Crystalline rain

It won't surprise you to learn that guys who stay fixated on rain like we do are fascinated by the beauty of it in its crystalline ice form.

We agree with Thoreau:

"How full of the Creative Genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat. Nature is full of genius, full of the Divinity, so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand."

And Jeanette Winterson:

"They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?"

So enjoy a few photos and a video slideshow of these marvels from the heavens:

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Blue Man Group - Up to the Roof

Why this video?

It's got Blue Men pounding on PVC pipes.

While the lady sings "Up to the Roof."

With scenes of swirling sky projected overhead.

And parts of the performance booming and flashing like thunder and lightning.

See how it's vaguely metaphorical for rainwater harvesting?

Actually, it's just a really cool video.

And every profession should have a rock anthem theme song, don't you think?

As in Avatar, so in Atlanta?

This was the money shot from Avatar, winning the Academy Award for best Visual Effects Scene for 2010. In a movie full of ground-breaking special effects and astounding eye candy, there were certainly more dramatic and complicated effects from the movie. What was it about the simple act of drinking from a leaf that resonated with the judges?

Here on earth, the city of Atlanta is one step closer to the passage of a bill legalizing potable rainwater harvesting systems. With this ordinance, rainwater harvesting systems could be used to supply 100% of a single family home's water needs, including drinking water. The City Council could approve the legislation as early as September 2011.

The proposed ordinance could become a national model. “Other cities … are referring to this Atlanta City Ordinance as a format for the preparation of similar ordinances in areas across the United States,” EPA microbiologist Dennis J. Lye, who helped to develop the proposal, recently wrote.

Waterboxx water harvester could help green the desert

Another water harvester at the microscale that is the product of biomimicry is the Groasis Waterboxx. This "exceptionally well-designed bucket" could help reforest arid and semi arid regions of the world, preventing the forced migration of millions of people in the next few years. The Waterboxx hydro-hugs tiny trees with collected dew and rainwater, slowly releasing just enough water to the sapling to sustain it while its roots grow deeper in search of more water.

In recent tests using the Waterboxx, ninety percent of trees planted in the Sahara desert survived, versus only ten percent using traditional water-wasting irrigation methods.

Dew Bank mimics fog-basking beetle

The world of water harvesting from natural sources exists across an amazingly broad spectrum. At one end you've got macroscale projects such as a 52 story skyscraper that harvests rainwater. At the microscale you've got a tiny desert-dwelling beetle that harvests water from morning fog. Onymacris unguicularis or "fog-basking" beetle gets its daily hydration by sticking it's back end up in the early morning air to gather moisture. The condensation gravity feeds to its mouth.

Designer Kitae Pak of Yanko Design took biomimetric inspiration from this creature to create the Dew Bank. The dome-shaped water bottle encourages condensation formation that is captured in a rim basin. This "beetle juice inspired" water harvester can be a life saver for people living in water stressed areas of the world.

Rain barrels, indeed!

We can't help but chuckle when some folks refer to our business as "rain barrels." Projects like the LEED Platinum Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park go way beyond capturing a little rain to water the house plants. Rainwater harvesting is pretty serious business when you consider that a recent US government survey showed at least 36 states expect to have local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013.

95% of the rainwater that falls on the One Bryant Park site is reused. Rainwater is captured and stored on the roofs and at points throughout the 52 floors, including 5 primary cisterns constructed in the building's core that can store up to 330,000 gallons of water. The water is used for toilet flushing, cooling tower make-up, steam production, and even ice for cooling the building. The "ice batteries" are produced at night during off-peak hours. The rainwater harvesting delivery system is gravity-based, without the need for mechanical pumping, which also saves on energy.

The project saves over 10 million gallons of city water per year while allowing virtually zero stormwater back into the overtaxed city system.

Rain Brain

The new RMS Series 100 Controller is designed to manage your entire rainwater harvesting system regardless of the complexity of the system. The RMS Series 100 Controller has an LED display panel with audible and visual alarms. The controller is pre-programmed and can be field adjusted to control cistern pumps, open and close solenoid valves, monitor flows, control injection pumps and monitor UV purification systems. The controller can connect to system networks through USB or ethernet and can be assigned an IP address, allowing communication via Internet for remote access of rainwater and domestic water usage and water quality data.  

Feature for feature, the RMS Series 100 Controller is the most affordable solution on the market today for integrating, controlling, and monitoring your rainwater harvesting system.