Green Choices Wednesday

Save water by using rain barrels!

We currently have one rain barrel (not the model pictured) that we purchased a few years ago.  Until now, I hadn't reinstalled it since we recently moved.  I'm currently installing it on the eavestrough downspout at the back corner of my garage. 

After that, I plan to install additional rainbarrels on the other downspots and eventually capture rain runoff from the entire house and garage roofs.

Benefits of rainwater collection:

• Saves water- Reduces your water bill and reduces the treatment and pumping volume at your local water utility, saving energy and resources.  On average, about 40% of municipal water usage is for watering lawns and gardens!
• Reduces stormwater runoff into drainage systems.
• Great for your plants - Natural, untreated water!

Some "green" homeowners are installing cisterns to capture and reuse their rainwater runoff.  These are great systems, and have the advantage of much greater storage capacity, but are more expensive to install than the simple rain barrel.

Think Green and Live Green!