Many individuals fail to realize that small changes can make monumental differences when it comes to conservation efforts, says John Nelson, public relations specialist for the
Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The HCSWD is part of The Regional Storm Water Collaborative—more commonly known as
Save Local Waters—and the organization’s goal is to raise awareness about water quality issues in the Ohio River Valley by educating the public about ways to improve it.
“One of the best ways people can conserve water and also help with storm water runoff is to install a rain barrel at their homes,” Nelson says.
To encourage more individuals to make use of rain barrels by collecting water that can be reused, as opposed to allowing it to flow quickly while collecting pollutants that end up in our water systems, Save Local Waters has partnered with
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden to host its second
Rain Barrel Art Project.
“Rain barrels look like trash cans—they’re very plain looking barrels—so we came up with an idea to beautify them, and to take it to the next level,” Nelson says.
From now through January 25, individuals can
submit proposed artwork to Save Local Waters. If selected for the project, they’ll then have the opportunity to paint a barrel to be displayed in the zoo’s Green Garden during the month of April, with a culminating event April 24 in which barrels will be auctioned during the zoo’s
Party for the Planet Earth Day celebration.
“Last year, we had about 40 rain barrels entered from people all over the Ohio River Valley, and this year we’re hoping we get more,” Nelson says. “People will take these to their homes and install them, and all the money raised from the auction is used for conservation education.”
Do Good:
•
Register with Save Local Waters to paint a barrel.
• Visit the
zoo between April 1-24 to view painted barrels, and attend the benefit auction April 24.
•
Learn about what you can do to clean up our waters, and
contact the organization to get involved by volunteering.
By Brittany York
Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a project manager for Charitable Words. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.