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Fun, Easy, Fashionable Ways to Harvest and Store Rainwater!


Fa Fa Fa Fa Fashion. Would said being a prepper and wanting to store water meant you had to give up haute design?

If you are at a sprawling ranch in Texas, a good ole cistern does do the trick. And a simple rain barrel or two on a patio, porch or side of your abode works fine for sure.

But it ain't Grandpa's farm and ranch no more, the world is a changin. And there are many design conscious, affordable water storage options. So Move over fugly rain barrels and big, bulky cisterns! Case in point, the Build a Barrel system from Rain Reserve, (pictured above), packs a creative punch by neatly storing water while serving practical purposes on a deck.

The Rain Reserve even has a design that includes planters on top of the water storage container ( see picture below) so you get garden space and water storage for the garden at the same time.

Pic above of Rain Reserve's Build a Barrel water storage system with built in planters.

Another "Survival Cool" option is the awesome Rainwater HOG, (pictured below), by Australian architect Sally Dominguez. The Rainwater HOG water storage tanks were originally designed to capture water for urban projects in Sydney. They work like water-filled building blocks as HOGs can connect together and store water in any orientation.

The Rainwater HOG, (pictured above), brings a bit of industrial chic to your permaculture plan, whether it be in Bushwick, Brooklyn or the bucolic Berkshires of Massachusetts. Having become a somewhat obsessed yardfarmer, I am more and more conscious of water needs. (Not to mention, my long term prepper bent has been awakened, feeling the need to stockpile essentials.) The Hudson Valley, where I live, experienced a drought this past summer. Eyes wide open now, I worry that my ever expanding plot of edibles will not get enough water in the future if aquifers are taxed and the amount of well water available becomes an issue. Luckily, with The Original Rainwater Pillow, (see below), one can easily store large amounts of water.

Out of site, out of mind. The Original Rainwater Pillow, pictured above, can be installed under decks, in crawl spaces or basements. The cool thing about a rainwater pillow is it can utilize potentially wasted space. Your rainwater storage can be easily hidden from the discerning eyes of design-oriented habitants who might prefer a more "Dwell-Like" water resiliency plan. The company also has good info on storing potable water which is part of any successful sustainability program. If you are a nervous newbie when it comes to rainwater harvesting and storage, fret not. There's a wealth of info out there about options, so, no need to stress. Just google. Or, better yet, ask Alexa to research rain water harvesting while you enjoy some of those herbs growing on the back deck. To wet your appetite for saving water, (pun intended), check out this article. I found it to be very helpful: 5 Myths About Water Storage. And, if you are not so design conscious, and a bit DIY, check out these 10 Cool Rainwater Collection Systems.

3P Technik in the UK offers some dashing options including the 3P RainBowl Flower Water Butt (pictured above) PS: I wanted to write this post because we at Paul E McGinniss Real Estate, Green Building, Renovation and Project Management, are helping some great folks from Brooklyn build a resilient homestead in Ulster County, New York. This post is but a tid bit of the info we are sharing so they can develop a resilient compound with both substance and style! I look forward to seeing what they decide to do with their homestead. Even if it is just a simple garden rain barrel connected to a gutter which runs water off a metal roof, it's a step in the right direction! See ya'll soon.

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