Rain barrel chic

It's summer watering season. It's time to bite the bullet and get a rain barrel. Really.
If you read my diatribe informative entry about rain barrels here, you know their benefits. But maybe you don't think they're attractive enough.
Gardener's Supply has a gorgeous option that's smaller and more expensive than the ones you get from The Conservation Foundation, the Will-South Cook Soil & Water Conservation District and other groups, but this thing is really pretty. And if pretty is what makes you help us conserve water, who am I to stand in the way? It's also functional. You don't need special spouts to angle the rain and you can pop the top off to drop your whole watering can in for a fill-up. It's easier and less painful than filling your tank at the pump.
Thanks to our rain barrels, we haven't used a drop of Lake Michigan water on our yard or garden. But I do know some neighbors don't like how they look. They're not in the front yard or anything, and they're a lovely forest green, but the hints that have been dropped about hiding them haven't been subtle. Note to neighbor: We're not dumb; we're green.
I'm not telling you to buy this barrel, or even to buy one like it. I just want everyone to realize that there are so many green options now.
If you see someone doing some green thing that doesn't suit you, find out if there are other options that are just as green.
You can hate how my rain barrel looks, but get a stylish one for yourself. You can dislike the things sprouting from my compost bin, but you can pick up a clean, stylish spinning bin for yourself.
Being green doesn't have to be ugly or inconvenient. If anyone is telling you that it does, yell, "Look, they're abusing a spotted owl!" and run away while they're distracted.