Now that the calendar says it\u2019s officially spring, one of God\u2019s most precious gifts should regularly start falling from the heavens \u2013 water.\u00a0 The Bible is full of references to water, and it is through water that we are baptized.\u00a0 Water is a wonderful gift, but can often be taken for granted, or even become destructive.\u00a0 This year when the rain comes, I encourage you to manage the water that falls into your yard (or church property!) in an environmentally friendly manner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How does rainwater management relate to care of God\u2019s creation?\u00a0 During a rainstorm, the excess water that isn\u2019t immediately absorbed into the ground runs off your property, carrying any chemicals you may use on your lawn.\u00a0 It travels across your driveway\/sidewalk\/street\/parking lot gathering chemicals along the way, and into the storm sewer system.\u00a0\u00a0 This water ends up in local streams, rivers and lakes \u2013 as well as the contaminants it has picked up on the way.\u00a0\u00a0 Not only is this contamination harmful to aquatic plants and animals, but also to people who eat the fish from the lake, or take a swim at the beach.\u00a0 It can also result in higher costs to treat that water if the polluted water happens to be a source of drinking water.\u00a0 Excess rainwater can also cause erosion and flooding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Installing a rain barrel (or two) at your house and\/or congregation is both environmentally and financially advantageous.\u00a0 The rain barrel collects the water from a downspout, and saves it for future use in watering plants, gardens, or grass.\u00a0 If you are a gardener, or just like to water your grass, using water from your rain barrel will also save you money.\u00a0 It is also better for your plants as the water hasn\u2019t been chemically treated.<\/p>\n
Anything that slows down the flow of water helps recharge the water table by increasing the amount of time the water has to soak into the ground, rather than becoming storm water runoff.\u00a0 A rain barrel reserves the excess water to future use, but a rain garden is another way to slow down the flow of water.\u00a0 A rain garden is an area where excess rainwater is diverted after a storm and allowed to pool.\u00a0 This area is planted with native plants that like \u201cwet feet\u201d and will allow the water to gradually recede. Here in the Midwest, plants like Queen of the Prairie, Blue Flag Iris and Obedient plant will thrive in these seasonally wet conditions and attract wildlife to your yard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of allowing God\u2019s precious gift of water to rush through your yard and into the nearest stream, I encourage you to slow that water down and enjoy it.\u00a0 During the heat of the summer, it is refreshing to take advantage of saved spring rains to revive your thirsty plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rain barrels can be purchased online, or at local retailers.\u00a0 You can even build your own \u2013there are many different sites online that provide instructions.\u00a0 What plants are native where you live?\u00a0 Check out information about native plants that thrive in your area, as well as nurseries that sell them, at www.plantnative.org<\/a>. \u00a0My neighborhood hosts a native plant business during the growing season (www.EarthWildGardens.com<\/a>), but if you\u2019re looking for mail order native plants suited to the Midwest, try Prairie Moon Nursery (http:\/\/www.prairiemoon.com<\/a>).\u00a0 Welcome to spring!<\/p>\n Erin Cummisford<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that the calendar says it\u2019s officially spring, one of God\u2019s most precious gifts should regularly start falling from the heavens \u2013 water.\u00a0 The Bible is full of references to water, and it is through water that we are baptized.\u00a0 Water is a wonderful gift, but can often be taken for granted, or even become […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6063,6065,6045,6066,87],"class_list":["post-1939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-care-of-creation","tag-native-plants","tag-rain-barrels","tag-rain-gardens","tag-water"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n