Tag Archives: sustainability

Rainwater Harvesting Education, Sustainability

Farm to Cafeteria Program Teaches Sustainability

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11174691_945156938838944_8341151891330574139_o-1RainBank Rainwater Systems is very pleased to learn that the Farm to Cafeteria program is flourishing at Orcas Island School, thanks, in part to the Orcas Island Education Foundation.

Ken Blair Orcas Island SchoolRainBank was asked to construct a system and then teach the children about rainwater collection and water conservation. The water is collected from the school’s roof and stored in a 5,000-gallon cistern to be used for irrigation of a vegetable garden. The vegetables are used as part of the school lunch program and to teach the students about sustainability.

According to the National Farm to School Network website, “The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into school systems and preschools. Farm to school empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities. NFSN provides vision, leadership and support at the state, regional and national levels to connect and expand the farm to school movement, which has grown from a handful of schools in the late 1990s to approximately 40,000 schools in all 50 states as of 2012. Our network includes national staff, eight Regional Lead Agencies, 51 State Leads, a 17-member advisory board and thousands of farm to school supporters. NFSN was launched in 2007 by a collaborative of more than 30 organizations seeking to shape the burgeoning farm to school movement. Initially led by staff from the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) and the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI) at Occidental College, NFSN is now a project of the Tides Center. Click to learn more about farm to school nationwide.

10668727_810384465649526_2201333603360116460_oThe Orcas Island School garden is flourishing and community involvement is extraordinary. We are proud to part of this exceptional project and hope other communities will offer similar programs. Sustainability is the future for these young persons.

Sustainability

Californians Rise to Calls to Cut Water Use

watering-791312_640As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Californians  have risen to calls to cut water use and achieved an overall 29% reduction during May 2015, exceeding Gov. Brown’s mandate that use be cut by 25% statewide.

The state’s hard hitting push to educate residents of the dire need to change habits through sustainable landscaping, upgrading appliances and simply by taking shorter showers, has clearly had a positive effect.

The article reports: ‘The savings are based on data submitted by the more than 400 urban water suppliers, which must meet or exceed specified savings beginning in June or face potential fines. Among those water suppliers that showed significant improvements in the latest round of reporting were the California Water Service-Bakersfield, with a 37% cut; Orange County’s Serrano Water District, with a 43% reduction; and Riverside County’s Lake Hemet Municipal Water District, with a 49% savings.”

Way to go Californians – keep up the good work! Your diligence will be absolutely necessary throughout the summer, but with a few more good months under your belts, continued education and outreach, and by maintaining sustainable living habits, you can make meaningful and long-lasting modifications.

Infrastructure, Rainwater Catchment

Failing Infrastructure is Among Reasons for Future Water Shortages in 8 Cities

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skyline-176943_640According to the World Water Development Report by the United Nations “A 40% shortfall of freshwater would be experienced as soon as 15 years.” Eight cities throughout the world were cited to witness severe  fresh water shortages due to failing infrastructure, saltwater intrusion, sewage and plumbing failures, population growth, and pollution. The report went on to recommend actions of capturing rainwater, recycling waste water, repairing and upgrading sewer and water conveyance, and education on conservation as methods to curtail this threat.

Seattle was brought up in the report as having a sustainable amount of rainfall to support rainwater collection. As stated in an earlier blog post, I wrote that the Puget Sound region would face 6.2 billion dollars in costs to upgrade, retrofit,and expand its freshwater infrastructure in the next 20 years.

Seattle has been progressive in recent years by requiring infiltration or use of stormwater runoff for new construction for residential and commercial projects. But, more can be done in the way of incentives or tax credits for rainwater collection and infiltration for all existing buildings and homes. Retrofitting existing structures is relatively easy but does have costs. Rainwise rain barrel programs create awareness, but fall short on actual conservation. A much more progressive program of promoting rainwater collection and education would recognize positive results in stormwater reduction, demands on freshwater infrastructure, and water consumption. Water districts should recognize that augmenting the water districts’ demands with rainwater collection would be beneficial rather than looking at Rainwater collection as a threat to their revenue. With Seattle’s fast growing population, demands on the infrastructure will rise accordingly. By offsetting demand with supplementary, private rainwater collection systems, demand will be reduced — as well as costs involved with supply.