This year's dry weather may be great for barbecues, but how is it going to impact our water supplies? Earthwise Society's new Rain Harvest program looks at the sustainability of our water resources and shows homeowners how to create rain gardens to help conserve and protect fresh water supplies.
A rain garden is designed to collect run-off from roofs and driveways and direct it to a landscaped infiltration area where the water can slowly re-enter the ground water. Rain gardens divert pollutants from storm drains and replenish water supplies.
While an individual rain garden might seem like a small thing, collectively they produce substantial environmental benefits for neighbourhoods.
This summer, Earthwise Society will be offering a series of four workshops on the design and installation of rain gardens for residential landscapes.
The series starts with a free Introduction to Rain Gardens presentation on Thursday, July 2 at 7 p.m. Come and learn more about this increasingly important topic and find out what can be done.
Sessions on Saturday, July 4 and Thursday, July 9 will cover the basics of designing a rain garden and choosing plants for water conservation. On Saturday,
July 11, there will be a day long build-it workshop installing a demonstration rain garden at Earthwise.
Workshops will be led by Earthwise horticulturist Thomas Dean. For more information on the Rain Harvest program, and workshop costs, visit www.earthwisesociety.bc.ca or call 604-946-9828.
The Earthwise Society Garden and Farm is at 6400-3rd Ave.
