Awareness

Collecting rainwater used to be just the pursuit of the hardened gardener but in recent years, more and more councils across the UK have started to install water butts on new build houses to stop flooding and to save their sewage systems from being overwhelmed. Even if harvested rainwater is thrown down a kitchen sink, it staggers the rainfall and eases flooding in the streets during a storm. The good news is, the more we harvest rainwater, the more things we find out we can do with it (read our article on how rainwater harvesting could save you money to find out what you can do with collected rainwater). Water butts, water tanks and water barrels can help to create a sustainable garden and support people wanting to live in an eco-friendly manner. Rainwater harvesting systems have become a hero to many so you may be considering installing one yourself.

Read through this definitive guide on whether you should have a water butt, water barrel or water tank:

Organic September was founded by the Soil Association to try to encourage consumers to try organic produce and become more aware of farming procedures. From making smart purchase choices to growing your own fruit and veg, starting an organic living journey can begin with the smallest of steps. Whether you want to cut down your impact on the Earth or you wish to help wildlife and animals, living organically can aid more than just the environment directly around you. With more of us becoming eco-conscious and aware, it no surprise that sales of Soil Association labelled organic products are on the up, although we must be aware that some items are not all they seem.

This year’s Hampton Court Garden Festival was blessed with great weather and soaring temperatures. If you watched the coverage on BBC, you probably noticed how beautiful the weather was. Along with typically good weather, garden festivals and shows are traditionally the time to showcase beautiful gardens and trends within gardening. They have also become a time to push the boundaries slightly and have areas that are installed to create debate and shock. This year’s Hampton Court RHS show was no exception. Whilst similar fashions and materials were used in the displays that were in the Chelsea Flower Show 2019, a few different themes were explored.

Many of us now know about rainwater harvesting systems and what they are used for, but it was not always as popular as it is now. Water butts, and online searches for rainwater harvesting is up 200% in the last year so, the public are becoming more interested in collecting rainwater and more people are using it for more than just watering plants. This water can also be used for cleaning cars, flushing toilets and more, which can help a household become eco-friendlier. The wealth of knowledge on this subject is growing as communities educate each other on rainwater harvesting and the benefits of becoming more self-sufficient. Modern water supplies are filtered and brought in from reservoirs, but how did our ancestors get hold of water when they did not have systems we have now?



The Romans

Millions of tourists flock every year to see the many towns and cities in the UK that have remnants from the Roman Empire still standing. It is a real testament to Roman engineering that some of these buildings and constructions still exist and people can visit them. One notable structure that still stands are Aqueducts. Some of these are still used in parts of Europe as railway bridges and as a transport for water. Originally, these were placed to help bring water down from outside sources such as fresh springs to fill latrines, public baths, private households and fountains. The water was moved downwards using gravity and had sedimentation tanks built in to take away any debris. This was a remedy to people collecting rainwater in storage jars and cisterns as their populations and need to build structured civilisations grew.



Filtering & Purifying Water Around the World

Early water treatments included boiling water in the sunshine but if boiling water this way was impossible, other communities would use sand in cisterns to filter rainwater. As people started to cook using heat, water was boiled over fires to kill disease and impurities. Although boiling water is one of the most effective ways of killing bacteria and diseases, distillation was invented in the 8^th Century as a slower, heat free but very effective way of creating safe water.

As our knowledge of chemicals and compounds grew, Ancient Egyptians found that adding Alum to unfiltered water would group all impurities together and make it easy to skim particles and debris away. Also, the use of filtering using charcoal popularised as civilisations found it to be advantageous. Some of these methods are still used in areas of the world where running water is unfiltered.

For millions of years, civilisations have found ways of improving water quality and taste, but there was not one standard way of providing pure water to populations. Thanks to leaps in science in the last 150 years, most of the world has been able to have safe drinking water in our houses. Also, with inventions such as the Gutter Mate, we have been able to filter debris from rainwater straight from our gutters with ease.

Modern Day

With advances in technologies, we are now able to harvest rainwater and cut back on the filtered water that is now our main supply. In a way, it is almost like we have had to take a step back in time to become eco-friendlier and help take the strain away from modern reservoirs and the demand for pure water. Studies also suggest that rainwater is actually better for watering plants, fruit and vegetables as it is less treated and more organic.



Rainwater harvesting packages and water butts have come in leaps and bounds over recent years as we take huge steps away from storage jars and filtering water by hand. On large scales you can have rainwater pumped back into your house (after being properly filtered) and smaller scales, you can install a water butt and harvest rainwater relatively cheaply and fuss-free.

If you are interested in having rainwater pumped back into your house, call us on 01462 429720 or explore our systems and packages. To start a rainwater harvesting project, delve into our large range of water butts and decorative water butts (so that you don’t compromise on style!).

Our full range can be found here at Water Butt Warehouse.

Water is a very valuable commodity and as our population increases, the need for running water becomes greater.  Small wastes can become large-scale problems when many households exhaust the supply. You may already be trying to preserve your water supply by not wasting water and not using excessive amounts for household tasks, but there may be more you could do. Water Butts Direct have teamed up with Thames Water to help and educate people on how to use and save their water better.

Water Preservation is a Hot Topic at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been one of the most prestigious flower shows in the world since its inception in 1912. Known for inventive displays and outrageous exhibitions, the show is at the forefront of showcasing fashion, beauty and pushing boundaries in the gardening world. 2019 was no different.

Given how this show is known for having the latest styles and trends, it was perhaps unsurprising that with the recent attention in the media focused on the environment, some of the themes centred around water preservation, sustainability and finding eco-friendly ways of living. Many of the displays were either made from eco-friendly resources, revealed inventions to help green programs across the world or were trying to raise awareness.

Making some small and affordable changes around your home can have a huge effect on the environment. These changes can help to reduce your carbon footprint whilst also saving you money.

In this post, we’ve put together our top-tips of eco-friendly changes that you can make in your home. We’ve left out recycling as you’ll likely be doing this if you’re interested in living an eco-friendly life.

As we all could have guessed, our British summer has brought us both the highs of scorching hot days and the lows of the more customary wet ones.

This unpredictable nature of our weather means that we should always be prepared for the inevitable downpour to ruin the BBQ plans!

Whilst that might be enough to make people move abroad, some that will be thankful for the rain include your garden plants.

So, have you ever considered how a water butt could make a difference to caring for them (and you!)?