Community Engagement
The West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) is dedicated to serving and protecting West Michigan. First organized to protect rivers and streams from pesticides, WMEAC then played a large role in the passage of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA). Now, the council is focused on building sustainable communities and protecting water resources, with their priorities being environmental education, environmental justice, water, and climate. As stated on their website, their mission is to “work collaboratively alongside our diverse community to educate, engage, and advocate for environmental values, environmental and climate justice, and a healthy and resilient community for all” (WMEAC). They encourage individuals to take action by living green, volunteering, joining one of their committees, and/or making a donation.
Rain Barrel Program
In order to further their cause, WMEAC has instated a Rain Barrel Workshop, allowing groups of citizens to create their own rain barrels and bring them home to install themselves. This program exists to help the West Michigan community manage stormwater, reduce pollution, and increase water quality. Rain barrels are proven to be helpful in reducing runoff pollution and are endorsed by the EPA (Soak Up the Rain, 2022) and have even been tested as a tool for reducing overflows in combined sewer systems on a city-wide scale (Ghodsi et al., 2021), and while that is not all that useful for Grand Rapids, which recently switched to a separate sewer system (Sewer Improvement Project, n.d.), they are still useful in reducing the amount of stormwater runoff and therefore pollutants making it into the waterways, and could even be implemented in other West Michigan cities who have yet to switch. Rain barrels are also a source of free water that is generally safe to use on lawns and to wash cars, and may be used on vegetable gardens if an underground irrigation system is in place.
Water Preservation
The goal of WMEAC’s rain barrel program is to allow community members to take action in a positive direction to preserve the environment around them. Rain barrels can help address the conservation and pollution of west Michigan’s water issues. Use of them has been proven to be effective and they are a simple technique that helps manage stormwater runoff issues. According to Michigan State University, “a rain barrel can save most homeowners around 1300 gallons of water during the peak summer months'' (Gibb 1). Barrels assist in the reduction of pollution into our stormwater drains since pollution is not carried away by rainwater from our homes, rather the rainwater is collected into the barrel and is kept for the homeowner to use anytime.
Why Rain Barrels?
Recent studies conducted in the United States have shown that our rivers and streams are declining in quality due to an increase in nitrogen and phosphorus levels. Another polluter was also discovered; ammonium, which is highly toxic to aquatic organisms. Ammonium can regularly be found in other substances such as wastewater, manure, and atmospheric deposition (USGS, 2020). Many of these harmful chemicals or bacteria are picked up from stormwater runoff, which first makes contact with your roofs, gutters, onto pavement or grass, down stormwater holes on roads, then into local streams, creeks, rivers, and lakes. The intention of WMEAC's rain barrel program is to capture this water immediately after it goes down the gutter lines, therefore reducing pollution of these harmful substances into our West Michigan bodies of water.
Increasing Community Engagement
Collaboration is the only way forward, especially among local communities. WMEAC upholds this belief, as well as the need for inclusivity alongside it. The rain barrel program has not had a lot of success in accessing communities of color. The communities that would benefit most from the program are the ones that WMEAC is having trouble reaching. Doing things like advertising tables with raffles or free merchandise is a great way to get people to learn about the program. Coming to outreach events would be huge. A set schedule of workshops should be available at the table so people can ask questions if need be. Attending community events allows you to speak to peers, introduce them to issues that they may be unaware of, and find support. Community events can act as stimulants that activate the population and often bring media attention along as well (5 Ways To Spread Environmental Awareness Among People).
Tabling at Diverse Events
Having a table at local community outings is a great way to spread awareness throughout the community and get a diverse group of people involved in the program. Events tailored to minorities, such as Juneteenth celebrations or Pride are a great way to make sure all voices are heard. Some ideas for incentives to visit WMEAC’s tables could stem from games, raffles, free stuff, food, etc. On top of this, having representatives from WMEAC for people to learn more about the program would help spread awareness. Something that should be on hand for community members to see would be a schedule of workshops listing their dates and times. Educational tools such as posters, pamphlets or presentations help show people the impact of the program. It is important to have fun at these events and make connections. The goal is to help people feel comfortable with WMEAC while getting them familiar with the program.
Intern for Outreach
An intern employed specifically for increasing outreach will be helpful in continuously spreading information and increasing community engagement. Giving people someone they can reach out to with any questions they may have could be one of the roles of an intern. An intern dedicated to the program could also have potential to search and apply for grants, and even increase chances of winning some grants that specifically require the presence of an intern. Prime candidates could be graduate students studying in a related field, such as sustainability or engineering. The internship provides an excellent opportunity for the students while enriching a community's connection with WMEAC.
Rain Barrel Sponsorships
There are several larger rain barrel programs across the country (and even in Canada) that have lots of partnerships and sponsors. In order to increase their network and influence, WMEAC needs support in order to expand their programs in a way that furthers community engagement and prioritizes education about sustainable water systems. Additional funding would allow WMEAC to expand their horizons, partner with new organizations, host workshops in more locations, and make those workshops more accessible; the workshops could be open to individuals and not just groups of 10-15 people, they could have more variety in the sizes of barrels available (something even bigger organizations such as River Network and Great American have yet to implement), offer transportation of barrels for those whose cars are too small, and allow people to attend learning workshops with no financial commitment.
Meet the Team!
William Bommarito - ENS Major, Food Systems Emphasis
Joe Guzman III - ENS Major, Food Systems Emphasis
Joe Mannlein - NRM Major, ENS Minor
Jenn Miller - INT Major, ENS Minor
Baz Ykema - ENS Major, Water Systems Emphasis, Biology Minor
Citations
5 Ways To Spread Environmental Awareness Among People. (n.d.). EcoFriend
https://ecofriend.com/5-ways-to-spread-environmental-awareness-among-people.html
(2023). Refreshed Strategic Plan 2023-2026. In rivernetwork.org. rivernetwork.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.rivernetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/river-network-strategic-plan-2023-2026-1.4.23.pdf
Ghodsi, S. H., Zhu, Z., Gheith, H., Rabideau, A. J., Torres, M. N., & Meindl, K. (2021). Modeling the Effectiveness of Rain Barrels, Cisterns, and Downspout Disconnections for Reducing Combined Sewer Overflows in a City-Scale Watershed. Water Resources Management: An International Journal - Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), 35(9), 2895–2908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-021-02875-7
Great American Rain Barrel. (2020, August 21). home. The Great American Rain Barrel. https://www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com/
Gibb, T. (2012, June 28). Rain barrels are economical and ecological. Michigan State University Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/rain_barrels_are_economical_and_ecological
Home. (n.d.). WMEAC. https://wmeac.org/
Rain barrel program | Rain Water Solutions Inc. (n.d.). https://www.rainwatersolutions.com/
Rain Barrel Workshops. (2023, March 2). WMEAC. https://wmeac.org/water/rainbarrels/
River Network. (2023, February 9). River Network - Connecting People, Saving Rivers.
Sewer Improvement Project. (n.d.). https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Environmental-Services/Wastewater-Treatment/Sewer-Improvement-Project
Soak Up the Rain: Rain Barrels. (2022, November 28). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-rain-barrels
West Michigan Environmental Action Council. (n.d.). WMEAC History.
West Michigan Environmental Action Council. (n.d.). Take Action. https://wmeac.org/takeaction/
