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NYC gives away barrels through a program run by DEP.  You can learn more about it here:  http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/stormwater/rainbarrel.shtml
Should you need further information: Contact your local elected official or Community Board to see if they have or are scheduling a rain barrel event this spring and summer. 

Find your officials here: http://www.mygovnyc.org/

And your Community Board here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/cb/cb.shtml

If you find there isn’t a giveaway in your neighbourhood, a fundraising sale could be held.  We’d be happy to hear from you or someone you know who might be interested in holding one there.

You can REFER A PARTNER or FUNDRAISE WITH US in USA or Canada by checking out our website.

 

We hear from people who use rain barrels who do so for many reasons:

• grow great flower gardens,
• reduce runoff that contaminates our water supplies,
• lower water bills,
• avoid flooding or seepage around home’s foundation,
• use water for outdoor cleaning projects

but today, we celebrate those who are practicing vegetarianism and growing GREAT vegetable gardens with the help of their rain barrels!

HAPPY WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY! Each year on October 1, we celebrate

There are many great reasons proponents recommend leading a life of vegetarianism or simply putting more vegetables in your life:

• cheaper than meat
• helps avoid cardiovascular disease
• helps manage weight
• builds strong bones
• reduces pollution
• helps ease some symptoms of body changes like menopause
• reduces number of animals killed for food
• boosts energy
• helps with regularity
• can increase the number of years you live

Have you gone veg? Considered it? Or are you adding more vegetables to your plate, thanks to this information and your rain barrel?

What’s growing in your garden? We’d love to hear about your veggies and recipes.

Stormwater management is critical in these days of unpredictable rain events. Municipalities are required to divert rainwater from sewer systems and rain barrels play an important role in this process. NYC distributes over 10,000 barrels each year through their rain barrel giveaway, enlisting the assistance of residents in managing up to 60 inches of water annually.

Our rain barrels are part of NYC’s stormwater management plan. Check us out on page 52: http://www.waterrf.org/resources/Lists/PublicSpecialReports/Attachments/18/NYC_Stormwater_screen.pdf

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS HERE AND LET YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES KNOW WE ARE READY TO HELP IN YOUR AREA IN CANADA OR USA TOO.

Since 2003, World Water Monitoring Day has increased public awareness of and participation in protecting water by looking at our waterways more closely. Test kits have been made available at http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/ and results are published on their website.

Celebrated on September 18, World Water Monitoring Day gives all of us an opportunity to participate and further the goals of the day. There are event resources, action plans and lesson guides to help you in this effort. Knowing the quality of your waterways is a first step in protecting and enhancing them.

Because rain barrels reduce run-off, they play an important role in reducing water pollution. The more rain barrels in your area, the better chance you have of helping your local waterways.

Join us in a rain barrel fundraiser to support your local non-profit! See RainBarrel.ca/Fundraise-with-us for more information

Re-purposed Rain Barrel Summer Project

Need a project this summer? How about if you purchase a rain barrel and make it more attractive with some PAINT or PLANTS. When it comes to at-home water conservation, nothing equals a rain barrel. Placed near a gutter or downspout, it collects precious rainwater that can be used to water your garden and indoor plants and even to fill your pool, lowering your monthly water bills.

There are numerous ways available for you to re-purpose your rain barrel:

Painting – a splash of paint goes a far way
Planting – growing vines around the barrel

Painting

Painting is not just for ornamental reasons, either– it’s a practical measure you can take to extend the life of your barrels. According to the University of Tennessee, a coat of paint can help protect your barrels from breaking down due to sun exposure.

In five steps or less, quickly update plastic surfaces to better reflect your personal style:

• Clean project surface.
• Lightly sand surface if previously painted.
• Remove dust with a tack cloth.
• Let plastic surface dry.
• Apply Krylon® Fusion for Plastic® spray paint according to the directions on the spray can label.

Planting – growing vines around the barrel

Add some wire mesh and a few vines to your barrel and make it blend into your garden this Summer.

You will need a mesh wire and about 6 to 8 plants.

Wrapping the wire around the barrels

• Simply roll the wire out and around the barrel until the ends meet. Bind them with stray bits of wire (paper clips will do) and gently push down until it is slightly set in the ground and stable.
• Don’t worry if your wire doesn’t come all the way to the top of the barrel. Eventually your plants will grow up along the upper edge and fill it out. Until then you can place potted plants with overhanging tendrils on top of the barrel to hide the wire at the top.
• Make sure you allow your spigot and other fixtures to peek out of the wire so they remain accessible.

Plant the Vines

• Plant your vines at the base of the mesh surrounded barrels. Get them as close to the wire as possible but be sure to space them away from each other according to the needs of the particular plant.
• Coax the plants into growing up the wire by guiding already formed vines into the wire and gently weaving them through. To prevent vines from developing sparse foliage low on the mesh but dense on top (as they tend to do), pinch back the terminal growth of the stems as they develop because this forces lower branching and more evenly distributed foliage on the wire.

Now let’s get started! Purchase your rain barrel  and decide on if you are going to paint or plant. You can even share your progress with us on Facebook Canada | USA  & or Twitter Canada | USA .

Enjoy !