Sometimes we get soooo wrapped up in our busy lives here in the DC area that we sometimes forget good, old-fashioned common sense. Or, maybe, common sense just doesn’t fit in with our HOA requirements or fashions.
Take ‘rain barrels’ for instance. My Grandmom had them on her house and her barn. Rain barrels were essential in keeping her large gardens and flower beds green all summer. In fact, she fed 5 kids from her gardens. She was nearly self-sufficient on her farm. Gram was rain barrel before rain barrel was cool. Gram was compost pile before compost was cool. Gram was ‘conservation’ and ‘solar’ and ‘hormone -free meat’ and ‘free-range chicken’ and, well, you get the point. Gram would think we were all phonies. She’d probably be right.
But, every once in a while, we re-educate ourselves. July 12 is a great example of why folks like Gram were so smart.
The City of Alexandria, in partnership with other regional organizations, invites residents to attend a “Build Your Own Rain Barrel” workshop on Saturday, July 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Francis C. Hammond Middle School, 4646 Seminary Drive.
Rain barrels can be placed under your downspouts to capture runoff from the roof. The rainwater you collect can help you save water for use in your yard and house plants, eliminate potential flooding in your basement, and reduce stormwater management costs. The use of rain barrels also helps to decrease the volume of storm runoff, which in turn, helps to moderate stream erosion and the resulting pollution that is impairing the Chesapeake Bay.
Registration for this workshop is required. Please visit www.arlingtonenvironment.org/barrel.htm to register online. To register by mail, send your name, phone number, e-mail address, and date of the workshop, along with a check made payable to Rain Barrel Program, Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District (NVSWCD), 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 905, Fairfax, VA 22035. The cost for a build-your-own-barrel is $52 for guaranteed registration with PayPal/credit card payment (includes a $2 processing fee). If you prefer to send a check, the cost is $50, but be aware that your spot at the workshop will not be confirmed until payment is received. Ready-made barrels are also available for a slightly higher cost.
The workshop is sponsored by the Northern Virginia Rain Barrel Program. For more information about the Rain Barrel Workshops, please contact Jesse Maines, Office of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, at 703.519.3400, ext. 166.
The funny thing is: it’s so simple and so ‘common-sense’ that we forgot about it. Most stopped doing ‘rain barrels’ because they were so ‘rural’ or because automatic lawn sprinklers were more convenient than actually getting out the water bucket.
I don’t know who will eventually take credit for the new, urban trend of rain barrels. But, we know who deserves it. Everything we really ever needed to know we could have learned from our grandparents – had we only listened. In a small way, Grams everywhere are still making their impacts.
Have a great day.
Kevin Battle
Battle Real Estate
211 North Union Street, Suite 100
Alexandria, VA 22314
www.battlesales.com
