October 2015
HOI Group members John Wosik and Bob Jorgensen talked to Tazewell County 5th graders about the benefits of using rain barrels at the Environmental Education Day on October 8th at the Avanti's Dome in Pekin. This is the 5th year in a row the HOI Group has participated in the event, sponsored by the Tazewell County Health Department. Twenty organizations participated, including Wildlife Prairie Park, Forest Park Nature Center, Peoria Riverfront Museum, HOI Beekeepers, and the Prairie Dawgs.
The HOI dispay featured a miniature working model of water flowing out of a rain gutter into two connected rain barrels. A small pump continuously cycled the water in a loop through the display. We also had two full size rain barrels as examples so students could relate the working model to the real thing.
We gave our presentation about rain barrels to 11 different classes, each class rotating every 20 minutes among the different exhibits. We covered general information on what rain barrels are, how they work, and how to make or buy one.
Another important part of our program was about the environmental benefits of using rain barrels. We wanted to let the students know that they can save water that is good for a garden, slows erosion by reducing the amount of water running away from the house, and keeps some pollutants from reaching the river because the total amount of water flowing to the river at one time is reduced. Our program was well received and we plan to participate again next year.