The Religion and Environment Initiative (REI) and Green Campus Initiative (GCI) Propose

Student Government New Initiatives Fund Application

I. Basic Data Submission Date: March 1, 2007 Project Name: “Sustainable Native Plant Garden” One Line Description: Professionally-designed native plant garden and website Proposed Location: Southwest corner of 58th and Woodlawn Primary Student(s)/Group(s) Proposing: Green Campus Initiative, represented by Alison Nemirow; The Religion and Environment Initiative (REI), represented by Esther Bowen. Student ID#(s): Alison Nemirow, 355191; Esther Bowen, 360396 Phone: Alison Nemirow, (303) 378-4291 Address: University of Chicago Environmental Center, Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Ave., Room 002A, Chicago, IL, 60637 E-mail: Alison Nemirow, [email protected] Supporting Student(s)/Group(s) Proposing: Green Awareness in Action (GAIA); Laura Fuchs, chair Student ID: 354788 Phone: 773-834-6434 Address: University of Chicago Environmental Center, Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Ave., Room 002A, Chicago, IL, 60637 Email: [email protected]

II. Prospectus 1. An abstract, of not more than 100 words, that describes the proposal. Green Campus Initiative (GCI) and The Religion and Environment Initiative (REI) propose creating a showcase native plants garden at the corner of 58th and Woodlawn, as well as an online guide to our garden and Hyde Park’s other natural areas. The garden will be professionally landscaped and include a bench and interpretive sign. Our project will enhance student life by creating a campus sanctuary and opportunities for students to volunteer in and explore Hyde Park. The garden will also improve community relations by providing seeds and volunteers for other local gardens. In addition, the garden will promote awareness about the benefits and beauty of environmentally-sensitive landscaping on campus. In order to implement this project, we request $18,276.69

2. A detailed narrative describing what the proposal is, why you are proposing it, and the reason why it should be funded Green Campus Initiative (GCI) and The Religion and Environment Initiative (REI) currently maintain a small plot of native plants under the trees between the Oriental Institute and Rockefeller Chapel at 58th and Woodlawn (See Fig. 1). The current plot allows interested students and faculty members to garden, but otherwise it attracts little

1 attention. We propose creating a showcase garden that not only provides volunteer opportunities, but also educates the community about native plants and, we hope, promotes sustainable landscaping on campus. In addition, we hope the garden and accompanying website will encourage members of the University community to volunteer in local community and school gardens and explore Hyde Park’s other natural areas. We are currently negotiating the precise extent and location of the site with Richard Bumstead, the University Planner who directs landscaping, but he has already agreed to let us expand the existing garden by at least several hundred square feet. While we have already secured some funding for the project, we will need Student Government’s assistance to fully implement our plans. Moreover, the project presents an opportunity for Student Government to enhance student life and promote sustainability at the University. Raising awareness about sustainable landscaping and Illinois’ native plants is one of our primary goals. We aim to create a garden that will demonstrate the practicality and beauty of including native plants as part of the campus landscape. Native species can absorb downpours, survive droughts, fend off pests without pesticides, and flourish without mowing, irrigation or chemical fertilizers. Indigenous plants also promote biodiversity by providing habitat for native wildlife, including songbirds and butterflies. And because native plants require so little irrigation and chemical input, they are much cheaper to maintain than conventional Fig. 1: Potential Sites for landscaping like turf grass. Expanded Native Plants Garden In order to foster a more sustainable Footpath landscaping policy at the University, we need to create a showcase garden that will educate and Potential sites persuade the community of the beauty and Current garden importance of environmentally-friendly landscaping. Therefore, we propose hiring a professional landscape architect to design the garden. We intend to hire a landscaper with particular expertise in native plants, such as Applied Ecological Services, a consulting and landscaping firm that specializes in designing gardens using species indigenous to the Midwest. The landscape architect would work closely with Richard Bumstead, the University Planner, and his staff to ensure that the garden complements the University’s existing landscaping. We intend to further raise awareness about the advantages of native plants by installing an interpretive sign in the garden. The sign will provide information about the species in the garden and their environmental benefits. Nameplate and Panel Technology, our proposed vendor, makes professional-looking signs that are weatherproof and impossible to steal. We also propose creating an educational website to guide students, faculty, administration and visitors through our garden and Hyde Park’s other natural areas. The site would include an interactive map of natural areas in Hyde Park, as well as sub-pages with photos of and details about each site. We plan to feature parks and garden on

