The 2021 Rain Barrel Art Project is open and ready for entries! The Rain Barrel Art Project is designed to educate people on environmental issues like storm water runoff, watersheds and water conservation.
Participants of all ages, and groups of all sizes are welcome to submit an entry for the Rain Barrel Art Project. All entries are due by January 14th. Click here for additional information. 

2021 Project Timeline 
Nov. 9, 2020 to Jan. 14, 2021 - Entry Period (Click here to access the entry form)
Jan. 18 to Jan. 22 - Selection Period
Feb 6 - Artist Workshop @ The Cincinnati Zoo
Feb. 6 to Mar. 26 - Painting Period
March 27, 29 & 30 - Rain Barrel Drop-off @ The Cincinnati Zoo Time TBD
April 1 to April 30 - Rain Barrels Displayed @ The Cincinnati Zoo
TBD - Rain Barrel Art Online Auction

Ever wondered how to cut landscaping costs, meet your lawn care needs, and be a bit more sustainable around your community?  With a growing interest in conservation practices in communities around our country, the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Regional Storm Water Collaborative is hosting a series of webinars for homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to review and discuss green practices that can help make our communities sustainable and livable for our future generations.
​The webinar series, which will run in November and December, is designed to demystify green practices and infrastructure for leaders of HOAs and subdivision residents, or for anyone interested in learning more about these practices. Expert panelists will present webinar attendees with information and resources needed to understand and make decisions regarding such topics as storm water management, composting, solar and geothermal energy, and sustainable landscaping. 
​The webinars are free to attend, but registration is limited. Anyone interested can sign up for one or all webinars by clicking, here . If you have questions, contact the Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District at 513-772-7645.

While many of us have heard “reduce-reuse-recycle”, we challenge you to adopt a different way of thinking and start with “refuse-reduce-reuse-recycle”.  By first refusing items like single-use plastics, we help to keep our local streams and rivers clean. A lot of attention has been highlighted in recent years about the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans.  Yet we must focus on the avenues that pollution is taking to get there: local streams and rivers.  Plastics end up in our streams and rivers through littering and being carried by rainfall runoff and wind.  And the plastic will remain for a very long time. It is estimated that plastic bags can take 20 years to decompose, and plastic bottles up to 450 years; but in fact, no one really knows how long plastics will remain in the ocean. Some plastics simply break down into tiny microplastics (smaller than 5 millimeters in length) that can be harmful when ingested by wildlife, and can carry other contaminants into the water.  Many people think that since much of our plastic is recyclable, then they made a good choice as long as they recycle the plastic item.  However it is important to note that most recycled plastics are turned into a lower grade product like plastic wrap which is NOT recyclable.  So eventually that plastic will end up in a landfill or carried into our local streams by wind and water.  So the best option is avoid plastic whenever possible.  The great news is that we have alternatives to kick our plastic habitat!  Please join our effort to help the environment and choose to refuse single-use plastic. Instead:

• Reconsider takeaway items that could end up in the rivers and ocean, like plastic straws and single use grocery bags. Go with reusable instead!
• Use reusable water bottles
• Choose products with reusable or biodegradable packaging
• Substitute beeswax paper for plastic wrap
• Go completely plastic free!