JRA Celebrates Earth Day in Richmond

by Judith Warrington, JRA's Communications Coordinator

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the JRA booth on Saturday at the Richmond Earth Day Festival at the historic 17^th Street Farmers Market sponsored by Enrichmond. Our rain barrel raffle was a big hit and a number of people took the time to tell us about how they are using rain barrels at their home.

One of the best stories came from a man who had moved his family to Richmond from New York about three years ago, an extremely hot year. His mother was thrilled to have a place to grow roses at their new home. But he was shocked by how high his water bill was. He’d never had to pay for water before. His solution was to build a rain barrel out of a big trash can. He connected it to a downspout at the back of his house, beside his other trash can and conveniently located near his mother’s beloved rose garden. The result was a big savings on his water bill, a beautiful, well-watered rose garden, and a happy mom! He has since added other barrels and wants to do even more to save on his water usage.

Many people were surprised to learn that their rain barrels and other river-friendly practices put them well on their way to being a certified River hero Home… and that all they needed to do now was to apply to receive their certification and benefits! One woman who has multiple rain barrels in use, native plants, does not fertilizer her lawn, leaves her grass clippings in place and always picks up after her dog, looked at the list of RHH partners offering discounts and said, “I was just there and spent over $100 on plants!” Next time she goes to the garden center she’ll probably have her River Hero Home discount card!

Have you applied to become a River Hero Home yet? Make every day Earth Day. Become a certified River Hero Home. Help protect the James and save money by applying today.