Madeline Abrams, a high school junior at Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, has created an initiative to capture rain water using discarded plastic water bottles through an irrigation system she developed for vegetable gardens, farms and landscapes.

During the past year, Madeline has presented her rain harvesting system virtually through Rotary Clubs to 45 communities in the Tri-State area, California, the Southwest and also to countries in Africa including Uganda, Namibia, Lesotho, Angola and South Africa. Through those presentations, she’s adapted her invention to the needs of the local area. Interestingly on one of the calls with a Rotary Club in Lesotho, she learned that porcupines eat plastic bottles which led to an adjustment in her plans for connecting rain barrels to hold the captured water. Her rain harvest system was published in an article in an international Rotary magazine that covers the country of Uganda.

Last month in recognition of Earth Day, Madeline gave a Zoom presentation supported by public libraries in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Hartford, Palo Alto and San Francisco making her Earth Day program available to their patrons. The attendees engaged in a discussion following the presentation regarding ways to bring Madeline’s invention to their communities. 

On a recent call with a college professor who leads service trips to El Salvador, Madeline learned that plastic water bottles are regularly burned with other garbage releasing toxic fumes in the process. Madeline’s invention helps with water conservation and also helps to reduce the negative environmental impact that can occur from burning plastic. 

Madeline’s goal is to share her rain harvest system with as many communities as possible and to help increase awareness about plastic waste, water conservation and a unique way to repurpose plastic water bottles.  

Madeline has created her Harvest Every Drop website (http://harvesteverydrop.com Madeline is an impressive young woman with a strong sense of service and a desire to make an impact in the world.