I was in Ace Hardware where I came across the first rain barrel I had seen in stores.  It was $99 and made of plastic, so there is one of those sore contradictions.  The amount of plastic in that barrel was a concern, but I had to admit to the practicality of something that would stand up over time.  Unfortunately, the older wood barrels are also going to be hard to find.

It was equipped with a threaded spout at the bottom, so there was a ready connection for your lawnscape watering.  The natural ability to set up a water soaker system is pretty simple for most homes or offices.  The gravity would not allow for a sprinkler system, but the idea for most landscaping is to provide a daily watering system anyway.  A variety of small pumps now enable watering of all your lanscaping needs.  See this rain barrel site.   This water is clean but not drinkable, so it is suitable for nearly any watering need including a garden.  Depending on the height versus gravity, a hose could be used for a slower gravity-driven water hose to water flower or garden plants.

Realizing the negative factor of watering the lawn, scrubs, flowers, and garden plants, rain barrels are eco-smart and highly recommended.  Depending on your creativity, it is possible to get a little creative and make use of the available rain water as it comes.

This falls into the area of sustainability rather than a Green topic since we are considering how to better use our resources (water) from a very natural and replenishable source.  In smaller consideration, less water goes into the sewer system, cumulatively adds to soil erosion, or needs to be taken from our treated water system.

One of the projects taught by the Green Business League is the rather simple and not-so-expensive cost of installing a system that will divert the rain water from a building to a retention system that can be used for watering.  Even retention ponds have the ability to be used for watering the grounds using a small pumping system.

Need an expert advisor to guide your business to a Green Business status?  Try contacting a Green Clean Consultant working in  your area through the Green Business League.