We want water to be used sustainably

Thursday 12-03-2015 - 16:39

With the support of the Water Conservation Trust, we're promoting sustainable use of water across our campuses.

There isn’t much that’s more important to a garden than water.

That’s why we’re really pleased to be able to announce that we’re receiving financial support from the Water Conservation Trust – helping Student Eats gardens across the UK to make better use of water.

The Water Conservation Trust promotes and develops the art of water conservation and environmental management. With special interest in education, they were pleased to support our projects, integrating sustainable food growing across campuses, curriculums and communities.
We’re making improvements in a range of ways.

At the University of Exeter, we’re creating a new rain harvesting system to irrigate their polytunnels and raised beds, while at the University of Cumbria, water butts will allow a halls of residence garden to be watered without resorting to using the kitchen.

But of course, water isn’t just about providing direct nourishment for plants. It’s about supporting the whole ecosystem; attracting wildlife which enriches the garden by promoting the broadest biodiversity possible.

So that’s why at the the University of Stoke-On-Trent, the funding isn’t supporting irrigation or watering systems, but instead installing a pond.
Making use of an area of the site which would otherwise be useless unless without massive draining efforts, the new pond will attract new wildlife, not to mention providing a new social area – a crucial part of any community garden.

Water conservation is a huge part of tackling the sustainability challenges we face, and Student Eats gardens are a brilliant place to start exploring these issues. In supporting everything from irrigation to biodiversity, we’re really grateful to the Water Conservation Trust for partnering with us to help more students grow their own food across the UK.

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