Repurposing Rainwater Through Rain Barrels to Promote Water Conservation

By Alina Abrams and Simrin Eklund

Completed rain barrel and water collection system at Hillside Elementary School

Project Description

Our project’s main focus is water conservation and demonstration, specifically through the repurposing of rainwater to use on local gardens. We constructed two stand and water collection systems in public-facing spaces that maximize rainbarrel water collection efficiency. The collection system is 5x5x7 feet, with a slanted roof that allows water to flow from the roof to the attached gutter and downspout and into a rain barrel. After collecting sufficient amounts of water, the pressure created by gravity from the mounted stand makes harvesting water for use in the garden easier. One of our systems is at Hillside Elementary School, and we located a second rain barrel and stand at the new garden adjacent to the Hastings Farmers' Market in collaboration with Elin Esposito and Sara Deghan’s. We hope their public locations at the elementary school and Farmers' Market will inspire those who see it to educate themselves about water conservation and perhaps implement some strategies at home.

Outputs

2 rain barrel setups
1 rainwater collection system

Outcomes

As a result, more rain water can be repurposed for watering the gardens and less will be wasted from valuable sources such as tap water

Process

Reached out to different prospective locations
Met with people in charge to work out logistics
Purchased materials
Began building process at home
Met at Hillside Elementary School to finalize measurements and schedule an installation day
Finished building frame and assembling the final project at the Hillside garden
Put in rain barrel and gutter

Lessons Learned

Gained more knowledge on water waste and water conservation
Gained communication and problem solving skills
Learned more about construction components like stability, roofing, and gutters
Learned to ask for help when encountering setbacks

People Involved

2 Project leaders aged 15-24
5 Total project participants (excluding leaders)
1 Project participant aged 15-24 (excluding leaders)

The Hillside Garden location before installation of the rainwater collection system and rain barrel

Constructing the rainwater collection system

Assembly and initial setup

Completed rainwater collection setup at Hillside

Thank You's

Thank you to Mayor Armacost, Mrs. Amy Cazes, Kevin McCarthy, Elin Esposito, and Julian Abrams. We appreciate all your help in turning this project idea into a reality. And, thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for providing funding for this project.

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