Rainwater Harvesting
We have plenty of water to support urban agriculture provided that we harvest and store our rainwater. Rain barrels with enough storage capacity placed at the four compass points of the gutter system of a 1,000 square foot roof yields 650 gallons from a 1-inch rainfall. With adequate storage, every home in Garland could harvest approximately 26,000 gallons of water each year--more than enough water to support a garden to feed a family of four.
The availability of water is central to the health of any economy. In fact, water is central to the life of all the citizens in the community. This is a fact that leaders of cities going back as far as Aristotle recognized. Aristotle admonished city leaders to not rely on the countryside for their water but to build cisterns within the city. Furthermore, water, like love of place, can bring communities together.
Why Harvest Rain?
It's free.
Almost chemical-free and plants love it
Rainwater increases production. Plants grow much faster and better with rain water than with water from the tap. I've observed it myself in my own garden and other members of Loving Garland Green report the same results.
Water is an endangered resource, imperiled by population growth, mega-urbanization, and climate change. Scientists project that by 2050, freshwater shortages will affect 75 percent of the global population. In his book, Thirst--Water and Power in the Ancient World, Steven Mithen puts our current crisis in historical context by exploring 10,000 years of humankind’s management of water. He suggests that we follow one of the most unheeded pieces of advice to come down from ancient times. In the words of Li Bing, whose waterworks have irrigated the Sichuan Basin since 256 BC, “Work with nature, not against it.”
Rainwater Harvesting Project at the Garland Community Garden
Members of Loving Garland Green have future plans for installing a gutter system on the storage shed at the Garland Community Garden site. The roof of the shed is approximately 1,200 square feet and thus will yield about 26,000 gallons of rainwater annually.
How much water falls off your roof every year?
Click here to learn approximately how much water falls off YOUR roof in a given year! It's FREE from Permadesign. This Santa Fe company describes itself as a landscape-architecture firm for a new world.
Two members of Loving Garland Green attended Nate Downey's lecture at Brookhaven College on Water Harvesting in October of 2013 and we continue to be in contact with this founder of PermaDesign. Downey's book Harvest the Rain is a detailed "how to" for people and communities wanting to take a major step in saving the world's water
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Does the notion of harvesting rainwater appeal to you? If so, give Loving Garland Green a call at 972-571-4497. We need someone to head up our Rainwater Harvesting Committee.