Blue Goes Green grants USU Permaculture Initiative
Grass has its purpose: it’s great for soccer, Frisbee and picnics. But when it comes to water conservation and sustainability, there might be a better solution, and Utah State University is giving it a try.
On Wednesday, Blue Goes Green granted James Wirth, a Utah State student, $8,350 to design a permaculture garden behind Aggie Ice Cream.
Permaculture gardens are designed to “mimic natural ecosystems,” said Roslynn Brain, the sustainable communities extension specialist at USU Moab.
The garden, which will replace a nine-square-foot patch of grass, will host a variety of plants, including fruits, vegetables, native plants and shrubbery. Wirth said the plants will work together to conserve water and increase productivity just as they would in nature, which will create a more sustainable environment.
“The way it’s designed is kind of like a forest floor,” he said. “You don’t have rows of plants. You have plants growing all in the same area.”
Wirth said the Soup Connection, a community-supported agriculture program that uses local ingredients to make vegetarian soups, will use much of the food grown in the garden.
Brain believes permaculture gardens are sensible because they are water-conscious, a trait often overlooked in landscaping.
“Our cities and towns are designed in a way that pushes water away. Down the gutter, down the driveway, down the street and away, like it’s a problem,” Brain said. “But if we can change our minds like, let’s plant the water, let’s infiltrate the water into the landscape – it just makes sense.”
Wirth said mulch and shrubbery will help the garden absorb rainwater and irrigated municipal water.
This isn’t the first time water-conscious permaculture has been utilized on a Utah State campus. Brain initiated the program at USU Moab a few years ago, and now the campus is nearly two-thirds permaculture. She hopes the campus will be 100 percent permaculture by the end of next year.
Brain calls the permaculture areas at USU Moab “rain gardens” because their primary water source is rainwater. She said they are an inspiring addition to the campus.
“Before, I used to look out my office window and see mono-planted junipers and concrete,” she said. “Now, I look out my window, and I see a diverse, mini-food forest.”
Brain said the gardens provide a home for wildlife, especially Utah’s more than 900 species of bees.
“Plants are blooming at different times, so pollinators have a constant food source,” she said. “And there are no pesticides, so there’s no harm for the bees.”
Brain has pushed for the USU Permaculture Initiative at the Logan campus for years. Last year, she mentored Utah State student Jacoby Knight, who created the initiative. The proposal was rejected, but Brain said they were “strongly encouraged to re-submit.” This year, Wirth modified the proposal, re-submitted and was approved.
Brain said Wirth’s goal is to have the earthwork and primary planting done by fall.
“It’s an ambitious goal, but he’s ready to go for it,” Brain said.
Although Brain is not Wirth’s official mentor because she works with the Moab campus, she plans to help him as much as possible. Wirth’s advisers are Tamara Steinitz and Sheryl Aguilar, both Nutrition and Dietetics Food Science professors at Utah State.
Wirth will use the grant to purchase plants, pathways, a grape pergola, informative signs and the irrigation system.
According to the Sustainability at USU website, funding for the Blue Goes Green grant program comes from a 25-cents-per-credit student fee. Students approved this fee in the 2011 ASUSU elections.
Kate Stephens, the assistant director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning, said Wirth’s project was one of three projects submitted this semester, and the only large project that will receive funding this year. She said grants less than $1500 can be applied for and are funded throughout the year.