La Lumiere's Rain Garden Offers Insight into Ecoscaping

Paul Vicari discusses the ecoscaping near the Fine Arts Building and Main Office on La Lumiere’s campus.

La Lumiere students walk along green infrastructure, the newly installed rain gardens in front of the Fine Arts Building and Main Office, every day. This new landscaping serves the school multiple ways: it mitigates water runoff, it adds additional native plant species to the Main Quad, and creates a new space to gain first-hand knowledge of the landscape and all that impacts it. 

In September, Paul Vicari, the founder of Land Resource Management Group (LRMG) and an ecologist, spoke to one of Brett Balhoff’s Environmental Science classes about the benefits of adding the landscaping and how it will impact the campus for years to come. 

Mr. Balhoff, the Science Department Chair, routinely utilizes the La Lumiere campus for place-based learning lessons and now has an additional site on campus to use in future lessons. "The rain garden is just the latest exciting project in La Lu's continued commitment to improve our environmental footprint. Allowing students to observe a practical example of ecoscaping will help them understand the importance of 21st century solutions in everyday aspects of their lives, and hopefully inspire them to seek green solutions in other areas going forward."

La Lumiere’s natural environment is a key asset as an educational tool. The space allows for students to be immersed in the natural world and gain hands-on learning in a multitude of classes. Whether the students are learning the basics of photography, studying communities of insects, or discussing the impact of climate change, the environment at La Lumiere is a major component in making these lessons possible.