While they are not in our watershed, we really want to showcase some of the great work that’s being done by the Friends of the Manayunk Canal. Here is some great rain barrel news from their recent newsletter:
A CALL FOR ARTISTS!
Friends of the Manayunk Canal & the Schuylkill Project, thanks to funding from WREN, is looking for artists interesting in blending art and conservation. The Art on a Rain Barrel Design Contest is open to any adult or child willing to exercise their creativity on behalf of water conservation and stewardship! Artists wishing to enter the Art on a Rain Barrel Design Contest must submit a registration form and a sketch of their proposed rain barrel design by Friday, June 30, 2010 to fmc@manayunkcanal.org.
Our expert panelists will choose the top design sketches from the registrants for inclusion in the Art on a Rain Barrel Design Contest. Artists whose sketches are chosen to participate in the contest will receive a rain barrel (a $150 value) to keep. Notification will be provided to the artists of the designs selected by the judges to participate in the contest by July 16th and rain barrel distribution will begin on July 19th. Artists will have until August 20, 2010 to complete their designs and return the rain barrels for judging. The completed rain barrel designs will then be installed along Main Street in Manayunk for thousands to see and vote on.
Artists are expected to be present at the EcoArts Festival on September 26, 2010 on Main Street in Manayunk for the announcement of the winners, who in addition to receiving a rain barrel will also win a generous prize basket stuffed with local goods.
We will be holding a refundable deposit for each rain barrel distributed to participants to insure that rain barrels are returned for the contest. Remember registration forms and a sketch of your proposed design must be submitted by June 30, 2010 to fmc@manayunkcanal.org in order for your design to be considered for the contest.
Not an artist? Visit www.manayunkcanal.org to sign up for one of the Do-It-Yourself Rain Barrel Workshops in October, where for $25 you can walk away with your own 100% recycled rain barrel as well as learning how to install, maintain and use your rain barrel!
Thursday, October 14 & 28, 6:30-8:00pm
Art of Recycling Rain Do It Yourself Barrel Workshops
(Location: Tenatively Venice Island Recreation Center)
Friends of the Manayunk Canal & the Schuylkill Project, thanks to funding from WREN, will be engaging the public to act with interactive do-it-yourself rain barrel workshops. For a $25 registration fee, workshops participants will not only receive a 100 percent recycled rain barrel of their own, they will also learn how to install, maintain and use their rain barrels. Additionally, workshop participants will be empowered with the tools they need to tackle other simple stormwater controls at home, like how to build a rain garden.
Email us at fmc@manayunkcanal.org to register for one of the Do-It-Yourself Rain Barrel Workshops in October, where for $25 you can walk away with your own 100% recycled rain barrel as well as learn how to install, maintain and use your rain barrel! Tickets will be first come, first serve.
Yesterday, while Sarah was helping Wyncote Elementary School students with a planting project at their school, Ashley and I headed over to the Maritime Charter Academy High School to help out with some of their new stormwater management features.
Maritime Charter Academy’s mission is to “provide students in grades 5 through 12 a rigorous academic program with the special theme of maritime studies. MACHS students work with the latest technology to learn maritime content such as nautical science and maritime business, while achieving to high standards in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and the Arts.”
Thanks to our partners at the Philadelphia Water Department, we were able to provide Maritime with a brand new rain barrel. Because Maritime is located on a historic property without much ability to dig in the ground, instead of a rain garden, the kids built a large planter box that will be filled with plants to help absorb rainwater. It was a hot day, but with some assistance, the kids were able to create the planter.
We’ll check back in with Maritime when all the plants are flourishing and post some updated pictures of the completed project!
Be sure to check out the video below, which explains the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Waters plan. The plan “envisions transforming the city into an oasis of rain gardens, green roofs, treescapes, and porous pavements, which advocates say is cheaper than tunnels and makes for a more liveable, prettier city with higher property values and better community health.” Watch out for TTF Executive Director Sarah RobbGrieco, who is featured in the film!
On Saturday, September 12th, Urban Studio, a program of Green Village Philadelphia, held a charette to involve stakeholders from local environmental organizations and community groups in the process of designing an innovative rain collection system.
The goal of this meeting was to break away from the standard rain “barrel” and design something more functional that appeals to the needs of a greater population. The group developed a set of design criteria that included things such as reasonable cost, space efficiency and ease of installation. The group was then broken into teams and given an hour to design three new rain collection systems.
The new designs tended toward aesthetics, dual-function and modularity. The most common designs were water holding benches and flow-through planters.
Proposed designs will be presented at an interactive workshop on Thursday, October 8th, from 6 – 9pm at 1205 North 4th Street 1st Floor, as part of Design Philadelphia’s annual design celebration.
The Community Action Agency of Delaware County (CAADC), in partnership with the Planning Department, Conservation District, and American Rivers, is looking for volunteers to assist with their Rain Barrel Work Camp (July 27-31). These volunteers would be helping to install rain barrels for homeowners. Rain barrel construction training for all volunteers will occur on Wednesday, July 15, 10am – 12pm, location to be determined.
For more information, see the Work Camp brochure [.pdf] and the Call for Volunteers brochure [.pdf] or contact Deborah M. Lamborn, Senior Manager – Development, CAADC, Inc.: 610.891.6326 or LambornD@co.delaware.pa.us
Please join the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) for the upcoming public meetings on the “Green City, Clean Waters” Program (Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long-Term Control Plan Update). The upcoming meetings will follow-up on the previous round of meetings held in the winter.
PWD staff will present the options and alternative under consideration to help transform Philadelphia into a greener city with cleaner waters! Please attend and let your voice be heard!
One rain barrel will be given away at each meeting.
Meeting #1:
WHEN: Tuesday, June 2, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: FELS South Philadelphia Community Center (2407 South Broad Street, Philadelphia)
Meeting #2:
WHEN: Thursday, June 4, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Waterview Recreation Center (5826 McMahon Street, Philadelphia)
Meeting #3:
WHEN: Wednesday, June 10, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Northern Liberties Community Center (700 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia)
