Rainwater Revival and Hill Country
Alliance
provide incentives for schools to use water from the sky
Two Austin schools – J.J. Pickle
Elementary and Eden Park Academy – are receiving financial assistance to help
conserve water resources at their schools and teach students about the value of
water conservation. Both schools have been awarded grants by the Rainwater
Revival, an annual event that brings together water conservation experts and the
public.
The schools received two of the three
grants awarded from proceeds from the auction of rain barrels decorated by area
professional artists, and matching funds from the Hill Country Alliance, which
sponsors the event.
“This $900 grant will help us turn an
eroding slope that becomes a muddy mess when it rains into an educational rain
garden and self-sustaining pond ecosystem,” said Dr. Judith Hutchinson, a
special education teacher at Pickle Elementary in northeast Austin. “We’ll have
a valuable outdoor area for teaching and learning that complements our
butterfly, vegetable and peace gardens.”
Eden Park Academy, a charter school in
south Austin, will use its $900 award for rain barrels and improvements to the
guttering that will direct rainwater into the barrels, according to Principal
Johnnie Smith. ”Our school uses rainwater for its green spaces,” he said. “This
grant will help us expand our use of rainwater directly into our community
garden program, which encourages students and their families to learn and spend
quality time together.”
“Talented Hill Country artists design
and paint the rain barrels that are auctioned off at the Rainwater Revival,
making these unique works of art a delightful and useful addition to
landscapes,” Christy Muse, executive director of the Hill County Alliance, said.
“The art community is very in tune with the connection between art and nature
and is eager to help students learn the value of water.”
The third grant will be presented soon
to Bandera Middle School (Bandera ISD), which will expand the use of captured
HVAC condensate for irrigation purposes, a project designed, implemented and
guided by a cooperative effort involving students, faculty and
staff.
The 2012 Rainwater Revival, a free
event filled with music, food, fun and rainwater education from basic to
advanced, is set for Saturday, October 27, at the Boerne Convention Center, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.rainwaterrevival.com for more information about the event
and to see photos of rain barrels transforming into works of art.
The Hill Country Alliance is a
non-profit organization dedicated to caring for the unique features of the Texas
Hill Country for the benefit of future generations. Visit HCA at www.hillcountryalliance.org.
Photo caption: (Left) Christy Muse, Executive
Director of the Hill Country Alliance, presents a $900 rainwater conservation
grant check to Dr. Judith Hutchinson of J.J. Pickle Elementary School in Austin.
The school will use the funds to create a pond ecosystem and rain garden from
space that is currently unusable because of poor drainage. The grants are funded
by the auction of professionally decorated rain barrels at the annual Rainwater
Revival, which will be held this year on October 27 in Boerne.
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Media
contacts:
Karen Ford, 512.922.8234; karen@whitehatcreative.com
Kathi Thomas, 512.479.9H2O; info@rainwaterrevival.com
