Going native with plants: A new-old direction for water conservation

"This is a 21st-century version of the Victory Gardens promoted during the Second World War," Ms. Hinkle says. "Water is the 21st-century commodity that will most impact hunger, health, and human life on the planet, and this is part of the solution."

Rain gardens are becoming a popular method for controlling storm water in the states of Oregon, Michigan, and Minnesota. But no other city has embraced the idea of getting its citizens involved in building 10,000 rain gardens, Hinkle says.

The campaign was em­­braced by residents in early 2006. "Mayor Kay Barnes really understood the issue and engaged the public to help relieve pressure on aging storm-water systems by capturing raindrops where they fall naturally," Hinkle adds.

Corporations, as well as individuals, are participating in the project. The Kansas City Art Institute, in partnership with the Brush Creek Community, is building a rain garden designed by its students. And Hallmark Cards is also planning a large rain garden at its headquarters in the city.

Nearly 200 individual rain gardens have been registered on the project's website, and one of those is in Hinkle's yard. She says that her basement flooded during heavy rains before she installed her rain garden. During a recent storm, she was pleased to see that the basement remained dry. "I'm pretty excited about what I've done in my own backyard," she says.

Landscaping that needs little water

While native plants help Kansas City residents deal with too much water, native species in New Mexico help conserve it. Intel, one of the world's largest makers of semiconductor chips, invested $1 million to add drought-tolerant plants to 50 acres at its Rio Rancho facility.

By xeriscaping the entire east slope of the factory grounds with more than 2,000 native trees and shrubs, Intel significantly reduced its need for irrigation water. Because the landscaping project includes a path almost a mile long that connects the Rio Rancho, Corrales, and Skyview communities, the residents of those neighborhoods provided input into the design.

"Part of being a good corporate citizen is looking for opportunities to improve water efficiency in every aspect of our operations, from making the ultrapure water for the manufacturing process to using water in the landscape," says Dave Stangis, director of corporate relations.

In addition to the xeriscape project, Intel is improving its water efficiency by redu­cing the amount of water used during production and by reusing and recycling that water.

"Intel invested $20 million to make the process of turning tap water into ultrapure water more efficient," says Mr. Stangis. He adds that the company has saved 3 billion gallons of water over the past eight years by reusing and recycling the ultrapure water instead of using fresh water for its operations.

Young environmentalists

Meanwhile, at the High­lands Center for Natural History in Prescott, Ariz., native plants are helping to educate the next generation of scientists, conservationists, and architects. The center (www.highlandscenter.org) is committed to helping children and adults become wise caretakers of the land.

Conservation concepts are woven into every program at the Lynx Creek Site, an 80-acre classroom without walls that it operates in the Prescott National Forest. Executive director Nichole Trushell has modeled the center's learning philosophy on her own experience. She says roaming in the woods inspired her to become a botanist.

In addition to the outdoor experiential learning, the campus itself is a model for ecofriendly green building concepts and conservation. A new learning center generates the electricity it needs by using solar panels and a battery backup system. The center's butterfly roof has its low point in the center to direct rainwater at two points toward native plantings.

A maintenance building sheds rainwater into collection tanks, which is then used to enhance constructed wetlands that treat the center's waste water.

In the future, the center will plant an arboretum to showcase the native plants it offers during its biannual public plant sales. The arboretum will also serve as a living demonstration of how native plants help conserve water in the landscape.

Whether saving irrigation water, improving water quality, or teaching lessons in conservation, native plants are doing their part to help the environment, just as nature originally intended.

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