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Elaine Sibert, CEO of Rain Systems, thinks it’s doable and could make a huge difference for all of us.
“The savings that accrue with all these different large areas of grass will lead to astronomical variations in the amount of water used,” she said.
Rain Systems is a local company that provides customers like Cal State Northridge with a 50-70% reduction in water requirements for spaces treated with their patented technology. Grasslands remain green through our harsh summers. Austin Eriksson, director of energy and sustainability at CSUN, has noticed the savings and efficiency of rain systems since 2015.
“It’s pretty green. It looks really good and if you walk around the grounds and look at the places where we put it, you’ll notice they’re greener than other places and that’s simply because the water is trapped in it.” roots,” says Ericksson.
“I’m just obsessed with using it on the pitch,” says James Sibert of Rain Systems. Sibert’s “obsession” looks like a lawn mower, but uses 3-4,000-pound water pressure to create a tiny hole in the ground and, almost simultaneously, blow a polymer into the same a hole.
This is done through the use of hydrogels – polymers that have been around for nearly 50 years that can hold large amounts of water and are commonly used in medicine and everyday household products.
“Once they are in the ground and hydrated, they become hydrogels,” explains Elaine Sibert.
The polymer can hold up to 200 times its weight in water, is 100% biodegradable and can last for 3-5 years, allowing grass roots to be slowly absorbed, rather than lost through evaporation or sink too far. below the surface.
“All the cemeteries in the world should use it. All the football fields in the world should use it. Every park in the world should use it. And most owners should use it,” James added. CSUN is removing 900,000 square feet of grass and replacing it with drought tolerant landscaping in an effort to be more water efficient. But college campuses are just like other large spaces that require grass, and Rain Systems provides a way to preserve them while keeping those spaces beautiful.
“It allows us to turn some of our grass green, especially in the extreme drought conditions we’re currently experiencing… hydrogels along with a host of other strategies have helped us reduce weeds. Today, the amount of water is 31% less than Eriksson says.