Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Rice U Holistic Garden Sees Sustainability Upgrades

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/05/21

At Rice University in Houston, Texas, the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden recently received a solar upgrade and other improvements courtesy of the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. The club awarded the university a $77,000 grant to add an on-site solar array, a greenhouse, rainwater harvesting systems, and composting capabilities, as well as a butterfly garden, an apiary (beekeeping facility), and a chicken house project.

“Improvements supported by the gift from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club have made the garden a leading example of sustainability and will benefit diverse communities at the University and in the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Rice University’s dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, Thomas Killian. “This reinforces our commitment to strengthening connections with the environment and the broader community.”

The garden was built in 2018 and covers 2.5 acres. It falls under the umbrella of the Biosciences Department, and its original purpose was to teach and promote gardening techniques. It’s open to Rice students and members of the larger Houston community—anyone with an interest in horticulture and improving their gardening technique. Workshops on how to organically produce vegetables, fruits, and herbs lead up to a twice-annual vegetable and herb plant sale.

The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, established in 2002, serves as the sustainability initiative for electricity provider Green Mountain Energy. Its goal is to promote energy efficiency and sustainability, as well as resource conservation and environmental stewardship, through grants and nonprofit partnerships.

“By supporting Rice University’s sustainability efforts, Green Mountain Energy is helping scale the use of renewable energy while supporting a teaching garden that is improving our city and our lives,” said Mark Parsons, Green Mountain Energy’s vice president and general manager.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • Carnegie Mellon University Receives $3B Gift to Launch New Campus

    Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently announced that it has received $3 billion—the largest individual gift in higher education history—from Citadel CEO and founder Ken Griffin, according to a news release.

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.