Green Tip Tuesday: Rain Barrels Help the Environment

Did you know that there’s a way to save on water for your garden and provide your plants with water they will love?

While it hasn’t been raining frequently lately, the brief, intense rain storms we’ve had this summer could have provided water for your yard or garden.

Unlike treated water, which is “softened” with dissolved minerals, rain water is naturally soft. The water stored in your rain barrel is better than municipal water for washing your car and watering indoor or outdoor plants.

If you had one of these barrels converted to a rain barrel, it would capture the rainwater, and with the attached spigot, it would allow you to water your garden as needed and save money on your municipal water bill!

It also prevents the water from running into the local streams and instead absorb slowly into the ground replenishing the groundwater supplies and protecting our local, Chesapeake Bay watershed!

The rain barrels and conversion kits that were donated by Coca Cola Bottling Company have been claimed. Want to learn to make your own? Click here.

They work as-is once the conversion kit is installed and, for the artistically inclined, you, or someone, could paint it like those you see below! Who wouldn’t want such a beautiful and eco-friendly statement piece in their yard?

Contact Rob Johnson (rojohnson@nvcc.edu) or Cheryl Robinette (crobinette@nvcc.edu) for more details and to coordinate pickup.

Submitted by:
Rob Johnson, director of auxiliary services and sustainability, ROJohnson@nvcc.edu