Earth Day participants host rain barrel sales and e-waste collection

PECI students waved drivers into the E-waste Collection Day area at the back of the high school. The students collected more than $400 in donations for the Loyalist Humane Society.

PECI students Kyle Stacey, Jaret Parliament, Niamh Hill and Carter Purtelle assist CSG's Don Ross to carry and gather accessories for rain barrels for patrons and explain how they work.

A rainy day was perfect weather for Prince Edward County residents to pick up new rain barrels. County Sustainability Group (CSG) and Pitch-In Prince Edward County (formerly known as Trash Bash) hosted a truckload sale of rain barrels and composters Saturday at the Picton fairgrounds, MacStevens Drive entrance.

More than 140 rain barrels were pre-sold and another 25 were available for purchase. Profit from funds raised supports CSG’s  annual PECI Environmental Bursary Fund, which provides cash awards to deserving local students graduating from high school into environmental fields of study. PECI students were on hand to assist with carrying and places the barrels in vehicles.
The sale was sponsored by the County Sustainability Group, Pitch-In Prince Edward County and all their local partners.

Rain barrels capture and store rain water collected from roofs through downspouts. They provide chlorine-free and fluoride-free water which is ideal for flowers, vegetables, lawns, shrubs and trees. Rain barrels divert clean water from sewer systems and can provide cost savings for homeowners who currently pay to have water trucked in or who have a water meter installed.

Each rain barrel available through CSG was equipped with a mosquito and leaf debris filter basket, an overflow hose, an outlet to join rain barrels together in series and a spigot at the bottom which can be connected to a standard garden hose.

The environmentally friendly products were once used to import fruits and vegetables and were refurbished and repurposed to offer years of reliable service as rain barrels.

About the County Sustainability Group PECI  Environmental Bursary Fund – This award was created in 2010 by the CSG, which was founded in 2005 by County citizens who inform and  encourage sustainable environmental behavior through “Local Action on Global Issues.”
The bursary provides cash awards each June to deserving students graduating from our local Picton high school, PECI, who are moving on to higher learning in an Environmental field of study.
For more information, contact Don Ross, ecodonross@hotmail.com , call 613-476-8016 or visit www.countysustainability.ca.

About RainBarrel.ca – RainBarrel.ca reclaims food grade barrels previously used to import fruits and vegetables to be reused as rain barrels. Partnerships with local non-profit organizations result in fundraising truckload sales events for dozens of communities in Ontario including Prince Edward County. RainBarrel.ca retails a variety of garden centre items from its Stoney Creek facility.
For more information, contact Larry Pomerantz, Larry@RainBarrel.ca, call 905-545-5577 or visit www.RainBarrel.ca.  You may also contact Don Ross locally if you prefer, at ecodonross@hotmail.com or 613-476-8016

About Pitch-In Prince Edward County– This dedicated team of volunteers and business / municipal partners have revived and enhanced the former Trash Bash done annually for many years each spring around Earth Day. Hundreds of local citizens join together to clean up refuse and litter tossed along our County roads and highways, and bring it to a central location in Picton to go to landfills and / or recycling. Education about waste reduction and management and citizen participation are key components of this event.
Contact Sandy Latchford at 613-961-7920 or sandral@unb.ca

About Pitch-In Canada–  This is a national non-profit organization founded in 1967 by several volunteers concerned about the proliferation of packaging and its effects on the land and marine environments. They recognized that personal action, with assistance from, but not dependent on, governments and other stakeholders, is needed to conserve, enhance and protect the environment and to reduce and reuse waste. It involves millions of volunteers in various action programs, from initiating recycling and composting programs to cleaning up and beautifying streams, wilderness and urban areas.