By Community Organizer Erin Johnson, esq. erinp.johnson@sierraclub.org
On April 27 nearly 125 people gathered at the Detroit Riverfront's Gabriel Richard Park to begin their journey harvesting rainwater, protecting the Great Lakes and having a great time doing it. Check out the video recap by Sierra Club volunteer Don Wellman of this amazing event on the Sierra Club Michigan Youtube channel.
Hosted on America's #1 Riverfront, Rain Barrels on the Riverfront is a once a year collaboration between the Sierra Club of Michigan, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and MI RainBarrel, making rain barrels and rain barrel education more accessible to Detroiters and other Michiganders. Participants are able to purchase a deeply discounted 58-gallon rain barrel from MI Rain Barrel, attend a live rain barrel workshop and demonstration with the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter to prepare their rain barrel for home use and paint their rain barrel on site. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy hosts what is always a beautiful display of environmentalism and provides the backdrop for attendees to learn more about sustainability practices through supporting partners who provide on-site information tables and interactive activities.
For river cities like Detroit, diverting rainwater away from our combined sewer overflow (CSO) system reduces pollution entering the Detroit River and helps to minimize flooding events, with which we have become all too familiar. With rainfall estimates continuing to increase annually, the problem of the CSO being overwhelmed with rain water is only getting worse. The 85 rain barrels sold at this event will help divert an astonishing 16,000 liters of water from the CSO system this year alone!
"I always remind folks that the rest of the United States is counting on us, Michiganders, to take great care of the Great Lakes!" Community Organizer Erin Johnson states. “The Great Lakes account for 84% of North America's surface fresh water and about 21% of the world's supply of surface fresh water, an unmatched local resource and something we all MUST do something about.”