RAIN+BARRELS

Students,

Our school's next green project is to make rain barrels for the trailers that will collect water from our rainfalls. We plan to use this water in assisting with the watering of our trees and flowerbeds. For us to make these rain barrels, we need to ask for sponsors from local businesses in assisting with the finanicals of this project.

We are asking each student to draft a persuasive letter. We will provide you with the name of the business after we have returned from the Thanksgiving Holiday break. The following document is what the rain barrel project --. Each student needs to review the document to provide them with the background of the project -- focusing especially on the following two paragraphs from the above documents --


 * "What is a Rain Barrel? A rain barrel is a container that collects rain water from rooftops (this is called storm water runoff).Rain barrels come in several different shapes and sizes, but they all do the same thing: they save water and decrease storm water runoff. Placed at the base of a down spout, a typical rain barrel can hold 55-75 gallons of water atone time. When connected to a watering hose, a rain barrel can hold a water supply for watering gardens, trees, and even indoor plants. Rain barrels can be bought from gar- den supply centers, or they can easily be built. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s rain barrel project guide describes step-by-step how to build and install a safe and successful rain barrel. This project is inexpensive and easy enough for most students to complete, with some help from adults. Although our rain barrels are specifically designed with schoolyards in mind, they would work just as well at a home, community center, religious center, or any other private property. All you need is a roof with exterior downspouts! **


 * Why Install a Rain Barrel? Did you know that during an average rainstorm (1 inch in 24 hours) more than 700 gallons of water run off the roof of a typical home? That’s enough water to take 17 baths or 58 showers! Just imagine how much water might be running off the roof of your school. Virtually every school has a lot of impervious surface (area that rainwater cannot soak into) that affects the quality of storm water runoff. When rain runs off roofs and lands on impervious surfaces, it cannot soak into the ground. Eventually, it enters a storm drain or a nearby creek. This excess water or runoff causes the soil in its path to erode more rapidly than it would naturally. Gravity causes this runoff to flow downhill and into the closest stream or other waterway, carrying with it sediment, pesticides, fertilizers, and other pollutants it encounters along the way. Rain barrels intercept that storm water and not only put it to good use, they also stop it from rapidly pushing the land into rivers and streams." The following is from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's instructions on //How to Build a Rain Barrel//. **

This will help you in drafting your persuasive letter. In the letter, you should include the following:


 * Who you are.
 * The cost of each barrel -- $__.
 * What is the reason for collecting rain.
 * Why are the barrels good for the environment.
 * What can we you do with the rain barrels.
 * Who is the audience for our persuasive letter

Below are links as to what is a persuasive letter and what it should contain.

What is a Persuasive Letter --

[|Powerful Words]

[|Persuasive Checklist]

[|Business Letter Format]

[|Helpful Suggestions]

Lowes Video