Barry's interview with John Smith
The Arizona Green Plumbers http://ping.fm/lavmM

Barry will be interviewed by John Smith of The Arizona Green Plumbers 12/29/2010: http://ping.fm/v2kgR

Join the nation’s 1st and largest association of green companies, earn the Green America Seal of Approval. Their services help you grow and green your business, and dues start as low as $85/yr. http://ping.fm/QM2yJ

Is your group looking for a NEW fund raising idea?! How about offering the 60 gallon RainStation rain barrel? http://ping.fm/HqzXA

60g Rain Barrel Sale! Social Media special sale NOT available on the website. PickUp Price in Clarksburg, MD $85ea Call 301.253.8855 http://ping.fm/n5NVC

MS4 for Dummies e-book If your town is working on an MS4 plan or stormwater regulations, get this e-book http://ping.fm/RDgcp

Instant Off and No-Flow Faucet Aerator Kits - FREE Shipping for the Holiday Season. Get yours now before the guests run up your water bill http://ping.fm/H3n9N

Need an inexpensive source for boxes? Try http://ping.fm/HCghc

R U a member of the MD Energy & Sustainability Co-op? Ck the newsletter for the rain barrel CyberMonday special from Aquabarrel.com

Aqaubarrel had a great GreenFest - if you missed us we will be at the MD State Fairgrounds in Timonium THIS WEEKEND 4 the MD Green Show

Check out our new home page! Getting to the best information on the site is now easier with graphic links. Tell us what you think. http://ping.fm/o9ZOv

If the 60 gallon RainStation was available in a recycled black would you buy one? http://ping.fm/WtXFQ

Ask about our specials when you visit us at GreenFest DC this weekend.

PepsiCo Seeks to Surpass Coke in Water Conservation in UK http://ping.fm/PZgOQ

Yes, Aquabarrel will be attending the Washington D.C. GreenFest. Look for us in booth 1140.

Wait a Fracking minute: http://ping.fm/3iI2B

Aquabarrel is looking for a student in Montgomery Co., MD that can shoot & edit video for its on-line content. Reply to info@ aquabarrel.com

September 20-26 is National Pollution Prevention Week.

MD - NRG Co-op is holding an Open House on Thurs, Sept. 16th from 7- 9pm in Bethesda MD. Winery & Cowgirl Creamery http://ping.fm/GESUk

World Water Week begins September 5 http://ping.fm/LODTS

Need a rain barrel? Part of a group that would like to buy in bulk for HUGE savings? Factory Auth Sale, limited time call now -301.253.8855

60 Gallon Rain Barrel Rebate program available for groups that pre purchase 75 or more units like this one: http://ping.fm/iMWpK

Are you a member of NRG.org or TPSS Co-Op? Special Rebate Event this Saturday just for you! http://ping.fm/0GaXC

Now shipping 60 gallon EarthMinded RainStation rainbarrels through out the US. http://ping.fm/p88rP

We are now stocking inventory of EarthMinded 60 gallon rain barrel. Delivery is limited to MD, VA and DC http://ping.fm/eMXeS

A 'new' DIY rain barrel kit is added to the line up! It has a 6inch screen http://ping.fm/LgtWx

We are awaiting our first shipment of EarthMinded RainStation 60 Gallon Rain Barrels http://ping.fm/ZDBu8

Montgomery Co MD amends stormwater code requires redevelopment and new to manage first inch as well as once per yr 2.6" of rain in 24 hours.

Free Shipping on all orders over $75.00 for the 4th of July! Use Coupon Code: July4 *Limit one coupon per person/IP Address/mailing address

Mandatory water restrictions are in effect for all customers of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission http://ping.fm/r0F6S

Wash D.C. approves homeowner installed rain barrel program sign up - http://ping.fm/QHjdo

Non-profit company gets $100,000 award for rainwater collection systems installed in India http://ping.fm/g9wR1

oil spill video sponsored by a plastic producer - ironic... http://ping.fm/uvzhs

A study of 103 brands of bottled waters, >25% contained chemical & biological contamination. Almost 40% contained arsenic & bacteria.

Rx drug contamination in our drinking water supplies is now considered as lethal in its long-term health effects as other man-made toxins.

Water extracted by a Dewpointe® is 99.9% pure and free from virtually any manmade, natural or biological contamination. http://www.aquabarrel.com/product_dewpointe_water_generator.php

3 minutes of your time, shirtless dancing guy http://ping.fm/bCh2S

How does the Dewpointe® work?
In simplest terms it makes rain.
Collect and condense the moisture in air then
filter it - http://ping.fm/Pi1VA

Global water consumption increased sixfold in the last century, more than twice the rate of population growth.Fresh water = <1% of the water

Bethesda Green, Solar Bethesda Expo, Saturday, June 12, 2010, 10 am – 4 pm, 4825 Cordell Avenue, Suite 200, Bethesda www.bethesdagreen.org

War over Water? http://ping.fm/zaazu

Filmed at UN International Environmental Conference Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. http://ping.fm/rdIDA

EPA proposes rainwater-trapping rules for D.C. http://ping.fm/uexsj

Singleton said, ...the move added 2 percent to his construction costs but now saves him 18 percent a year in energy and water costs. http://ping.fm/DRXi0

