CoolMomsCare | Rain Or Shine!

All in a Day

Rain Or Shine!

by Michelle Andrade (Monday, June 30, 2008)

Rain or shine we are conserving water and working to keep our local water just a little cleaner.

This past week, we had one of our many Rain Barrel Workshops with the Cumberland River Compact. We sent about twenty people home with at least one rain barrel to catch their rain water. Our goal in continuing to have these workshops to continue to remind people how easy it is to make a difference. The more people who have rain barrels, the better. I have two set up side-by-side in my back yard (right beside my compost bin, so that one overflows into the other when full.

I continue to bring in my little girl to this because we want everyone to know that kids are just as capable as we are to learn about water conservation, preservation, and enhancement.

The Cumberland River Compact

The Cumberland River Compact's goal is to "enhance the water quality" of the Cumberland River. One of the major issues that cause pollution in the Cumberland River is runoff water. This is water that is filled with dirt, debris, and other "stuff" that comes of our houses, roads and yards each time it rains. The idea behind these rain barrels is control. If we capture as much water as possible, we can use it at our disposal, and keep it from running off into our lakes, rivers, and streams.

Other Benefits

Another one of the great benefits (sort of an unexpected side-effect that's also a benefit), is a lower water bill! In the summer months when we have less rain, a rain barrel helps to have water readily available to water plants, food, and lawns. If you have not had a chance to get to one of our Rain Barrel Workshops, please try to make it out. If you live outside the area, contact your local watershed and see if they offer ways to help conserve rain water.

The Way Our Workshop Worked

Twenty people signed up for our workshop prior to the day of the workshop.

We met at Warner Park Nature Center on Highway 100 here in Nashville. Our attendees got a brief welcome from one of the Naturalists at the park.

I got up there, with my little one of course, and welcomed everyone and told a little about what CoolMomsCare does. Finally, a wonderful woman from the Cumberland River Compact got up and began the workshop.

When she was finished with her information, we headed outside for the hands-on portion of the workshop where our attendees assembled their barrels. My little one walked around and gave encouragement to people as they assembled, then loaded their barrels. The entire workshop runs about an hour.

If you've been to one of our Rain Barrel Workshops, please let us know what you thought! If not, please let us know how we could make it easier for more people to attend.

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Comments

Wendy commented, on July 1, 2008 at 7:39 p.m.:

I just wanted to let you know that the containers provided at the Compact's workshop are donated by Coca-Cola Consolidated as part of their partnership with World Wildlife Fund's Southeast Rivers and Streams Program and the Cumberland River Compact. Coke and WWF are working together to conserve water and protect aquatic diversity in 100's of communities around the world from the rivers and streams of the southeast US to the Mekong Delta and the Yangtze River. The rainbarrel partnership in Nashville was a pilot project that has now grown into a world wide program saving countless millions of gallons of water each year. For more information on the WWF/Coca-Cola Partnership, feel free to contact me. Thanks,

Wendy Smith, Director
WWF Southeast Rivers and Streams Program
Nashville, TN 37212

Michelle commented, on July 11, 2008 at 8:12 a.m.:

Wendy,

Thank you SO much for putting these details up! I know of this affiliation, but I was unaware of how many things you all are doing together. Thanks, again, for commenting!