I am always fascinated by the mechanisms by which our Scouts serve their communities. We often see Scouts who have a love for the outdoors, enjoy helping the elderly, or are driven to gather food for the needy.

But it’s not often that you find a Scout serving his community with barrels.

Scout Alex Sivak of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, is using rain barrels to take a unique approach to water conservation.

For his Eagle Scout project, Alex launched a convincing campaign to help businesses understand why rain barrels are so important to the environment. (For instance, did you know that a quarter inch of rain falling on an average roof yields more than 200 gallons of water?) Thanks to his efforts, business owners bought recycled barrels and set them out on their premises to capture rain water. Read more