Volunteers hep install Braun Building Rain Garden

"Reciprocity—returning the gift—is not just good manners; it is how the biophysical world works. Balance in ecological systems arises from negative feedback loops, from cycles of giving and taking. Reciprocity among parts of the living Earth produces equilibrium, in which life as we know it can flourish....

How can we reciprocate the gifts of the Earth?

Ecological restoration is an act of reciprocity and the Earth asks us to turn our gifts to healing the damage we have done.... It is not just the land that is broken, but our relationship with land. We can be medicine for the Earth, partners in renewal." -- Robin Wall Kimmerer

On Friday, our project team and eight student volunteers continued work on the rain garden in 30 + degree weather. Many of these students also contributed to the design of the rain garden. It was hot and tiring, but we began to see the fruits of our labour as the transformation revealed.

Building the rain garden outside the Braun Building is an act of ecological restoration, an act of reciprocity, indeed, an act of sustainability. This couldn't have felt truer when part way through the planting, a monarch butterfly fluttered over in delight of the new nectar buffet.

Many thanks to all our volunteers for their contributions to this project! Today we work on the finishing touches of the rain garden.