That chlorine smell means trouble in D.C.'s water http://ping.fm/WLSki

...homebuilder settled with the government for $1 million over alleged Clean Water Act violations. http://ping.fm/XXf5h

Join Aquabarrel at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland for a kid friendly Earth Day Event http://ping.fm/urUa5

How long can a person live without food? More than a month = How long without water? Approximately one week, depending upon conditions

If your existing aerator flows @ more than 3 gallons per minute, replace it with a NoFlow Aerator. Save up to 50 gallons per day. http://ping.fm/wxSDQ

Wonder what you can do with a few wooden pallets? http://ping.fm/KCFso

Water conservation webinar to be broadcast live from Washington, D.C. http://ping.fm/rCuRu

Think you pay a lot for water ? http://ping.fm/ZBCwB

Water Quiz http://ping.fm/6mnc4

MD passed innovative legislation that will permit businesses in the state to assume a new corporate form called the “Benefit” or “B Corp.”

Other side of the UMD issue presented here: http://ping.fm/V0rYl

NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY will be done when COSTCO builds their Mega Gas Station at Wheaton Plaza, Wheaton, MD. Tell them No. http://ping.fm/jcD0P

MD State House bullies target UM law school. BaltSun Newspaper Opinion: http://ping.fm/5LCei

Will the State of GA include rain barrels in a tax credit bill? http://ping.fm/0f8v9

USAToday has a great article on what Portland is doing about stormwater rain http://ping.fm/X93G7

A Polk County Conservation Brd workshop on making rain barrels was called off midway through the program. Toxic Barrels!! http://ping.fm/mSLso

Great Site! Green My Parents http://ping.fm/q3uIU

The Bethesda Green Internship Fair will offer young adults and students an opportunity to explore careers http://ping.fm/sJTla

http://ping.fm/KdtQE April 21st at 9PM:
PBS premiere Maryland Public Television
during Chesapeake Bay Week

http://ping.fm/SdBMu "The Last Boat Out" a documentary about a family of watermen from the VA Peninsula.

An average family of four uses 881 gallons of water per week just by flushing the toilet. Reduce it now http://ping.fm/d3JvU

Aquabarrel has four products that are approved for the DC DDOE rebate program. Details will posted on the the site shortly.

Washington DC: March 16-28, 2010-18th annual environmental film fest
56 Venues, 155 Films http://ping.fm/a4tMq

Who would have thought that Hawaii would have drought issues? http://ping.fm/VXyHJ

DC Water &Sewer Auth (DC WASA) www.facebook.com/dcwasa for useful water-saving tips and to learn more about WaterSense labeled products.

Fix a Leak Week from March 15 to 21, 2010. Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year.

Yunnan is one of the five regions worst hit by drought in China. 20-million people are faced with a serious drinking water shortage http://ping.fm/zPPQR

...climate change is increasing competition for fresh water ... http://ping.fm/TbxUK

As economy booms, China faces major water shortage - http://ping.fm/zavqg

World Water Day 2010 is focusing on water quality theme. An estimated 1.1 billion people rely on unsafe drinking-water sources. http://ping.fm/8y5AT

Utah uses 293 gallons per person per day. This is the second highest amount in the nation. Utah is the second driest state in the nation.

Stop using the toilet as a waste basket. Every time you flush a spider, facial tissue or some other small bit of trash down the toilet, you waste 3-7 gallons of water.

A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,100 gallons per year.

Aquabarrel is replacing the heating and cooling system with a geo-thermal system this week.

James River Assoc. interactive website which assists landowners in the estimation of rainfall run-off quality and quantity. http://ping.fm/rbAyo

Aquabarrel Rain Barrels can be seen at these upcoming events http://ping.fm/u05OF

Aquabarrel snowmaggedon

Be aware of gutters clogging with ice. Water can run down the inside of the home. My father's home was destroyed Friday b/c of this overflow

FLORIDA kindergarten thru h.s. design a poster about water conservation National Drinking Water Week May 1-7, 2010 http://ping.fm/gia5n

Rockville, MD residents seeking certification from Natl Wildlife Fed (NWF) as a Community Wildlife Habitat. http://ping.fm/lQwcq

Aquabarrel snow storm of 2010 images to enjoy http://ping.fm/DLpGT

Four billion people threatened by water shortages http://ping.fm/0KKzu

EPA proposes standards to protect Florida's waters, hearings scheduled for February 16, 17 18, Tallahassee, Orlando, and West Palm Beach http://ping.fm/UefvV

Feasibility of Seawater Treatment in the United States http://ping.fm/2GlXV

We are closed until further notice! Associates do not even try to come to the warehouse http://ping.fm/zQDYw

Ever wonder where to go to report a g-mail spammer? Go here http://ping.fm/Gi7pn

Aquabarrel is experiencing e-mail issues with our hosting provider. They are aware of our problem and have staff feeding the hamsters.

San Marcos rain barrel rebate http://ping.fm/JucEA

Aquabarrel Rain Barrel will be closed Wednesday and Thursday to allow its associates time off to deal with 'snowmaggedon'.

