Tired of watching rainwater roll off your roof and into the street while half your water bill goes to irrigate your lawn? Want to develop a good plan to save money and make your yard more environmentally sustainable? In 2014, UF/IFAS Extension in Seminole County partnered with Coca-Cola to conducted six rain barrel workshops to teach residents how to do precisely that. Coca-Cola gave about $8,000 worth of 55-gallon plastic drums suitable for rain barrels to Seminole County’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping^TM program. The donation reduced participants’ fees to $20, and all six of the workshops quickly filled to capacity. Together, the enthusiastic participants completed 130 rain barrels to take home. Rain barrells save an average of 1,906 gallons of water per 1,000 square feet annual, so participants will save a total of about 250,000 gallons of water for each year they’re used. And the savings don’t stop there--the workshoppers also learned how to properly calibrate their sprinklers and went home with a host of tips and water-saving strategies. It’s just one of the many ways UF/IFAS Extension can help you find solutions for your life.

UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones