Swiss design duo Cédric Decroux and Yves Fidalgo realize the importance of not wasting a single drop of rainwater that could be used for your home, garden, or planters. Their ingenious product, the reLEAF rain collector, is manufactured from thermo-lacquered aluminum and designed to function exactly how a leaf would in nature. By inserting it into your garden, flowerpots, or watering cans you can gather excess water that would otherwise go to waste. Measuring approximately 50 cm x 40 cm x 30 cm, the reLEAF can easily be inserted into just about any space including your miniature balcony garden.

Opportunities:

Vancouver is slowly becoming one of the most environmentally sustainable cities in the world (although their is still much work to do). Many cities in the world like Vancouver may not receive enough sun to rely on solar power, but definitely gets their fair share of rain - most of which goes to waste into the sewer systems. Taking advantage of the abundance of this natural resource and harvesting it for home/business use is a simple and inexpensive way to contribute to the environment and save money. Industrial sized reLEAFS could be installed to gather rainwater, provide shelter or an aesthetic appeal in home or rooftop gardens.

Illustration:

Currently under construction, the new Charles Dickens Elementary School (set to be the greenest school in Vancouver) is designed with this objective in mind. The “butterfly roof” of the school is inverted inward to collect rainwater which will be stored in an underground cistern and then used for irrigation and toilet flushing. Read more about the replacement school for Charles Dickens Elementary here.