Conserve Water With a DIY Rain Chain (with video)

“Sustainability isn’t just about the way we build. It is a state of mind. Good design embodies, there inspires and nurtures that way of thinking and living.” ~ Michelle Kaufmann Last summer, I was sitting enjoying a warm downpour in my garden screened-in porch, when my roof gutter gave way. It was like a dam had broken, and the water started to funnel down like an inverted geyser. I watched, as my usually thirsty plants started to look like drowned rats. The water poured down with no rhyme or reason in a steady gush. It was in that moment that I had a glimmer of recollection about ogling over rain chains that were displayed at a recent design show. These attractively designed rain chains looked something like this, and might just be the solution for the drainage problem.

About Rain Chains According to Harvest H20: “Rain chains (‘Kusari doi’ in Japanese) offer a highly attractive and unique alternative to traditional downspouts. They are hung from the corners of your roof or canal to guide the flow of water into large barrels to catch the water from the roof for household purposes and gardening. They have been used for hundreds of years in Japan, and are a perfect expression of the Japanese knack for combining aesthetics and practicality.” 5 Reasons To Put Up a Rain Chain 1. Rain chains can provide a managed runoff solution that direct water away from the roof alleviating the chance for leaking, soil degradation and erosion. ?2. Along with rain barrels, rain chains are an eco-minded water solution that can aid in collecting water for later household usage. 3. Rain chains provide an enjoyable tranquil water feature that can be used to enhance ponds and gardens. 4. Rain chains are low-maintenance. 5. You can make one yourself!

DIY Rain Chain I’ve followed sustainable building architect, Michelle Kaufmann for years. She is a pioneer in the field of green building. Michelle shares the inspiration from one of her clients who, "...incorporated rain chains to take the rainwater from the roof and direct it down to the reflecting pools and planters, thus conserving water by not using fresh drinking water for irrigation, but rather functionally using rain water. Not only does this help reduce storm water run-off (which is increasingly becoming a problem in many jurisdictions), but it also visually celebrates the water beautifully. This move takes something that is typically seen as a problem or a challenge and makes it into an opportunity for nature as art."

Building A Sustainable Future: The Greenest Living Building and Biomimicry

As an environmental writer, I have the unique opportunity to explore a multitude of eco-related subjects. With environmental news rightfully focused on catastrophic events such as the Gulf Oil Spill, and stories about greenwashing running rampant, it may seem like there’s a fog descending upon the green world. But, I source exciting fresh information daily, I'm impressed with the level of new eco-friendly products and sustainable materials available.

As a blogger I feel that it is my duty and honor to dish out environmental news and commentary about things that have the capacity to enrich the environment and hopefully, create a more sustainable future for our kids.

I was invited last month to the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies to tour one of the most sustainable buildings in the world and listen to architects, designers and eco-visionaries discuss the inspirational process of creating the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL). The OCLS is a state-of-the-art water reclamation facility and environmental education center that brings together wastewater recycling, clean energy, green architecture and other sustainability elements that can be replicated locally and globally.

Omega spent the last four years working to achieve one of the most prestigious honors in the green world – The Living Building Challenge. To make this happen, Omega had to reach the most advanced level of sustainability in a built environment. Here we (writers and photographers) are hearing Omega's, Skip Backus talk about building the OCSL:

Three awe-inspiring things I learned at the OCSL:

1. As a high-performance designed building, the OCSL is powered by passive solar heating, a geothermal system, a photovoltaic power and includes a greenhouse and green roof, constructed wetlands and a green classroom that integrate seamlessly with the natural environment. 2. The OCSL is a teaching facility that teaches Omega participants as well as local schoolchildren how to adopt sustainable living practices in their own lives and homes. 3. From waste come life – At the core of the center is a greenhouse with a living water filtration system that uses plants, bacteria, algae, snails and fungi to recycle Omega’s wastewater (approximately 5 million gallons per year) into clean water used to restore the aquifer. To watch a video about the OCSL and learn more CLICK HERE.

While I was visiting Omega, a conference called, Design By Nature: Creative Solutions With Biomimicry, Permaculture & Sustainable Design was in full swing. This event brought together some of the nation’s foremost leaders in the fields of biomimicry, permaculture, and sustainable architecture. The main objective was to explore the creative potential of these promising green technologies for the sustainability of the planet.

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a fascinating emerging science that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.

Biomimicry can answer questions such as:

How would nature get water to the desert? How would nature heat and cool a home? How would nature create color without harmful chemicals or dyes? How would nature create non-toxic waterproof adhesive?

To find the answers to these questions and read more about how biomimicry can change our lives CLICK HERE.

As we hope to forge towards a more sustainable future, we can learn so much from "living buildings" like the OCSL at Omega, and scientific ideas such as biomimicry. They truly fill me with the promise of a bright green future.

Photo Credits: Omega Institute and Care2

Do You Live in A Slow Home? Take the Test...

"Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means." ~ Albert Einstein What is a Slow Home? Think of a Slow Home as you would think about Slow Food. Or, thumb think about the opposite of Slow Food – processed food. That would equate a fast home to be a standardized, hospital homogenous, hospital wasteful home that is not advantageous for the environment or healthy for our bodies. The interiors and exteriors of Slow Homes tread lightly. They are simple to live in, designed with intention, and a benefit to the environment.

Take the Slow Home Test to find out if your home is fast or slow. CLICK HERE FOR MORE (and to find out why I need to slow up even more)

Credit: J. Morgan Puett via Desire To Inspire

3 Things I Want to Say About The Clinton Wedding

While I was on vacation, Chelsea Clinton got married in my hometown. I watched from afar and observed my beautiful village getting swept up in the media frenzy. My generally calm, cool and collected friends were awash with celeb-fever. Maybe I would have been too if I wasn’t so removed (thankfully) from all the action.

Here are 3 things I want to say about the wedding:

1. They got married in a remarkable estate that I have had the privilege to visit. I was invited for a meeting at Astor Courts this past spring and took these photos. I was awestruck by its majestic beauty. Many homes along the Hudson River are steeped in rich history and well preserved. Most have been updated in period styles laden with heavy decorative detailing. The current owner has taken the genteel roots of this home and paid homage to both its architecture and spectacular surroundings. Without being bland or overly muted, the space is saturated in neutrals. There is a dynamic juxtaposition of contrasting textures, fabrics, and shapes that is anything but stagnant. It’s a perfect backdrop for a wedding.

clinton-wedding2

This New York Timesarticle describes how the estate, designed by architect Stanford White, was brought back to life.

2. For whatever reason (and there is much speculation about Chelsea’s gluten-free, meet-free diet), the menu was vegan and the wedding claimed to be green. Wedding menus can run the gamut from roast beef to raw, but a vegan menu encompasses a lifestyle choice that obviously works for Chelsea and her new husband. Some may have found it limiting, but the couple's decision was respected. You've gotta love that.

3. I wish them all the best, and thank them for choosing my little town on the Hudson while I am far, far away from the hoopla (and paparazzi), enjoying the gifts of my own family, the sun and the sea.