Harvest from the Sky
by genevieve concannon on December 21, 2009
I love the idea of harvesting rain and using it to take care of your plants both inside and out! When I ran into this Maryland company at the GreenFestival ™, I thought them worthy of a little write up. Straight from the sky- you can get your own rain barrel from 30-214 gallons from Rain Barrels by Aquabarrel ®.
Based out of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Aquabarrel offers three models which can be linked to hose systems to provide water to do any number tasks which you would regularly use regular drinking water to complete. 
Save your local watershed by controlling storm water runoff. Aquabarrel® states that “more than 25,000 gallons [of water] fall on a 1,200 sq. ft. roof during the growing season in the Mid-Atlantic states.”
By utilizing a rainwater harvesting system, you can save this collected water for satiating indoor and outdoor plants during dry spells; even wash your car or exterior windows! They also state that a “single [rain] barrel cycles more than 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months.”
I have several friends back in Texas who have whole rain water cistern systems for their homes. The Denners whole home subsisted on a rainwater collection system: by creating a covered outdoor pavilion over their 60,000 gallon cistern, the whole family of six was able to utilize filtered rainwater for all of their water requirements. Kori and Frank Swehowsky have built a beautiful 1,000 sq.ft. deck atop their 30,000 gallon cistern which captures rainfall from the roof and gutters, cycles it through a series of filtration systems before becoming their primary water supply. Straight from the sky to their showers, water glasses, plants and other watering needs.
These examples may be the extreme cases- however, extremely good! A rain barrel can be a good first start if you want to start small… Aquabarrel® of Gaithersburg, Maryland can help you head in that direction.
Video from British Embassy’s US Channel
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[...] and are looking for a good solution to roof run-off, check out “Water” and find Maryland’s AquaBarrel. If you are in need of a home energy audit to see if your home is leaking air, find the [...]