MAIL US :

1SMRTgarden@gmail.com

LOCATION :

USA

MAIL US :

1SMRTgarden@gmail.com

LOCATION :

USA

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About Us

About Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club

Rotary International is a large humanitarian organization. In 2020, Rotary added Environmental Protection to its Areas of  Focus and has been doing environmental projects of all sizes around the world ever since. Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club is a single focus club with environmental protection and sustainability at it’s core. Our mission is ‘to educate ourselves and our communities about environmental challenges and engage in implementing their solutions.’ We created the concept of the SMRT (Stormwater Makes Retained Treasure) Garden with the hope that others will copy our idea and create their own garden. Our first demonstration SMRT Garden is in San Dieguito County Park in San Diego where we were allowed to develop unused land at the bottom of a road and parking lot. We are grateful to the generosity of San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department and to the Kumeyaay people who stewarded this land long before. We acknowledge this garden is part of the traditional, unceded, ancestral territory of the Kumeyaay people. The Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club is committed to supporting and honoring the rights of Indigenous communities.

About Rotary International

Rotary International is a global network consisting of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers. The organization envisions a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. Rotary members share a responsibility to address the world’s most persistent issues through collective action. 

Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club 

Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club  is a Rotary Club focused exclusively on environmental protection and sustainability. The mission of the club is to educate both its members and the broader community about environmental challenges and to engage in implementing solutions to those challenges. 

The SMRT Garden Concept 

Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club  developed the concept of the SMRT (Stormwater Makes Retained Treasure) Garden, building upon similar successful projects from around the world. The hope is that others will be inspired to replicate this idea and establish their own unique SMRT Gardens. By fostering a ‘ripple effect’, we hope to create lasting solutions for environmental challenges facing our communities. 

Demonstration SMRT Garden in San Dieguito County Park 

The first demonstration SMRT Garden is located in San Dieguito County Park in San Diego. The project utilized previously unused land at the bottom of a road and parking lot. We are grateful for the generosity of the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department, the hard working volunteers who designed and created the garden, and to the Kumeyaay people who have stewarded this land for generations. We acknowledge that the garden is situated on the traditional, unceded, ancestral territory of the Kumeyaay people. Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club is committed to supporting and honoring the rights of Indigenous communities. 

WHAT IS A SMRT GARDEN AND WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?

SMRT (Stormwater Makes Retained Treasure) Gardens are innovative street-side and parking lot gardens designed to manage stormwater by channeling runoff from streets directly into bioswales. The plants within these gardens utilize the collected water to grow, while they simultaneously clean and replenish groundwater supplies. By integrating these gardens into urban landscapes, several environmental and community benefits are realized.

HOW DO SMRT GARDENS BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT?

  • Flood mitigation and prevention of erosion: As longer droughts and larger storms affect our cities, SMRT Gardens reduce the stress on our existing storm drain infrastructure. They direct rainwater off the pavement into gardens, slow the flow so that the water can be used efficiently for surrounding plants, then percolate into the ground, helping to recharge groundwater.
  • Cool Urban Spaces: SMRT Gardens help lower temperatures on streets, parking lots, and sidewalks, creating a cooler environment and reducing the urban heat island effect.
  • Wildlife Habitat: These gardens support native plants that can provide vital habitat for wildlife which in turn improves biodiversity in our community. Native pollinators are especially under threat from habitat loss, climate change and pollution. They are critical for our native ecosystems. SMRT Gardens provide food, shelter, and protection to native pollinators so they can thrive.
  • Pollution Reduction: By filtering stormwater through vegetation and soil (biofiltration), SMRT Gardens absorb pollutants that would end in our waterways, lakes and oceans. SMRT Garden plants can clean both water and air by a process called phytoremediation.   
  • Climate mitigation: SMRT Garden plants pull carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, out of the air and store carbon.

HOW DO SMRT GARDENS BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY?

  • Improved Quality of Life: The presence of green spaces has been linked to better mental and physical health, reduced crime and conflict, and enhanced concentration and academic performance among students.
  • Economic Value: Green spaces add economic value to communities and foster a sense of pride and cooperation among residents. Shoppers spend more time and money in areas near green infrastructure. Housing units rent for more money and houses sell higher near green areas.
  • Education: The intentional placement of educational signage within these gardens serve to inform the public about the consequences of pollution, climate change, and habitat degradation, while simultaneously fostering sustainability, resilience, and cohesive communities. SMRT Gardens can be outdoor classrooms and settings for citizen science projects.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE FOR A SMRT GARDEN?

SMRT Gardens are beneficial anywhere there is space by roads and parking lots. However, urban flood-prone regions are often concentrated in low-income districts. They are also the areas with the fewest green spaces and most pollution. SMRT Gardens have potential to benefit these areas the most. SMRT Gardens are relatively low cost and low maintenance and can be installed by members of the community. Modern city development and landscape codes frequently integrate bioswales into their plans, but many older neighborhoods rely on gray infrastructure like conventional storm drains that are increasingly unable to manage intensified rainfall. SMRT Gardens could fill the gap.