Service
The Process:
Taking Action:
For my Girl Scout Gold Award, I wanted to do something I was passionate about. This led me to directly brainstorm all the possibilities of what I could possibly do that is impacting something that will be sustainable enough to last a long time. Because I am passionate about the drought and the possibilities of what I can do with water conservation within the environment, I chose to create a sustainable, drought tolerant landscaping by installing a drip irrigation system at a preschool in my area.
About My Project:
The sustainable outdoor garden provided a more natural water supply source for landscape areas at La Casa de San Gabriel. My aim with this project was inspired by my environmental science class, which also benefitted the site I worked at by allowing the site to be more water conservative and cost efficient. I was hoping that the water drip irrigation system, along with the rain barrel capture would sustain the more drought tolerant plants to grow and flourish for a longer period of time. The project demonstrates alternatives for the community of San Gabriel for addressing water conservation issues in our society, as well as more educated on methods to have sustainable landscaping. The school community of La Casa San Gabriel will have the opportunity to learn more about how to conserve water in different ways, and also become aware of the benefits it will bring in the future.
The Community Center Preschool of La Casa de San Gabriel needed assistance with their areas of the property. I researched ways to capture water that will solve both issues, which I learned about at school. Coming up with a plan to install rain barrels to the root drainage system to capture the rainwater was a smart strategy . The water would flow into the drip irrigation system to deliver water to the roots of the plants directly. I chose drought tolerant plants, since they are more resilient and sturdy.
The La Casa San Gabriel's maintenance staff will maintain the new system. The barrels will be maintained and checked regularly, operated weekly for watering. Each barrel is now strapped to the main building itself for safety. The garden in the back east side of the property is now in the process of flourishing because it consists of drought tolerant plants water is delivered through the drip irrigation system. It also is compacted with mulch to seal the nutrients within the soil, and prevents some of the weed growth.
T The national and global link to my project would be that the idea of a sustainable, water conservative garden is impacted within the community and will hopefully spread awareness to the issue that water needs to be conserved and that we are in fact able to help out in small ways to make a difference. The idea of the drip irrigation landscaping will also inspire others to do the same in their own communities or homes.
A Guide Along the Way:
Some obstacles that came up included the location of my project changing, and working with changing those plans to another area. I reevaluated what I was planning and moved around a couple aspects of my project, such as one barrel to the complete opposite to the location of the water conservative landscape on the north east side of the property. Also, I was asked to also replant the planter boxes located in shade which I was told was never successful. In response to this, II made a new plan, similar to the one before and also looked into plants that flourished in the shade.
I thought to make a website so that my project could be shared through many different types of media. It’s a website blog in a way that I share the journey of my gold award process and why I was inspired to do that. I added photos of the site, before and after, the plants I used and overall images of what the project was.
I learned many different ways to save water and to reuse water in my local community. Also, by talking to many different experts in plants, sustainable landscaping, and environmental engineering, I learned so much about water and they all taught me ways that I am able to make a difference in my local community.
As for myself, I learned how to budget, plan, and take action for a cause that I am passionate about which is water conservation and reusing, while also managing my time too. Because of this project, I have discovered my passion for taking care of the environment and that if I have a passion for anything, I can make a difference one way or another. Also, I practiced skills such as communication with organizations and professionals in different parts of my project which allowed me to expand my resources. By making an impact within my community, I believe that as a leader, I am able to use my various skills in which I apply them to make a change.
I am the most proud of the landscape because it consists of so much in one area. It includes one of the rain barrels which is connected by the rain gutters and on the bottom the drip system that is lined along the length of the plants. Each of the plants in between the ficus trees already there are drought tolerant because I wanted them to be sustainable, and use less water. From the long line connected to the barrel, each plant has a smaller line connected that is directly feeding it water produced by water dripping from the barrel flow as needed. In addition I added mulch on top of the soil to cover the line and to also compact all the nutrients in the soil to help the growth of the plants.
