In cooperation with Duke Energy, FOLKS will conduct a rain barrel workshop at the Duke World of Energy on Saturday May 22, 2010 from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
In cooperation with Duke Energy, FOLKS will conduct a rain barrel workshop at the Duke World of Energy on Saturday May 22, 2010 from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Materials like cement, asphalt, roofing, and compacted soil prevent rainwater from percolating into the ground. The amount of impervious surface grows with increasing urbanization. A Rain Barrel is an ancient but simple technique that homeowners can use to intercept the rain from their roof and collect it for use during sunny weather.
Benefits of Rain Barrels include:
Conservation of tap water
Saving energy that would be spent purifying and transporting drinking-quality water just to pour on ornamental plants
Reducing your water bill
Helping to sustain adequate stream flow during dry spells through infiltration and re-charge.
Providing an emergency backup supply of water for toilet flushing in the event of a long term power interruptions, especially important for well supplied homes.
Did you know that just ¼ inch of rain on an average roof can fill a rain barrel? A good formula to remember: 1 inch of rain on a 1000 sq ft roof yields 623 gallons of water. Two or more rain barrels can be connected if desired.
While water collected in a rain barrel is not suitable for drinking purposes, and shouldn’t be used on plants that will be eaten, rain water is naturally soft and great for ornamental plants. During winter months, rain barrels should be disconnected and stored.
This is a rain barrel that collects rain water from the green roof installed on the FOLKS LID Dem-onstration Project.
At this workshop we will show you how to build a rain barrel and have available both ready-to-assemble and assembled rain barrels. This is a great way to learn about water conservation and to get your own rain barrel without having to assemble all the tools necessary to make your own barrel from scratch!
All you will need to do is take it home; paint it the appropriate color for your home (we give you complete instructions on painting) and you are set to go.
The workshop cost is $65.00 and includes lunch.
We will only be able to supply barrels to the first 30 people who send emails to the FOLKS Office keoweefolks@charter.net.
Payment in advance will be required.
If there are more requests, we will keep your application in the order received and when additional barrels are available we will make them available at a future workshop.