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Protecting the Environment with a Rain Barrel

Catching rainwater as it falls is an age old idea. The concept of a rain barrel and other types of rain catchers has been in use as long as agriculture... which is thousands of years. However, during the last decades, home owners have become more and more reliant on their citys water services. And collecting rainwater has taken a back seat.

Everyone with a budget and a desire to take care of the environment wants to save energy and reduce their water usage. But most households do not realize the benefits they could receive from using a rain barrel. A rain barrel is a large, specially made container that is designed to catch rainwater. These barrels are placed under your roofs drain downspout. When it rains, the rain that falls on your roof will go into the gutters, through its drain, and out its downspout. This allows you to collect large amounts of rain water as it falls.

Environmental Benefits of Using a Rain Barrel

Reduces storm water runoff. Did you know that, though rain is good for an ecosystem, it can be bad for the environment? When it rains, the water that falls travels through our cities and streets before ending up on streams and creeks. In this process, rainwater picks up toxins, such as pesticides, pet waste, oil, etc. If you collect some of that rainwater instead of allowing it to flow away, you can reduce the pollution of our rivers.

Less water use. Of course, the most significant effect of using a rain barrel is the reduced water usage. In the summer time, up to 40% of a households water usage goes to watering their garden and lawn. Because of this, there are yearly water shortages in many cities nationwide, with rationing programs and overuse fines. If you collect rainwater, however, you can both keep your grass and garden green, and free up more water for your community.

Energy efficiency. We hear more and more about how important it is to reduce our energy usage to protect the environment. But many of us do not consider the power usage implied by using municipal water. The water that comes from our homes pipes is water that is cleaned and pumped through long pipes to our homes. There are countless processes in water processing that use up energy and, unfortunately, harm the environment.

You can reduce your water usage by thousands of gallons and have plenty of water handy for plants and odd jobs simply by using a rain barrel. Pretty much the only thing you cannot do with collected rainwater is drink it. Other than that, using a rain barrel is perfect for cleaning your Camaro, watering your camillas... and protecting the Earth.

Renewable & Alternative Energy Resources: http://www.alternativeenergybase.com

Read on the topic of water conservation, visit www.rssmix.com/u/40743.

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