2 campus and throughout the community, including our garden, the University of Chicago Botanic Garden, Jackson Park, Washington Park, Nichols Park, and various community gardens. In addition to educating the community, our professionally landscaped garden would improve campus life by providing a lovely natural area on the heart of campus. In order to entice students, faculty and visitors to spend time in our garden, we propose installing a fixed bench. Our website will further enhance student life by encouraging students to explore and enjoy Hyde Park’s other natural areas as well as our garden. Students will also benefit from the many volunteer opportunities the garden will provide. Currently, GCI and REI are regularly approached by more volunteers than the existing garden’s upkeep requires. A larger, more complex garden would provide more opportunities for those volunteers to get involved. We plan to create additional volunteer opportunities by collaborating with local school and community gardens. In order to connect with school gardens, we plan to work with Green Awareness in Action (GAIA), a registered student organization that provides environmental education at local schools. Several of the schools that GAIA works with are interested in planting their own gardens. Our volunteers would provide assistance to these schools, as well as seeds from the plants in our garden. We also hope to spread our seeds and volunteers around other community gardens in Hyde Park, potentially with the assistance of the University Community Service Center (UCSC). Our volunteers will need tools and planting guides to successfully maintain the garden and assist in school gardens. Therefore, we propose purchasing gloves, shovels, trowels, and several books about gardening with Illinois’s native plants. Currently, GCI and REI borrow shovels and other tools from Facilities Services. Owning tools will give us greater flexibility to schedule workdays, and the books will help us care for the garden and research the text for our interpretive sign and informational website. Only one of the books we are requesting is available in the University libraries. By supporting our project, Student Government would highlight its commitment to improving student life and education, strengthening relations with the surrounding community, and protecting the local environment. As described above, our native plants project will improve student life, encourage contact with the community, and educate the entire University community about the benefits of landscaping with native species. Moreover, by funding our proposal, SG has the chance to plant a seed of sustainability at the University that we hope will blossom into institutional commitment.

3 3. As complete and accurate an itemized budget as possible Total Request: $18,276.69 Garden: $12,176.69 $2,800: Landscape architect  $2,000: “Planting plan” that specifies species and sizes; includes one site visit and meeting with GCI, REI and University planners  $800: Travel time (to and from Wisconsin, 6 hours) and meeting time (2 hours) for landscape architect to present proposal to GCI, REI and University planners. Landscape architect charges $100/hour.  Unofficial quote from Applied Ecological Services, a Wisconsin landscaping and environmental consulting firm that specializes in native plants; on contract with Chicago Park District

$7,333: Plants  Estimated for 2,500 square foot site; we will know precise size of site by mid- March  Rule of thumb: 2.25 plants per square foot, or 1,111 plants on 2,500 square feet; Each plant estimated to cost $7.50, for a total of $8,333  $1,000 of total plant cost will be paid by grant money from Chicago Department of Environment  Estimated with assistance of Bob Porter, landscape architect at the City of Chicago’s North Park Nature Center.

$850: Interpretive sign  36 by 18 inch outdoor sign made of photosensitive aluminum. Black/silver or gold/black. Estimated lifetime 30 years. Includes line drawings and photos.  Estimate from Nameplate and Panel Technology; makes signs for botanical gardens and aboreta; recommended by manager of the Chicago Department of Environment’s Greencorps.

$1,000: Fixed outdoor bench  $800: bench  $200: labor to install bench  Unofficial cost estimate from asst. to Richard Bumstead, University Planner

$107.89: Gardening equipment  $20.98: 12 pairs Ace canvas gloves  $45.98: 2 Ames Kodiak Round Point Shovels (1309600)  $40.93: 12 heavy duty oak handled trowels (Gt0130)  Gardening equipment will be stored in the U of C Environmental Center  Official prices from Ace Hardware web site as of 2/22/07  Tools will be stored in U of C Environmental Center.

$85.80: Books on gardening and prairie plants  $29.95, Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes by Sally Wasowski (Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2002)

4  $28.95: Prairie: A Natural History by Candace Savage (Greystone Books, 2006 reprint)  $16.95: The Prairie Garden: Seventy Native Plants You Can Grow in Town or Country by J. Robert Smith and Beatrice S. Smith (Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1980)  $9.95: Prairie in Your Pocket: A Guide to Plants of the Tallgrass Prairie by Mark Muller (Univ. of Iowa Press, 2000)  Official prices from publishers' web sites as of 2/22/07  Books will be stored in the library in the U of C Environmental Center’s library  Only one of these books is available in U of C libraries (Prairie by Savage)

Web site: $6,100 $6,100: Web site design for "Natural Areas and Gardens of Hyde Park" web site  $61/hour for NSIT web designers for approx. 100 hours  $75/hour for freelance web designer for approx. 100 hours (for comparison only)  Unofficial cost estimate from NSIT web design supervisor  Site would include clickable map of natural areas in Hyde Park, as well as sub-pages giving photos of and details about each site  Site would include both University and community sites (e.g., U of C Botanic Garden; Native Plant Garden at Rockefeller; Jackson Park; Washington Park; Nichols Park; lakefront path and the Point; Winter Garden/Midway; community gardens at 61st & Blackstone, 64th & Kimbark, 49th & Kenwood [World Kitchen Garden])

4. A description of all known and possible sources of funding The Chicago Department of Environment has already agreed to provide $500 worth of materials through their Chicago Conservation Corps program. We are also expecting an unconfirmed additional $500 worth of materials from the Department’s Greencorps Chicago program. We plan to purchase the bulk of the plants we need through the Department of Environment, since the Department has established relationships with appropriate vendors. We are also applying for funding from the Women’s Board; however, any funding we receive from that source will not be available until mid-January 2008.

