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' ~ 111... Continued from page 2 %~ ~''L ~~ ~ ~`° r <- ~=-~ _ ~ ~ ~~ ,,~, ~>, _ - ~ -~' 'Take Back the Tap; part of the Waterosity art exhibit, illustrates the water-and plastic packaging-consumed by $ve families in a year. Inside, there is information on the energy and resources that go into producing throwaway bottles. because of the goods we import? You can explore those issues and more at the summer-long-June 6 to Oct. 4- Waterosity event. It fuses the visions of artists, horticuIturalists and scientists to explore the connection of water to every aspect of life and to encourage citizens to make their homes more water-efficient. Waterosity offers tools and solutions to combat the water related problems we face, and works of art that will inspire us to want to conserve water. "We can show the hest practices to homeowners so they can make changes," said Jamie Spanks, the Arboretum's grants and research officer. The "Harvest Your Rain" demonstra- tion area shows visitors how to conserve water at home through the use of rain gardens, rain barrels and green roofs. The green roofs-roofs that use plants and a layer of soil instead of shingles and tar-were planted atop Arboretum picnic shelters and are designed to absorb and slowly use rain water that, otherwise, would run off the roof and carry pollut- ants to surface waters. Once the plants on the roof take root, they require minimal upkeep and can withstand the cold Minnesota winters according to Spanks. Because the soil used on the green roofs is lighter than traditional topsoil, the roofs require little structural reinforcement. Arboretum guests can visit the "Cutting Edge on Lawns" demonstration area to compare grasses that are alterna- tives to the Kentucky bluegrass most commonly used in lawns. While some of the grasses are com- parable to the Kentucky bluegrass in the amount of care they need others require minimal upkeep. The No Mow Mix grows so slowly that, on average, it needs only one mowing per year and it requires ahalf-inch or less of water per week. Using the alternatives to Kentucky bluegrass could cut water used on Lawns each year by 1,500 gallons per home. Guests can also learn the benefits of drip irrigation systems, rain sensors and sprinkling system controllers to monitor watering. These devices can reduce water usage up to 50 percent and make water- ing more efficient. Waterosity also features juried art installations in the exhibit that work with the models to demonstrate the press- ing need to conserve water. The Global i ~'~ ~--_ /_ J~ ~ ~~~~ ~ Y ~/A~t:~~SIT~ go green with a splash Spydrology display uses steel columns to make 3-D bar graphs of water con- sumption throughout the world. On each column is the name of a country and sta- tistics on its yearly water consumption. Daily water use for one person each day in the United States from internal water sources averages 1,158 gallons for home, industrial and agricultural needs. In comparison, Brazil uses 230 gallons of internal water per person each day, and India uses 423 gallons per person daily. The "Go Green with a Splash Party" will provide information and solutions to gardening and water conservation prob- lems, as well as art displays, theater and jazz performances and family-friendly activities. The event will be open from Il a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The weekend party will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday with a class called "Money-Saving Solutions for Your Landscape Irrigation System." The class, which has an admission fee of $20 for Arboretum members and residents of Chanhassen and $30 for others, will focus on coordinating soil, plants and the environment to ease water demands. Winning entries from the Freshwater Society's 2009 Water is Life high school art contest will be displayed at the event. The Arboretum also is hosting hands- an art workshops from noon to 2 p.m. on both July 11 and 12, presented by the Minnetonka Center for the Arts; presen- tations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day of "Are You Thirsty," an exploration of water issues by the In the Heart of the Beast Mask anal Puppet Theatre; and a jazz concert at noon on Saturday. The summer-long Waterosity exhibit is sponsored by Freshwater Society, Xcel Energy, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Galleria, C.H. Robinson Woxld- wide, Aveda, Tennant, Toro, Great River Energy, Allied Waste, University of Min- nesota Extension, Irrigation Consultants & Control, Minnesota Valley Electric, KARE Il and Comcast. For more information on the weekend event and directions to the Arboretum, go to www.arboretum.umn.edu. lr~> FACETS June 2009