1. Rain Barrels (FREE)

Rain Barrels are storage containers that collect rainwater from downspouts. Water can be used for gardening, washing down patio furniture, lawn watering, and other activities that would otherwise use tap water. This allows you to use rainwater instead of paying for tap water! Additionally, by storing rainwater, you can decrease the impact of stormwater runoff to streams, which helps protect our environment and minimize sewer back-ups.

The Energy Coordinating Agency and the Philadelphia Water Department are providing free rain barrels to Philadelphia residents. If you’re interested, sign up to receive a rain barrel here: http://www.phillywatersheds.org/rain-barrel-notification-list

2. Downspout Planters (FREE to residents that meet income eligibility requirements)

A downspout planter is a decorative garden planter filled with gravel, soil, and vegetation that uses rainfall from the roof as irrigation. Downspout planters are connected to the downspout and are designed to slow water as it enters the sewer system. Contact Mike Verla with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia at mike@rebuildingphilly.org or 215-965-0777 to see if you are eligible to receive a FREE downspout planter. Tell him TTF sent you!
photo by Green Treks

3. Street and Yard Trees

Trees bring benefits to the community including shade, increased property, values and peace of mind. They can protect our city and its inhabitants by cleaning the air and water, reducing flooding and energy usage, and moderating city temperatures. If you are interested in receiving a street or yard tree, you can sign up with Philadelphia Parks & Recreations or if there is a Tree Tenders group in your area (check the map), then contact your local Tree Tenders group to work with them.

4. Rain Check (Stormwater Management Tools subsidized by PWD)

Rain Check is a pilot program through which the Philadelphia Water Department helps residents meet the cost of specific residential landscaping improvements that help manage rainwater and beautify homes. Participation in the program will not result in a lower water bill. If you live in Germantown or Frankford and are interested in this project, please contact Ashley Schmid before March 15. Landscaping Tools Include: Porous Pavers, De-paving, Yard Trees, Downspout Planters, and Rain Gardens

We met Terri and Patty when we contacted them about the raffle we ran as part of our outreach to Cheltenham E-Waste Drive (November 19) attendees.

Terri signed up for the TTF e-newsletter and when we emailed her to let her know she had won a Trolley Car Diner gift certificate, this is how she responded: “By the way, I have a stream that runs through my property, which with the flooding rain recently has been gouged out quite deeply. As result, I found I have a deep area at the upper corner of my property that has FISH (I saw a small shoal of fish — about 20 of them ranging in size from about 1.5 to 4 inches.) My concern is that just above that area is a storm water run-off pipe. Is there any way to get the township to put a damper of sorts on that pipe to help preserve this area for the fish?”

We contacted the PA Department of Environmental Protection, which provided this guidance: “It is not unusual to find fish living in our urban streams. Several species are common. These fish populations are surviving in an environment that has been impacted by stormwater discharges for a long time. From the description provided, there is no reason to suspect a particular threat to the fish, and no official action seems to be required. “

Yesterday, we personally delivered the gift certificate to Terri and Patty, who are incredibly knowledgeable stewards of their creekside property on Church Road in Cheltenham. They have two rain barrels and their home is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat! They are an example of watershed stewardship we’d like to see catch on!

David Hewitt and other tree enthusiasts determine the species of an oak sample.

See more photos from the event here and don’t forget to join us for our next Love Your Watershed event on November 19! Find more details on our Events Calendar.

There are a variety of things business owners can do to help protect the watershed, including: plant a tree, use rain barrels, create a container garden, wash your car on the grass, create plans for dealing with oil spills, keep trash out of your storm drains, and use alternative salts for winter de-icing. Check out our detailed list of steps business owners can take.

If you want to join us, there is one more workshop coming up! It will be next week, on Thursday, October 20th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm at the Rowland Community Center at 400 Myrtle Ave. in Cheltenham.

For more information, view our Events page or contact Dottie Baumgarten at dottiebaumgarten@gmail.com.

This is a fabulous movie but I get the sensation that it is an hour of the problem and a half hour of the solutions. But there is hope — never forget it! What can do you? Start in your own spaces by reducing the demand of water that the privately-owned companies are supplying. Use low-flow showerheads, turn off the faucet when you’re brushing or shaving, don’t water your lawn if your climate can’t support the grass, and be mindful of your water usage (like, don’t wash your car if it’s raining). Americans can easily use 25-30% less water than we do now. Know where you water comes from; know your watershed. Get involved with water issues in your community. Wash you car and water your plants and lawns with rain barrels (and consider that private companies have attempted to privatize rain water! collect it as long as you can!). Plant container gardens. Reduce your use of soaps and other products that pollute water sources. Reach out to your elected officials and let them know that you want safe water to be available to everyone, everywhere. Remember that when you look for life, you look for water. If there’s no water, there’s no life. Let’s keep what water we have in the system and use it wisely!

Buy the movie here:Blue Gold: World Water Wars

There were rain barrels:

There were container gardens:

(This one is part of the Office of Community Development’s vacant lot transformation display, “From Blight to Bloom.”)

There were downspout planters:

(This is from the Philadelphia Water Department’s fantastic display, which featured a bunch of awesome stormwater management features.)

There was even porous pavement made from recycled plastic!

(This is part of Temple University Ambler’s “Ecolibrium” display, which incorporates sustainable design features. You can read a great article profiling this exhibit here.)

We are just thrilled to see stormwater management being incorporated into the Flower Show this way! You can see more pictures from the event in this Flickr set.

Looking for a great holiday gift? Why not take advantage of our left over stock to get a great deal on a green gift for someone! All proceeds benefit Friends of the Manayunk Canal.

Friends of the Manayunk Canal & the Schuylkill Project, thanks to funding from WREN, engaged the public with three rain barrel workshops this fall, educating over 100 people and getting over 90 rain barrels working to reduce stormwater!

However, we do still have a few items left for sale from the workshops that we’d love to see put to work making our water cleaner and saving you money! We four (4) 55-gallon painted design on a rain barrel art contest rain barrels (see pictures below for designs), two (2) automatic downspout diverters and one (1) wooden pedestal. All are pictured below with pricing. THESE ITEMS MUST GO SO PLEASE EMAIL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!

Automatic water diverters – $25 per diverter
Wooden pedestal- $25 per pedestal
Art on a Rain Barrel Artist Barrels: $50 per barrel

For more information, please contact the Friends of the Manayunk Canal at fmc@manayunkcanal.org

Solving Runoff Block by Block from GreenTreks Network on Vimeo.

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.

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!