May 9, 2024

Attendees will have opportunity to receive free DIY rain barrel for home or business rainwater catchment system

Corte Madera – The 14th Annual Eco-Friendly Garden Tour, featuring local gardens in San Rafael and Corte Madera, will take place Saturday, May 18, across Sonoma and Marin counties. 

A project of the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership, of which Marin Water is a member, this annual, self-guided tour focuses on low water use and sustainable landscaping at 27 inspiring gardens in the North Bay. Among those are two gardens in San Rafael and another pair at a single location in Corte Madera. 

Corte Madera gardens

• Native Habitat Garden by the nonprofit Refugia Marin abuts the educational Hawks’ Garden at Neil Cummins Elementary School. 

San Rafael gardens

• A private residential garden dubbed “Planting for the Future” has undergone an overhaul since new owners purchased the property in 2021.
• The Daniel Stralka Memorial Pollinator Habitat Garden aims to help educate the community on landscape concepts that are water wise, fire smart and support biodiversity. 

Marin Water will have staff on hand at each of those southern Marin County locations to discuss water efficiency resources and promotions, including an exciting opportunity to receive a free 55-gallon barrel that can be used to create a rainwater catchment system to help supplement outdoor watering needs. 

The barrels are donated by EO Products, an essential oil-based personal care company with a zero-waste manufacturing facility in San Rafael. EO Products is dedicated to sustainable manufacturing practices, including reusing their manufacturing materials. The donated barrels were previously used in their business operations and are available for Marin Water customers to build a rainwater catchment system connected to their home or business roof drainage to capture rainwater for future use. 

Eco-Friendly Garden Tour attendees will be able to sign up onsite at the Corte Madera and San Rafael tour locations to receive a barrel. Attendees that sign up will be able to pick up their barrels from Marin Water beginning the following week. Customers can learn more about the benefits of rainwater catchment systems and the planned barrel distribution at marinwater.org/CatchTheRain. 

The garden tour, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free, but registration is required. To register for the garden tour, visit savingwaterpartnership.org/eco-friendly-garden-tour.