TO WET: Bog in Nantucket
FROM DRY: Taos in the Fall
Did you know that rainwater harvesting is an essential component of an eco-friendly garden in climates wet and dry?
From the marshy bogs of the east to the dry deserts of the west, rainwater harvesting is an essential and age-old technique for sustainable water management; both conserving this life-giving resource in dry climates, and managing its abundant overflow where it’s wet.
In fact, wet and dry climates alike benefit from both sides of rainwater harvesting. Even in the parched west where water conservation is the word, stormwater impacts are severe. According to USEPA and NOAA, stormwater runoff is the number one cause of water pollution, causing stream banks to erode and delivering overloads of chemicals and nutrients to our sensitive waterways (nonpoint source pollution). Harvesting rain takes the peak off of storm loads while also conserving the precious resource of water, and keeping our shared water sources cleaner.
Read more about the environmental benefits of rainwater harvesting here.
BlueBarrel is based in northern California, but many don’t realize we serve customers all over the USA (and beyond) with our user friendly DIY RainKits™ and recycled plastic barrels!
How do we do it?
3-barrel BlueBarrel System in Hopland, CA
Food products are shipped world-wide in 55-gallon blue food-grade poly-drums. They end up literally everywhere as a byproduct of our nation’s food manufacturing process. BlueBarrel partners with food manufacturers all over the USA so that we can serve our customers with recycled plastic rain barrels from their own local regions. That’s right – BlueBarrel not only helps you to harvest rainwater, we help you to upcycle food-grade drums locally into streamlined, multi-barrel catchment systems – a double-win for the environment.
Please read below for details, and help us spread the word to your eco-conscious friends all over the map!
BlueBarrel serves customers all over the USA with our user-friendly mail-order DIY RainKits™, with all the parts you need to convert used food-grade drums into a multi-barrel rain collection system. We partner with food-industry barrel suppliers in many regions so that you can pick up your recycled plastic barrels (or have them delivered) locally!
And we add new participating barrel suppliers frequently!
You can customize your RainKit in our interactive online store. As part of the ordering process, you’ll be able to select your preferred barrel pickup location.
The RainKit will ship to your door, and you’ll receive a Barrel Voucher to claim your barrels from the pickup site you choose when you order! (Please note, most of our barrel pickup sites are not retailers, so you’ll need a voucher from us to claim your barrels.)
Our distributed barrel supplier network allows us to offer unbeatable prices on really great multi-barrel rain collection systems! We’ve eliminated the cost of manufacturing, storing and shipping bulky drums. This not only saves money, but also eliminates a huge chunk of the carbon footprint!
Don’t see a barrel pickup spot in your region?
Never fear – we can help you find barrels near you! Fill out our barrel supplier request form and we’ll send you an independent source with compatible barrels.
If you have your own barrel source, you can select “RainKit without Barrels” in our online store.
As you browse our online store, please contact us with your questions – we’re here to help!
