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“Engineers Without Borders is always trying to leave an impact around the world. Club members gain valuable experience and learn the steps required to develop tangible projects. I especially love this project because we are taking a step back from our ‘typical’ project type and working to support the community that all RPI students and alumni have called home.” -- Brenna Buckley ’18, Aeronautical Engineering
Engineers Without Borders-RPI has been working hard this past semester to get this project organized. We will be constructing a rainwater catchment system in a Troy community garden, supported by Capital Roots. They currently don’t have easy access to water for gardeners, but with our assistance this will become much easier for them! Our system will collect rainwater via a gutter system along their garden shed roof, utilizing approximately 76 square feet of surface area. This water is then stored in a large tank nearby that is supported by a tank stand two to three feet off the ground. The water is easily accessible via a water spigot at the bottom of the tank.
EWB has already successfully completed a similar system in Panama for our international project. We have the knowledge and experience to construct this new, smaller-scale system in the community garden. Gifts to this project with enable EWB to purchase necessary supplies to make water readily available for local gardeners. In just the past few months, students have dedicated themselves to this project. We have taken measurements, done a few preliminary designs, planned our budget, and prepped the site for implementation by cutting large, obstructive branches down. The gardeners use large 55 gallon tanks and currently must pay to use a town pump far down the street or drive a few miles to get water from a natural spring. Our project will eliminate this problem and provide a renewable source of water to this garden.
Engineers Without Borders-RPI is a non-profit club, and chapter of the larger, national Engineers Without Borders organization. The mission of EWB is to support community-driven development programs worldwide through the design and implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while fostering responsible leadership. For more information please visit the EWB-RPI website.