Sustainable water usage

When the option for an activist project was initially mentioned, the first thought I had was of the awful sprinklers that seem to be watering everywhere, all the time. I felt this would be an opportunity to bring justice to this situation, an element of sustainability I have been thinking about over the course of this class. I started with high hopes to fix the complete sprinkler system but did not quite realize that I had no plan of action.
After meeting with Dr. Van Horn, he gave me the name and number of the school landscape manager, Mr. Bessent. I set up a meeting with him and we were able to talk for a long time.
As my Dad would say, "get to know your enemy before you attack". This is not a war of any sort, but I did realize that before I make any outward claims or accusations, I must first educate myself on what it is I am really dealing with. This will strengthen my understanding and give me more options for my plan of action. Here are some things I learned: the sprinkler system is computerized, it comes on nightly, but it is sensitive to weather so it will not run if it is/has recently rained. If there is a sprinkler that I see shooting off onto something that won't benefit from the water, I should turn in a work order for that sprinkler head.
More interesting than sprinkler facts, I learned about the hierarchy within this educational institution. It is desirous for the landscaping to look "institutional" so they plant green foliage that will achieve this, but is not necessarily the best choice of plant for our climate region, weather or soil. There are so many beautiful Texas plants that could be planted around Southwestern, but instead, "they" have chose Asian Jasmine.
Mr. Bessent did say however that there was potential for more native plant beds around campus, one of which I see between the DLC and Lord Center. I plan to continue dialouge throughout next semester and beyond to show that Southwestern students care how their tuition money is being allocated. Sustainable (and consequentially efficient) methods should be most practiced. This project has helped me learn and exercise two parts of sustainability that I believe are crucial: education of the subject and a call for justice. I am excited to learn more about the system and see the different ways that a student voice can make a difference.