Hello neighbors, I wanted to pass on what I thought was a good deal in case anyone has been in the market for a rain barrel. Zero Waste Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania Resource Council received 300, 55-gallon white syrup barrels donated from Coke. They are #2 plastic (food grade), thick and as durable as any other barrel you would get. They do not already have a spigot on them like those you buy at Whole Foods, but the people at PRC have them pre-drilled and the workshop contains *everything *you would need (down to the last little piece of wire and zip tie) to get it set-up and functional. If you go to http://www.formstack.com/forms/?941135-U8dy0IJ89i (also where you sign-up if you want to do it) you will see a similar set-up to what yours will be (but yours is white, not blue). It is "turned off" when the hose is above the top of the barrel (held by wire), then to use it you just lower the hose. It comes w/ the flexible gutter extension, hose connectors, overflow tube, etc. I think the biggest part was that they were pre-drilled so all you have to do is put the pieces where they need to go, and at the workshop they tell you just how to do it. The last workshop w/ the free barrels is June 14, I believe at 6.30 p.m. (the exact time will be in a confirmation email that gets sent to you when you sign-up), on the South Side at Conservation Consultants, Inc. on 14th St. just off E. Carson St. You can pay beforehand or at the workshop (cash or check - no cards). There is parking at the venue as well. If you are a single person you can get one rain barrel and all of the accesories for $35. If you go as a couple to the workshop, but only want one barrel, it's $45. However, even if you are a "couple," if you sign-up separately you can each get a barrel and accessories for $35 each. I know you can get $25 barrels at Penn Barrel on Washington Blvd. ( http://www.pennbarrel.biz/), but I don't think you get the accesories, and if you've never done a rain barrel you might not know exactly how to set it up. The rain barrel workshop is great b/c they are giving you the barrel, everything you need AND explaining how to set it up. So, if nothing else, you could get one barrel from this workshop, and once you know what you're doing, you could buy a $25 barrel and the accesories and set up more barrels if you want. Please note that the rain barrel workshops through Zero Waste/PRC do NOT usually include the barrel - just the accesories. This workshop on June 14th is the LAST of three that include a free barrel, b/c of the donation from Coke. I think rain barrels are an important step to help the city of Pittsburgh alleviate its rain water problem. Rain gardens are also a great idea and at this workshop you get a little overview about water issues in this region, rain gardens and rain barrels. I'm an environmentally-minded person and even I learned a thing or two I didn't know, so it was cool. So, if you've been contemplating getting a rain barrel, now would be a good time. If you've never thought about it before, now is also a good time! Please be aware that watering your vegetable gardens w/ water from certain roof types (treated wood, asphalt w/ zinc, etc.) is NOT recommended. However, this should not deter you from using a rain barrel per se. You can always use the water for your lawn and other non-edible plants, or you can even just divert the water to a grassy area where it can soak in and replenish the groundwater on dry days instead of going into the sewer system on rainy days. Of course it's nice to be able to save on water for our own use (like in our vegetable gardens), but rain barrels are part of something bigger - diverting water from running off into our streams, rivers and lakes. Please consider being a part of this important movement! Take care, Meg