Clever Rain Barrel Holds Its Own Watering Can

Bas Van Der Veer

Some rain barrels are utilitarian and others are silly, but if you are going to attach something to the side of your house it might as well be elegant and practical too. Apartment Therapy shows Dutch Designer Bas van der Veer’s “A drop of water”- a “a rain barrel that makes saving water really easy by providing a watering can that is automatically filled when it rains. This way, the user doesn’t have to fill the can with our precious tap water, but uses ‘free’ rainwater instead to water the garden.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/clever-rain-water-barrel.php“

Urban Agriculture Grows in the City

Rooftop gardens have become a big topic in architecture because they provide large open spaces with great opportunities for growing food. Examining the different ways that food production can be incorporated into the urban environment is the topic of this interesting exhibition, London Yields, at the Building Centre in London.

It starts with a nice example in the adjacent cafe: a hydroponic curtain with 8 planting trays hung on a cable and connected to a water supply. The vegetables grown in the window will be used in the cafe.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/urban-agriculture-in-cities.php