Garden Expansion--Pollinators and Outdoor Seating

June 01, 2020

This project boosts the existing vegetable garden at our school by providing an adjacent pollinator garden and garden seating for students. Pollinator gardens provide habitat for pollinators, reduce the heat island in a city, and improve air quality. They also beautify urban spaces and draw pollinators, such as monarch butterflies, that can complement educational activities about pollinator life cycles and migration patterns. The pollinator garden would complement the existing vegetable garden and support educational activities at El Rincon. It would also be visible from Overland Ave for the community. The existing vegetable garden and the proposed pollinator garden is maintained by two parent led committees associated with our PTA, the Garden Committee and Green Committee. Both committees have programming for students inside the garden that will require garden seating and an awning for shade. We propose to build a pollinator garden with natives plantings, provide garden seating for students (approx 30 at a time), and an awning for shade over the seating area.

500

Students attended

30

Staff attended

15

Additional Volunteers attended

500

Students will be impacted this year

Intended impact of project

Reduced environmental impact
Improved occupant health & performance
Increased environmental & sustainability literacy