I am trying to do my part to be Green. We recycle the water that falls from the roof of our house by catching it in rain barrels. We then use the water from the rain barrels to
water the garden. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough barrels to water the whole garden yet. I’m working on getting more – it’ll be on my Christmas list every year.

In the picture you can see the rain barrel at our home in Lakewood. Normally you would put the barrel directly under the downspout. Because of the gate to the left, we had to figure out how to set it up so that the gate would still open. We used a downspout extension to direct the water into the barrel. To start harvesting rain water or need more info: Natural Rain Water

Interview With Dan Borba about Rain Barrels at the Proctor Farmers’ Market

What do you bring to market? Rain barrels, rain barrel converting kits, “Make your Own Rain Barrel Kit”, “The Bucker” (a mini barrel to move water away from the house), and a “Plastic Bag Dryer” (washes plastic bags for reuse).

Where is it produced? It is produced in a shop in Fircrest, WA

When is it produced? Year round.

Tell us about the supplies that you use. Are they local, organic, etc.? The barrels are repurposed food containers from Greece and India. The rain barrels are produced using parts that are 50% U.S.A. made and 50% overseas.

How and/or why is your product unique? I’ve been producing the rain barrels since 1999 — so the design has developed over time to answer the growing environmental demand for water stewardship.

What got you into this industry? I made a proto-type rain barrel, and I was amazed at how much water came off of a modest 1,200 square foot roof in a typical Tacoma
rain year. One inch of rain fall on a 1,000 foot surface will yield approximately 500 gallons of soft, untreated rain water. An average roof has 27,000 gallons of rain that can be harvested.

Tell us about the process of creating your product. (1) Get repurposed food barrels, (2) clean them, and (3) add fittings to convert them to rain barrels.
I don’t want any brand name associated with my rain barrels. I want to de-mystify the concept of rain barrels. Rain barrels are simple, easy to understand and to use.

What else can people find your products? On my website and the City of Tacoma’s Enviro House at the Tacoma Landfill — 3510 S. Mullen St.

What do you enjoy about this line of work? I enjoy changing the way people look at their environment and changing the paradigm about where their water comes from. I also enjoy helping the environment. I want to be less of a passive consumer and more of an active user of sustainable technologies. I enjoy the R&D (research and design) process. I’m looking for more new and simple ways to use rainwater.

Anything else you want add? I don’t have any local competition, so I’m able to do what I love, when I want to do it. I appreciate the Proctor Farmers’ Market venue because it allows me to spread the word about “rain harvesting”.

More Information: South Sounders Get Creative, Harvest Rain: The Olympian