Posts tagged Water

In the past we have looked at conserving water as a way to care for God’s creation, today we look more specifically at using rain barrels to help with that task.

First off, what is a rain barrel? Simply put, a rain barrel is a container that is used to collect and store rainwater. These containers typically catch the water from a roof or gutters.

How does it work?

1. You connect the downspout of a gutter from your roof to the rain barrel which allows you to collect the water.
2. You wait.
3. One day it rains.
4. Your barrel fills up with water.
5. When you need the water (to irrigate your garden or otherwise) you fill up a bucket or attach a hose to the barrel’s spicket.
6. You use the water.
7. You smile because you are saving money and caring for creation.

Is it worthwhile? In some of our greatest storms I have put out buckets to collect rainwater only to be disappointed at the yield. So can a rain barrel really catch enough water to make it worth the effort? Well, because rain barrels are collecting the water from a much greater surface area (i.e. your roof) than the barrel itself, they are actually capable of collecting great amounts of water in short amounts of time. For they reason, they are effective in even the most arid environments.

Is it affordable? While purchasing a rain barrel such as the ones we sell on the Creation Hope Store is not cheap, there are other DIY alternatives. I got a 50 gallon drum for free on Freecycle which will be DIY’d into a rain barrel (note: a rain barrel is not currently an option for me, though you can see that I will be using one as soon as I can).

Where can I learn more? Try the following resources:

http://www.glgi.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rain_barrel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_tank

Also consider:

#15 Conserving Water

World Water Day

Green Living: a series in which we provide tips to help you implement practices, habits, and products into your life which respect and work towards the redemption of God’s creation.

This last week as I worked with children on creation care, we had them fill out and color a poster. In it there was a bubble that said “I will conserve….” Except for the boy that wrote down that he would conserve fire (awesome!), many of the kids quickly wrote down “water.” Makes sense, right? It is such a natural answer.
As the kids got to the point of writing in how they would do it, that is where they had more difficulty. You see, many of us know that we should conserve water (as clean water is one of our most precious resources), but outside of not being ridiculously wasteful (i.e. leaving a hose on all week) many of us struggle to understand how to put that into action.

So, here are 25 ideas as to how you can practically care for God’s creation in this way:

1. Take shorter showers
2. If you wait for the shower/ bath water to warm up before getting in, collect the cold water in a bucket and use it to water your lawn and garden
3. After cooking pasta or vegetables in a pot of water, dump that water in your garden (after it cools, of course)
4. Install a greywater system at your home or work
5. Install dual-flush toilets
6. When washing dishes by hand, fill the sink instead of letting the water run
7. Be sure your sprinklers are water your plants and not your sidewalk
8. Run your dishwater when full to maximize the water use
9. Using a kiddy pool this summer? Re-use the leftover water
10. Replace your shower head with an efficient one
11. Use a broom to clean off your driveway or patio instead of hosing it off
12. Install a rain barrel at your hose to catch the rain water
13. Fix any leaks around the house quickly
14. Use mulch around your garden to retain water (and prevent weeds)
15. Use a single glass for drinking water around the house over the course of the day in order to reduce the amount of dishes to be washed
16. Turn off your irrigation system manually or automatically (by installing a rain sensor) to avoid wasting water after it has already rained
17. Don’t use more water than needed for your laundry
18. Use local, drought-resistant plants to lower your water needs
19. Purchase appliances that use water efficiently
20. Use your sprinklers and water your plants during the cool hours of the morning to avoid losing water due to evaporationTurn off the water while you brush your teeth
21. Fill the sink with water when you shave to rinse the razor instead of running the faucet. Alternatively, grow a nice beard and don’t shave at all.
22. Use a nozzle when washing your car to avoid running the water while lathering your car up. Or take your car to a car wash that minimizes the amount of water used or recycles it.
23. Do not thaw meat by running water over it. Let it thaw in the refrigerator.
24. Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl rather than running the faucet continuously

Be sure to talk to your family, friends and co-workers about ways that they can conserve water as well. Remember, this is not something we do because it is popular or otherwise. We do it as a way to care for God’s creation and for our neighbor.

*Image used courtesy of Nikhil Verma

Also consider:

#13 Take a Hike

But it doesn’t end there