San Marcos link - second try http://ping.fm/7lE1C

http://ping.fm/byqeI Rain Barrel Rebate Program, City of San Marcos

Groupon http://ping.fm/hjuWD great way to support a local business and you can really save with the coupons they offer

Rain Barrel Comparision

When you say, “rain barrel” the first thing that most of us think about is the quaint wooden barrel next to a barn. This image is slowly being replaced by that of a plastic barrel situated next to an urban or suburban home.

Wooden barrels must always have water in them to keep the wood swollen.  They don’t make the best containers for freezing weather locations as the ice forms inside the barrel. Many rain barrels were cut open to allow the rain to fall into the barrel. The average homeowner does not have livestock that would drink out of one or consume the insects that may take up residence and breeding in an open water source. While they are pretty they are over 200 pounds dry weight. Add water at eight pounds per gallon and they can get very heavy. That is a lot of concentrated weight to have to stabilize. Then there is the issue of functionality. Many designs do not account for the volume of excess water to be safely redirected after the barrel fills up. Nor do they address the draining of this very heavy wooden barrel. If a hose connector is placed several inches above the bottom of the barrel at some point the solutes (pollution, bird waste, pollen) drop to the bottom of the barrel. The weight of the barrel is such that tipping it over to get that sludge out is nearly impossible.

Plastic is easier and less expensive to form into a shape that is water tight. There are a couple of ways to create a shape in plastic. Blow molding is how milk gallon jugs are made. The mold that the plastic is formed with is very expensive but allows for a high volume of thin walled containers. Rain barrels are now being produced using this type of molding process. One should keep in mind the temperature variations that the plastic will be subjected to. Thin walled plastics do not usually hold up well over a long period of time either. These rain barrels are usually priced less then a comparable sized unit made from the rotomolding process.

Rotomolding of plastic is a common manufacturing method for rain barrels. The walls are usually thicker allowing for more stability of the shape. Weather extremes can be less of a stressor for the plastic compared to a thin walled blow molded rain barrels. Rotomolded rain barrels can have a UV inhibitor include, increasing life expectancy. Some plastics are formulated with a percentage of recycled material. If they are, then that barrel should not be considered for storage of potable water.

Rain barrels are usually designed as a ‘gravity flow’ based system.  Without pumps to move the water the barrel needs to be elevated. Water does not run uphill worth a darn so be selective of where you place the rain barrel in relation to where you are going to use the water.

Here is the basic math you’ll need to calculate the volume of water headed to the rain barrel: one inch of rainfall falling on a 12” x 12” surface will create about one half gallon of water. The volume of water to be captured can be staggering. So will your rain barrel ever fill up? In many cases it will faster than you would like. Now what happens? You need to review how the overflow is designed for the rain barrel. If you have a large volume of water exiting the downspout do you really think it will be able to exit out of a garden hose? Is the barrel a dark color? To reduce algae growth the barrel should be a dark color ( or painted  a dark color ) Where does the garden hose attach? The higher the hose attachment is placed on the barrel the more residual water will remain. Some might think this is a good idea and refer to it as ballast. The reality is that the water will be replaced with pollen and other debris that sinks to the bottom of the barrel. At some point you may notice that your barrel stinks. This is due to the microbes consuming the oxygen in the water as they digest the pollen and other ‘stuff’ in the barrel. Look for a barrel design that discharges the water from the lowest point on the barrel. An added benefit of a lower discharge point is greater water pressure and evacuating more water from the barrel.

So when you are looking for a rain barrel the features to look for are:

Location and size of overflow port

Location of the garden hose attachment

How thick the walls of the barrel are

All of these features can found on www.Aquabarrel.com rain barrels

UT Lawmakers want to legalize backyard rainwater collection and use http://ping.fm/Od1AO

EPA Fix a leak March 15 - 21, 2010 http://ping.fm/LHncf - let us help http://ping.fm/e72KV

It's easy to save water at the bathroom sink. Install a smart faucet adapter now only $15.99 (+S&H) http://ping.fm/pRqzv

Factoid: At about 200 miles long and as much as 35 miles wide, the Chesapeake Bay is the largest of 130 estuaries in the United States.

What you can do to prevent NPS pollution? http://ping.fm/JXMAk

Factoid: Used oil from one oil change can contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water - a year's supply for 50 people!

Factoid: The Great Lakes, are the largest surface freshwater source on the Earth it represents 90 percent of the U.S.'s freshwater supply

U.S. EPA to Initiate Rulemaking on Stormwater, http://ping.fm/eSJvp

L.A. DPW approves draft requires new homes to capture, reuse or infiltrate 100% of runoff generated by 3/4-inch rainstorm. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/01/rain-barrels-permeable-pavement-water-efficiency-storm-water-los-angeles-lid.html

Carolyn Kirk, mayor of the City of Gloucester says water supply cannot carry the city through the summer months. http://ping.fm/VzjKv

Fernandina Beach, FL increase taxes to cover stormwater management http://ping.fm/HQdK8

Reminder for all of you with Copyright. It's a new year and time to update Copyright © XXXX-2010. All rights reserved. Have a great 2010