{"id":102255,"date":"2023-08-24T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T06:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=102255"},"modified":"2023-08-24T09:59:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T14:59:06","slug":"102255","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/08\/24\/102255\/","title":{"rendered":"Med center heals local landscapes with NET Prairie Grant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 2020, the medical center was awarded more than $40,000 to convert grass into native prairie through the Nebraska Environmental Trust\u2019s Prairie Grant Program<\/a>. This program empowers organizations to conserve and restore natural environments in Nebraska. The med center used this grant to transform 1.65 acres on the Omaha campus into native prairie and to educate the community on the importance of native planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the project, 1.65 acres of land were simply unused grass. While requiring a large amount of water, energy and maintenance, grass also does not support ecosystems and drains nutrients from the soil. Native plants, in contrast, require almost no maintainance while providing several environmental benefits, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n