and Kurt Heitmeyer of Cagwin & Dorward (C&G), a local landscape contractor, collaborated on the construction of the sustainable systems. Students and parents volunteered their labor for the construction.

A handout packet on the educational opportunities of rain gardens was prepared by April and her staff and presented to the teachers as a resource for their in class curriculum.

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