HighWire Quenches Tucson’s Thirsty Downtown
HighWire’s 1,600 gallon rainwater harvesting system. Rain is fed from the roof where it is stored in a air-tight reservoir as a downtown community resource.
Among Downtown Tucson’s enviable stock of historic buildings on Arizona Avenue between Congress and Broadway, you’ll find one of Tucson’s premier cocktail venues and an emerging sustainability powerhouse. HighWire opened in 2015 and has been on the cutting edge of cocktail creation with its focus on molecular mixology ever since. No stranger to quenching the thirst of others, HighWire owner Nick Wayne has something new up his sleeve. With the recent completion of a 1,600 gallon rainwater harvesting system, Wayne will be serving up rainwater on tap to vegetation in HighWire’s courtyard and public planters located throughout downtown.
Blending in - Courtyard vegetation at HighWire is kept thriving with captured rainwater.
Standing an impressive 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide, the rainwater harvesting system is fed from rain that falls on HighWire’s rooftop. The rainwater, which is far healthier for plants as it contains nitrates - an essential nutrient for plants to thrive - and doesn’t contain the hard minerals and salts found in our tap water, is fed to plants in Highwire’s courtyard and saved for others to benefit. This conserves dwindling Colorado River water and groundwater, and helps HighWire and other businesses to save on landscaping costs. Perhaps most important, HighWire’s rainwater harvesting system is a learning opportunity for others to witness a business-lead sustainability solution in action. “This all came about from participating in Local First Arizona’s SCALE UP and Green Leaders programs”, says Wayne. “We learned the importance of water conservation and were given resources to take action.”
Highwire’s molecular mixology on full display.
With an expansion on the horizon into the former Independent Distillery location across the courtyard, Nick Wayne is poised to keep the momentum going and be an example for how business can help Tucson become self-sustaining and resilient into the future as the impacts of extended drought and urban heat become more real for Tucsonians. “We are very happy to start making the shift towards green initiatives and making HighWire a leader in the downtown community.”
HighWire has since eliminated plastic cups and straws from their service, switching instead to compostable products when necessary. HighWire staff receive ‘Green Team’ training to build teamwork around sustainability practices like waste diversion. Wayne has had an energy audit and water audit performed, retrofitted lighting and water fixtures like sinks and toilets to use as little energy and water as possible while reducing costs. In an effort to catalyze local entrepreneurship, HighWire periodically hosts mini markets, providing space to small businesses to sell their goods and services.
