This fall, I enrolled in a geography course at The Pennsylvania State University. I have learned much about (environmental) sustainability and the many diminutive factors that can cause an area to be considered “unsustainable.”

As a “summer native” to North Carolina, when I come to visit my aunt and uncle who live in Southern Pines, I notice much rainfall because of the tropical-like climate in the area. The best way to use this rainfall as a way to make the community of Southern Pines (sustainable), and influence North Carolina as a whole, is to establish a cistern, a container used to catch and store rainwater, which could collect water from building rooftops and use it for irrigation during times of drought, as well as for other uses.

Cisterns can even help with some residential uses such as washing clothes, or even drinking water; however, this water would only be safe if purified through a cleansing process.

Cisterns may not be ideal for a small residential landscape, but can surely be resourceful to attach to an existing gutter to save the rainwater off your roof, right?

There are many different ways to help an environment become more sustainable. One of the few of these ways that helps in preserving the land and still meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is the easy use of a cistern.

So the next time it’s raining, collect the rainwater. It may not be the most ideal thing to do when the weather’s not bright, but your land will surely thank you for it in the future.

Nikolette Trofa

State College, Pa.