A Living Laboratory
Explore sustainability practices in action through our interactive exhibits and demonstrations in the heart of Tucson. As the headquarters of WMG, the Living Lab also houses our staff working on programs that span Tucson, Mexico, and the Southwest. We are proud to “walk the talk” each day as the 2016 winner of Arizona's Greenest Workplace challenge. Come join us in drinking our rainwater, using the composting toilets, enjoying native gardens, and biking or busing to the Living Lab.
Visitors welcome!
Drop-ins welcome! Stop by the Living Lab Monday - Friday between 9:30am and 5pm. You can also sign up for an evening or weekend class or tour--or request a group tour.
Experience Hydro-Local Living
The Living Lab is a demonstration facility where you can see all of these sustainable desert living practices in action. Living hydro-local is stewarding and valuing local groundwater, surface water, and rainwater instead of depleting distant aquifers and rivers.
Active and Passive Rainwater Harvesting
For most of the year, we live on the rainwater that falls on our campus and that we store (active rainwater harvesting) in our 15,000 gallons of above and underground cisterns. The landscape of the Living Lab is full of passive rainwater harvesting basins that keep our diverse plants happy and healthy year round.
Greywater for Fruit Trees
The water from our washing machine, our kitchen and bathroom sinks, and our shower all flows out to our landscape. A lot of it is concentrated in our heaviest water use area where we are growing citrus and pomegranate trees.
Stormwater Harvesting
In front of the Living Lab along Dodge Boulevard, you'll see a series of basins that slow and infiltrate the water that flows down Dodge from Speedway Boulevard. Our velvet mesquites and ironwoods make use of that water and repay us in ample shade and edible beans.
Native Food Forests
Did you know that Pima County is home to over 500 species of edible native plants? Here at the Living Lab, we cultivate ironwood, mesquite, palo verde, justicia, prickly pear, chiltepin, barrel cactus, hackberry, and more! Come visit us to learn about native edible plants you could add to your yard or patio.
Composting Toilets & the Urigator
Urine is a magnificent fertilizer! Here at the Living Lab, our Urigator nourishes our citrus trees. And our composting toilets provide clean, hygienic sanitation without contaminating and flushing precious drinking water.
Tippy Taps
For outdoor handwashing, nothing beats a tippy tap! They're easy to construct and can wash up to thirty pairs of hands with only a gallon of water. You'll find several of them at the Living Lab when you visit.
Passive and Active Solar
Our energy needs are largely met through the solar panels on the roofs of our Adobe office building and our Learning Center. The Learning Center is built to take advantage of passive solar heating as well, made cozy by our southern winter sun--but shady and cool in the summer.
Sustainable Mobility
We have ample secure bike parking at the Living Lab, plus bike repair supplies should you need a little assist while you're here. The number 4 bus stops at the corner of Speedway and Dodge, just a moment's walk away from the Living Lab & Learning Center.
Take a Self-Guided Audio Tour of the Living Lab
Visiting the Living Lab? You can take a self-paced audio tour of the facility! In English y en español.
