Rainscaping is a combination of sustainable landscape design and management practices that prevents polluted runoff from reaching water bodies — directing stormwater to be absorbed by plants and soils.
The Purdue Rainscaping Education Program provides training and resources on rainscaping practices that can be installed in residential settings or small-scale public spaces projects.
The program provides advanced training in rain garden planning, installation, and maintenance for:
Participants are encouraged to attend as a community team to support implementation of public education programs and provide technical assistance to homeowners upon completion of the training.
Our program consists of five modules (three hours each) in a workshop setting. Program modules include:
Participants also gain hands-on experience by creating a demonstration rain garden project with community members in a public space.
To learn more, please visit the Rainscaping Education Program website or contact a member of the program team below.
John Orick, Purdue Master Gardener State Coordinator
orick@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Kara Salazar, AICP, PCED, LEED AP ND, Assistant Program Leader and Extension Specialist for Sustainable Communities
salazark@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
C. Eliana Brown, Extension Water Quality Specialist, MSEE LEED AP NGICP
brown12@illinois.edu
University of Illinois Extension, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Contact for University of Illinois Extension Rainscaping Education program
Curt Emanuel, Extension Educator, ANR, CD & CED
cemanuel@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Boone County
Laura Esman, Managing Director, Indiana Water Resources Research Center and Research Associate & Lab Manager, Natural Resources Social Science Lab
lesman@purdue.edu
Purdue University, Department of Forestry & Natural Resources
Jane Frankenberger, Professor and Extension Water Quality Engineer
frankenb@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Hans Schmitz, Extension Educator, ANR, CED
hschmitz@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Posey County
Nikky Witkowski, Extension Educator, ANR
nikky@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Porter County
Phillip Woolery, Extension Educator, ANR
pwoolery@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension, Pulaski and Starke Counties