Generating your own energy, recycling the waste, as a citizen you can arrange all that yourself. But when it comes to water, it is a different story. You can only get that from your tap.
“It;s strange” Els Wanders says “People look at water as a given thing. It’s there as soon as you turn your tap. But in fact, we should be more conscious about it.” And that is why Els founded the Raindrops Foundation. This foundation not only informs citizens about ways to use less water in general but also about how to recycle rain-water.
People tend to pave their gardens, because that actually means low maintenance. But it has a huge down site. When there is a heavy rain, the water can’t go anywhere so streets get more and more flooded. There is just too little soil to absorb it. Replacing some flags with plants will immediately do the trick. And let’s be honest: plants do look more attractive anyway. Another solution: the good old rainbarrel should be reinstated.
“Awesome!” according to Els “You kill two birds with one stone, the rain-water is collected AND it can be reused.” “To sprinkle your garden or to wash your car.” In the United States rainbarrels are hot! People paint them so they look nice and you can even join a contest on who has the most beautiful painted rainbarrel.
Rainbarrels are there in all sorts and sizes. The old fashioned ones you can buy second hand. But also very fancy ones. And you can even get garden fences with the possibility to store rain-water.
Els will gladly inform you about all the possibilities. You can find her at the old music school at the J.P. Coenstraat in Best. Then you can also see an example of a painted rainbarrel.