Rain Barrels

As a fundraiser to help subsidize some of the costs of our placements this September, INDEVOURS (my fellow 4^th year International Development students and I) are selling rain barrels. You can check out this fundraiser and take part of it at http://indevours.wordpress.com/events/rain-barrel-fundraiser/ and www.rainbarrel.ca/indevours (Feel free to check out the whole website to learn more about us as well!). So I thought I’d share some of the benefits of rain barrels, and how they are so effective (especially in cities)!

A rain barrel does exactly what the name says… it collects rain. You can use that rain for watering your plants, doing your laundry, doing your dishes, washing your car, or anything else that you’d use unfiltered water for! The first benefit for homeowners is saving on your water bill. In the summer, 40% of residential water is used for lawns and gardens, which is a lot on your monthly water bill. Rain barrels can save 1300 gallons of water per household during the summer alone, which saves you money! Another benefit is healthier plants and soil. Tap water has chlorine and fluoride in it, which isn’t good for the soil or it’s microorganisms. They also reduce runoff (aka rain water that isn’t absorbed into soil), which is especially important in urban areas where the majority of the ground is paved and rain water is forced to runoff into rivers, streams or storm drains. This reduces flooding, and also means less water needs to be drawn from other sources. In other words, rain barrels are a quick and easy way to save money and the environment. And just think of the possibilities it has as a tool for development! Rain barrels would allow slum dwellers and even rural farmers to start small gardens, reduce their utilities expenses, have cleaner water (which could be boiled or filtered for drinking), and become more self-sustaining!

So what’s your opinion on rain barrels? What other benefits can you think of?