thecistern.comthecistern.comhttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011-12-02T01:48:22ZSquarespaceCrystalline rainhttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/12/1/crystalline-rain.html[Burke Sisco]2011-12-02T01:48:16Z2011-12-02T01:48:16ZIt 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:

]]>Blue Man Group - Up to the Roofhttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/8/27/blue-man-group-up-to-the-roof.html[Burke Sisco]2011-08-27T21:38:21Z2011-08-27T21:38:21Z

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?http://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/8/16/as-in-avatar-so-in-atlanta.html[Burke Sisco]2011-08-16T20:12:37Z2011-08-16T20:12:37Z

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 deserthttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/8/16/waterboxx-water-harvester-could-help-green-the-desert.html[Burke Sisco]2011-08-16T14:18:47Z2011-08-16T14:18:47Z

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 beetlehttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/8/12/dew-bank-mimics-fog-basking-beetle.html[Burke Sisco]2011-08-12T20:13:12Z2011-08-12T20:13:12Z

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!http://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/7/12/rain-barrels-indeed.html[Burke Sisco]2011-07-12T20:48:16Z2011-07-12T20:48:16ZWe 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 Brainhttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/6/15/rain-brain.html[Burke Sisco]2011-06-15T13:09:58Z2011-06-15T13:09:58Z

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. 

]]>More upside down umbrellashttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/6/6/more-upside-down-umbrellas.html[Burke Sisco]2011-06-06T23:10:43Z2011-06-06T23:10:43ZReaders of this blog are aware of our fascination with the idea of the umbrella as raincatcher. Here's a couple more we've come across:

On a serious note:  It illustrates the notion that we should take personal responsibility for water stewardship.

]]>Fighting rain with rain: Canton fire station #2 open househttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/3/25/fighting-rain-with-rain-canton-fire-station-2-open-house.html[Burke Sisco]2011-03-25T18:42:37Z2011-03-25T18:42:37ZFirefighters wash trucks with harvested rainwater at Canton Station #2

On April 28th an open house at Fire Station #2 in Canton, Georgia will demonstrate a highwater mark in resource management and conservation for a Georgia municipal building. The station recently installed a rainwater harvesting system that will save the facility about 210,000 gallons of water per year. This is being accomplished by diverting roof and driveway rainwater from the storm drains into four 1700 gallon in ground cisterns. The water goes through special filters pre-and post-storage, yielding a very high quality water that meets federal water quality standards. The water is being used for irrigation, toilet flushing, and vehicle washing. Standard operational procedure for the fire station is to wash fire trucks dispatched during a rain event upon their return to the station. This can add up to a lot of water use at 250 gallons-per-wash. Now the fire station “fights rain with rain” when it’s time to remove soil and grime caused by the fire trucks driving in inclement weather.

Diane Minick, Watershed Director for the Upper Etowah River Alliance, engineered a combination of federal grant money from the Environmental Protection Agency and matching funds from the north Georgia office of the Nature Conservancy and the Southeast regional office of the World Wildlife Fund to pay for the $29,000 project. According to Minick, benefits of using the rainwater on site include a reduction in the changes in elevation in the river from storm surges and a reduction in the amount of sediment and chemicals entering the river because of stormwater runoff. Rain.Shine Technologies was contracted to design and install the system. Rain.Shine is adding a growing roster of municipal building installations to dozens of residential and commercial systems they have installed in the Southeast.

An 11:00 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony will precede the open house. Fire Station #2 is located at 2731 Marietta Highway, Canton, GA.

]]>Real rain-washed laundryhttp://www.thecistern.com/the-cistern/2011/1/4/real-rain-washed-laundry.html[Burke Sisco]2011-01-04T21:29:30Z2011-01-04T21:29:30ZEver notice how often "rain" is employed in the marketing of laundry detergent? I currently have two different brands of detergent in my laundry room that include "rain-fresh" and "after the rain" on the label. A search of the interwebs reveals more: "spring rain," "renewing rain," "mountain rain," etc. 

What about using real rainwater to wash clothes? You will actually use about half the detergent, due to the naturally soft, inert, mineral-free quality of rainwater. For centuries past, our ancestors used it on wash day [laundry and bath]. Now you can legally use it for laundry purposes in Georgia. I live in a LEED Platinum home that was the first home in Atlanta approved for harvested rainwater to be used in the washing machine. One thing we immediately noticed is that we didn't require fabric softener anymore. This is a very good thing because the Allergy and Environmental Health Association lists both liquid and dryer sheet fabric softener as "the most toxic product produced for daily household use." Here is a list of some of the chemicals found in the stuff we use to make our clothes static-free and fresh-smelling:

  • Benzyl acetate [linked to pancreatic cancer]
  • Pentane [known to be harmful if inhaled]
  • Limonene [known carcinogen]
  • Benzyl Alcohol [upper respiratory tract irritant]
  • Ethanol [on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders]
  • A-Terpineol [can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage]
  • Ethyl Acetate [narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list]
  • Camphor [causes central nervous system disorders]
  • Chloroform [neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic]
  • Linalool [narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders]

RainCatchers was recently contacted by a Georgia company that is planning several green laundromats that will use rainwater instead of municipal water. Customers will enjoy health and economic benefits by using less detergent and no fabric softener. In 2009, our associates at Rainwater Management Solutions installed a large-scale system for a Western Virginia Regional Jail laundry facility that saves 11 million gallons of water per year. 

What about a laundromat that uses rainwater for washing and allows you to line-dry on the roof? There's an idea from the rain.shine lab for the eco-entrepreneurs out there...

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