Media

by Brad Landcaster

Plant the rain!

Earthworks are some of the easiest, least expensive, and most effective ways of passively harvesting and conserving multiple sources of water in the soil. Associated vegetation then pumps the harvested water back out in the form of beauty, food, shelter, wildlife habitat, and passive heating & cooling strategies, while controlling erosion, increasing soil fertility, reducing downstream flooding, and improving the quality of the water and air.

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond: Volume 1 Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape by Brad Lancaster.

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in rainwater harvesting.

Laundry to Landscape: A simple, efficient, economical, easy-to-use greywater system. by Art Ludwig.

This is a helpful resource for people building a laundry to landscape greywater system.

Note: There are a few minor design differences between the DVD and Clean Water Components recommendations.

Create an Oasis with Greywater by Art Ludwig, provides detailed information on low-tech greywater systems.

We recommend this book for all do-it-yourself installers, as well as for professionals.

Create an Oasis describes how to quickly and easily choose, build, and use a simple greywater system. Some can be completed in an afternoon for under $30.

Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants by Carol Steinfeld

Every day, we urinate nutrients that can fertilize plants that could be used for beautiful landscapes, food, fuel, and fiber. Instead, these nutrients are flushed away, either to be treated at high cost or discharged to waters where they over-fertilize and choke off aquatic life.