Rainwater Tanks for Environmental Education in Primary School

Copyright the board of education of Yamato City

In February 2003, the board of education of Yamato City in Kanagawa Prefecture installed rainwater tanks in all 19 municipal primary schools as a part of efforts to promote environmental education. The tanks are made of recycled 250-liter whiskey barrels, 88 centimeters in height and 75 centimeters in diameter. The board of education expects the watertanks will help the pupils become aware of the value of nature and the global environment.

Rainwater runs into a pipe attached to a gutter and is filtered before entering the storage tank. The stored rainwater can be poured from the tap at the lower part of the tank. While the location of the tank varies among schools, the stored water is generally used for purposes such as watering flowerbeds.

The students of Rinkan Primary School learned about water issues through a lecture by the president of an installation company. They learned about the utilization of rainwater and the watertanks and also inspected a tank. They helped to set up of their own watertank by cutting the gutters and setting the piping in place. For the next step, the school plans to have the students' Gardening Committee discuss the use of the stored rainwater, including for watering flowerbeds and the ground.



Posted: 2003/04/12 03:34:45 PM
Japanese version