I’m not much of a conservationist (well, I am, but not for the traditional reasons), I’m not very PC and I don’t tend to do things  in my backyard just for the planet. But I’ve still got a rain barrel.  For two very non-PC reasons.

First, it’s easier to use a rain barrel than to haul out the hose.  We keep a bucket on top of the barrel, it’s way easier to fill the bucket and carry it over to the garden than it is to lug the hose out, turn it on, coil it back up and turn it off.  So reason number one for having a rain barrel, the mother of all invention – laziness.

Secondly, all the rain from the downspouts soaks the backyard and sometimes can leak into the foundation if the end of the drain gets kicked off.  So no more leaky basement and wet backyard.  That’s the second reason I use a rainbarrel.

I don’t use them for cost or conservation, though I do appreciate that I can chirp about how thrifty I am now :) . And that sums up my opinion on how to increase the reach of conservationism.  Target people’s natural laziness and cheapness and you’ll have a winner every time!

Rainbarrels cost $100 and up.  Waterloo region (in ontario) has a program once a year where you can get rainbarrels for $30 a pop, and I’ve got one of them.  It involves going to a local mall at 5:30 am and waiting in line, hoping you got there in time.

The second way – and I just found this, is through Rain Barrels (www.rainbarrel.ca).  They’ve got rain barrels, available locally for $50.  And way easier than the Waterloo region program.  It seems to work like this.  Local nonprofits sign up to distribute their rain barrels.  You order yours through the rainbarrel.ca website.  Then just show up the day of the event, pay your $50 and walk home with a rain barrel.  I’m assuming that the nonprofit makes some money in the mix as well.  I’m signed up for one next weekend in New Dundee.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

If you have a rainbarrel, you need a stand.  No stand means the water doesn’t drain out of the barrel very well.  It needs to be lifted up off the ground.  But stands are $50 or more, and I’m cheap on this.  So I spent $5-$10 on some deck boards and built my own out of pressure treated pine.  8 inches high, 2 feet by 2 feet square, couple of screws and I’m done, 2 rain barrel stands.  And the green pressure treated matches the look wonderfully.  I didn’t want to go any higher as tipping of these barrels is a concern (they really should be screwed into the wall I think, though mine are not).