100 years of modern methods have lowered the water table significantly, and killed the local river. Brad Lancaster, and his brother, want to bring it back. He said, "Knowing what we've lost, tells us what we can gain." Tucson, Arizona only gets 11" of rain per year, but Brad says that is enough.
Starting somewhere he did some curb cuts, which was illegal then. These curb cuts allowed the water runoff to be diverted onto his property. This water would the beginning of his Oasis, in the desert.
The runoff water can now infiltrate, giving life to various plants. Brad says this costs nothing, except the price of a shovel, and anybody can do it. This saves money for the municipalities too. Since there is less runoff to deal with.
With life giving water, he and his neighbors are able to grow food, such as Mesquite which can be ground into a flour to make bread, pancakes, waffles, and such. This flour can be sold for $14 a pound.
Go out into the neighborhood and pick a salad. "Everything you see here, grows something good to eat," he said.
Brad is quite the inventing engineer. Here is his Solar Oven made from scrap materials. While cooking beans, he remarked, "it is too hot to cook inside the house."
Solar water heater takes advantage of the Desert heat.
Outdoor shower, also takes advantage of the desert heat.
Compost Barrel Toilet system.
Using nothing but gravity, water is derived from his rain barrels, and he has good water pressure. No pump is needed for his sink faucet.
Swamp cooler, for evaporative cooling of his 200 square foot cottage.
The roof is the guest bedroom during nice weather.
Random quotes from Brad:
I love connecting with all the elements, and it is all so simple.
I did not learn any of this in school.
Every day it's getting better and evolving.
Create an enticing program to shift policy.
With small living spaces, it is important to maximize outdoor living space.
I live with systems simple enough to be used anywhere.
I can't stand turning resources into waste.
Cycle, and recycle, resources to create more food.
When Brad first started, the curb cuts were illegal. Now legal, with rebates up to $2000, for harvesting rain water, are being offered. He believes in sharing his successes with the community at large. Seventy Five percent of his neighborhood now harvests rainwater.
Brad is so inspirational, and has a lot to teach us. Check out the video below for a much more detailed account of what he is doing. Watching this video one can learn more in one hour, than could be taught at the University. That is because he does not talk about things, he does them.
Brad Lancaster's website: http://www.harvestingrainwater.com
Brad Lancaster's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/HarvestingRainwater
Kirsten Dirksen's YouTube channel:https://goo.gl/LfSqLJ
Thanks to Kirsten Dirksen for making videos such as this, and introducing us to a much larger, brighter world, that might be unseen otherwise.
[Take care til next time!]
All photos were taken from Kirsten Dirksen's video above