Education and Conservation are Key for this Lynchburg River Hero Home

David Stokes showing off vegetables from his
garden in front of a wall of climbing spinach

David Stokes lives in Lynchburg, Virginia a few miles from the James River with his wife Gail. He has certified his home as a River Hero Home and believes in helping educate the public on the importance of native plants and water conservation.

Even though David is retired, he is a very busy man! He is a certified Master Gardener and he volunteers much of his time educating the community about the importance of plants. Through the Master Gardener program, he works with DePaul Family Services to maintain a flower and vegetable garden to teach the importance of growing your own food and eating healthy. David also spends time at the Lynchburg Juvenile Detention Center where he works with teenagers planting a vegetable garden to grow produce for their meals. He is also president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 196, a member of the American Legion and on the Commanders Board at the Salem Veterans Administration.

Becoming a River Hero Home was a no brainer for David. He has seen changes, both good and bad, to the river over his lifetime and has spent many years enjoying the James. Since he has been recycling for over 45 years and his home is on well water, it seemed only natural to recycle his rain water too. The Stokes’ have rain barrels, rain cubes and a drip irrigation system installed at their home. He uses the water he collects to water his native plants and trees.

Rain cubes collect runoff from your roof when it rains.

And he sure does he have his system figured out! With a beautifully landscaped lawn full of native plants, as well as a vegetable garden, David needs quite a bit of water. With his current setup, a half an inch of rainfall allows him to collect over 900 gallons of free water!

David says it is important to practice what you preach. If you believe in conservation, then setting up a rain collection system is a great way to do your part to conserve water.  Using this water to help your native plants thrive also provides habitat for wildlife and improves water quality in the James River.