Donal Hickey: Why harvesting rainwater for your home is essential 

Huge population increases in Irish cities over the coming decades will create a massive demand for drinking water

'We remember a time when every house, especially in rural areas, had a barrel at the corner of the gable to catch rainwater flowing down chutes from the roof.'

In times of crisis, we can learn from the wisdom and practicality of our ancestors who were into recycling generations prior to the term becoming fashionable.

Before the “throwaway” society, they darned holes in socks and used various other ploys, like patching, to stretch the lifespan of their clothes. As children, we collected glass jam pots and bottles for resale.