Philadelphians are invited to join us at The Discovery Center for a special Rain Check workshop that will get them started on sustainable home improvement projects like free rain barrels or discounted downspout planter gardens on Wednesday, October 10 at 6 p.m.
This event will take place during “Imagine a Day Without Water” – an annual effort by The Value of Water coalition and water utilities across the nation.
The goal is to inspire people to think about how important water—and the infrastructure and organizations that deliver it—are to just about everything we do over the course of an ordinary day.
Learn about some of the cool ways Imagine A Day Without Water is being put to use around the country here.
Located just east of the Schuylkill River on the edge of Strawberry Mansion, the new Discovery Center is the result of an exciting collaboration by Audubon Pennsylvania and Outward Bound – and one of the coolest ways we can think of for this former PWD site to keep serving residents and connecting them to water.
The Discovery Center held its grand opening celebration on September 28, 2018. Photo Credit: PWD
As a former reservoir that provided Philadelphia residents with drinking water for nearly 130 years, the new Discovery Center is a great place to think about what it takes to create clean water. The now-naturalized area is also connected to the site of new, huge, state-of-the-art water storage tanks that will help modernize our system and ensure residents are supplied with top-quality tap water well into the future.
Residents who attend this workshop will get a crash course on the two biggest pollution sources impacting local waterways— stormwater runoff and sewer overflows. After, they'll have the opportunity to become part of the solution by having a free rain barrel installed or signing up to start a bigger project (think rain gardens!) through the Rain Check program.
Head to our Rain Check site to register for the workshop or to sign up for another one in your community, and help spread the word on Facebook.
Across the city, thousands of residential properties in the Rain Check program are now helping us soak up water during storms, taking pressure off sewers and reducing the overflows we are taking on through Green City, Clean Waters investments.
How Rain Check works:
As one of our Rain Check partners, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society hosts workshops across the city every month.
Firms certified by the Sustainable Business Network install planters, rain gardens, and other green stormwater landscaping to support the Green City, Clean Waters investments that are drastically cutting down on polluted runoff that harms waterways and creates sewer overflows.
Homeowners who invest in projects like de-paving concrete pads can make a big difference and save money through Rain Check cost-sharing.
When you register, you can also explore some of the options and see what will be a good fit for your property. Those who rent can still get green tools with permission from the property owner.