5. A description of all logistical and organizational needs for the proposal to be executed, capabilities existing, and a plan to overcome the difference. GCI and REI already have the experience and the plans we need to execute our project; we simply require additional funding in order to make our garden an exceptionally beautiful and educational place. Implementing the project will require the following steps: securing the land and supplementary soil; hiring a professional landscape architect and working with him or her to design the garden; planting and maintaining the garden; creating the accompanying website; and collaborating with Hyde Park’s community and school gardens with GAIA’s assistance. These steps, as well as our capabilities and plans, are described in detail below. To create the garden, we first need to secure an agreement from Richard Bumstead, the University Planner who directs landscaping, allowing us to use the land. We have collaborated successfully with Mr. Bumstead in the past, and he has already

5 agreed to let us use additional space on the corner of 58th and Woodlawn. Mr. Bumstead has also agreed to donate soil to supplement the ground (one of the biggest expenses of a large gardening project). We are currently negotiating the exact location and extent of the space. We hope to come to a decision at a meeting at the beginning of March, which will include representatives from GCI and REI, several faculty members, Mr. Bumstead, the University Registrar, and the Dean of Rockefeller Chapel. After the space is defined, the next step will be to hire a professional landscape architect. We have already done some research, and Applied Ecological Services has given us a preliminary quote. We plan to work with the professional landscaper and Mr. Bumstead’s staff to ensure that the garden complements the campus’s existing landscaping and fulfills our goals. Therefore, we hope to pay for the landscape architect to make two visits to campus, one to inspect the site, and the second to present a proposal to GCI, REI and the University planners. We will also need to purchase a bench, and design and order the interpretive sign. As described in our budget above, we have already identified a potential vendor for the sign. We plan to work with Facilities to order the bench through their vendors. GCI and REI will provide the pictures and text to the sign-making company, and work with the company to design the sign. Once the garden’s design is complete and the ground thaws in the spring, we will order plants through Greencorps Chicago’s vendors and get to work. GCI and REI already have an extensive network of volunteers, and we will try to recruit others by advertising around campus. Planting the garden should only take a few days. After the initial planting is completed, volunteers will maintain the garden with a few hours of work a month. GCI and REI have maintained the current garden for the past several years without a problem; many members of the University community are eager to have a chance to garden. We may occasionally need to buy a few additional plants, but in general maintenance will be extremely low cost. As the plan for the garden progresses and after the garden is planted, GCI and REI will work on creating a website to advertise our efforts and guide visitors through the garden and Hyde Park’s other natural spaces. In order to make the website as professional as possible, we plan to hire NSIT’s website design service. The website will be linked to http://environment.uchicago.edu, the current hub for University environmental groups’ web pages. We hope to further advertise the website by linking it with Mr. Bumstead’s efforts to promote the rest of the University’s landscape. Finally, GCI and REI will work with Green Awareness in Action (GAIA) to incorporate native plants gardening into the environmental curriculum they already teach at local schools. At least one of their schools, Kenwood Academy, is already planning to create a garden, and others have expressed interest. We plan to provide volunteers and seeds from our plants to these schools, and to other community gardens in Hyde Park that express interest.

6. An additional 250-word description of your target audience, means of advertisement, the uniqueness of your idea and how it will enhance student life Students walk across the corner of 58th and Woodlawn everyday on their way to Ida Noyes, the School of Business and Rockefeller Chapel. Imagine if instead of walking through a mostly empty lot, students could enjoy a relaxing, educational and interactive garden. Indeed, our project is unique in its visibility, beauty, and the opportunities for

6 participation it provides for the entire University community. Currently, the University landscaping offers places for students to play Frisbee or chat, but there are no educational or interactive gardens. The corner at 58th and Woodlawn is one of the only undeveloped green spaces near the center of campus available for such a purpose. As students, faculty and visitors pass by our garden, they will learn about Illinois’ native prairie plants from our educational signs, or stop and watch the butterflies as they eat lunch on the new bench. Those who want to find out more about the garden and the Hyde Park’s historically important landscaping will be able to consult our website, which will also serve to advertise the garden. The gardening books in the Environmental Center’s library will allow University community members to learn even more about native plants, either for their own interest or as a starting point for further research. Students and faculty who want to get their hands dirty will be able to volunteer to plant and care for the garden, and to help community groups and neighborhood schools plant and maintain their own gardens. Student life will be greatly enhanced by this inviting and interactive project.