Green Tip of the Day

Collecting rainwater for your garden is a smart idea, no matter what your motivation. Plants like rainwater, because it's naturally soft, and free of chlorine and other chemicals. If drought is a problem where you live, collecting rainwater is a good way to deal with watering restrictions. If you're on a city water system, you stand to save a considerable amount of money. It's surprising how much water you can collect every time it rains. Just a half inch of rain falling on a 1,000-square-foot roof will yield 300 gallons of water!

The rain barrel attaches to your gutter’s downspout enabling you to catch your roof’s rain water and store it for later. Then you can water your plants and gardens with your recycled water as needed. Rain barrels are great for the environment because they reduce water run-off. When it rains, in many cases, our roof water travels down our gutters and runs off of our lawns too fast , before it’s able to be absorbed. This problem get worse with urban sprawl. By capturing rain water and releasing it slowly, when the weather is dry, water is used and returned to the environment at the rate nature intended.