Infrastructure, Sustainability

Take Action to Make a Difference


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.
Catherine Fenton, Artist

March 22, 2016 marked another World Water Day, a day setaside for international observation and opportunity to learn about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference.

A Human Right

There are many non profitorganizations and devoted individuals thatdedicate themselves to thebelief that clean water should be a human right.

A Luxury In Africa

The inspiration of artist Catherine Fenton is “women without the luxury of running water that waste hours everyday fetching water. Time that could be spent on education or more productive work.”

Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.
Chris Steele-Perkins 1981
SOUTHERN AFRICA. Lesotho. School children during a rainstorm….

In Africa, some women literally carry the burden of collecting water for their families. Clean water sources are often far from their village, demanding that women and girls take action to walk for hours to retrieve their family water supply. The journey can be long, taking hours, subjecting women and girls to carry heavy loads of water on their heads. Education for women can becomessecondary to the needs of hauling water for the family.

Enjoy this African Rain Song

Infrastructure, Sustainability

A Precious Resource – Think Twice About Wasting Water


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.So many of us may have become complacent about the water that has seemingly so easily flowed through our faucets and garden hoses. In the United States, drought and aging infrastructure served as not so gentle reminders that clean, safe water does not flow freely if we don’t take steps to preserve this precious resource. Flint, MI has poisoned its citizens with lead, which has lead to increased testing – and lead and other toxins arebeing found in public systems countrywide. In other parts of the world, clean, safe, flowing water is a luxury, which many do not have.

We commemorated World Water Day this week. Life cannot be sustained without water; as such, we believe it is a basic human right. According to UNWater.org, ‘World Water Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference.”

The theme for this years’ World Water Day was water and jobs, and putting a spotlight on how quality and quantity of water can change lives and livelihoods – and even transform societies and economies.

Think about it –installing a small rainwater system for a home or business can vastly improve the lives of residents, employees, families – but alsothe overall public by reducing loads on public systems. Private systems can still be connected to city or well water, which would be used as backup to rainwater systems, if and when necessary.

But enough about us, we really wanted to share some amazing photos, that will make you think twice about wasting water. The extraordinary shots document how folks around the world access water. We encourage you to take a look, and then think about how we may be heading in this direction if we don’t start thinking about how we can better manage our access to safe and clean water – and the hazards that threaten our aging public systems.

Rainwater Catchment, Rainwater Harvesting Education

Seattleites are Singing in the Rain


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.It’s not just Seattleites that are having rainwater collection systems installed before the end of this long and extensive rainy season. RainBank has been traveling up and down the I-5 corridor from Portland Oregon to Bellingham Washington this winter. Interest in residential rainwater harvesting is seeing an all time high in the region. Water quality concerns, last year’s drought conditions, and the green movement all have consumers looking for alternate water supplies for potable and non potable demands.

Customers are reporting that storage volumes in their water tanks are remaining full, and with expected rainfall amounts to stay high through Spring, Seattleites and others are “singing in the rain”. Commercial interest in rainwater collection also remains high. Many projects, large and small, are choosing to use rainwater for irrigation and toilet flushing and recognizing cost savings. RainBank Rainwater Systems has met this demand by becoming Pinnacle and Contain Water Tank’s Northwest Master Dealer offering dealerships throughout the region.

RainBank Rainwater Systems is the ARCSA Northwest regional representative and offers workshops for education and promotion of rainwater collection. The mission of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) is to “promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable. non potable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world.”

Group of people standing in front of large water storage tanks outside a building.
Ken Blair in Sierra Leone, Africa with Bank on Rain

RainBank Rainwater Systems has met this mission statement for years by developing and promoting rainwater collection best practices throughout the Pacific Northwest and abroad as a founding director of Bank on Rain, a non profit organization with a mission statement to establish ecosystems in developing countries.

Interested parties are encouraged to use the form below to contact Ken Blair to arrange an ARCSA workshop.

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