Testimonials for Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1

“Brad Lancaster is one of those rare individuals who combines practical ability to design and implement common-sense solutions to rainwater management issues with a clear ecological and political vision of the importance of doing so. In Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond Brad shows us how to use rainwater around our homes and in our communities so that our human-created landscapes reflect the abundance of nature. As we move from assumptions of scarcity to participation in abundance, our lives and our communities can be transformed.”

-David Confer, Ph.D., environmental engineer and sustainable design and development consultant

“What a wonderful, enthusiastic book. Brad Lancaster lives what he preaches — a water careful lifestyle that is all about more life. Brad is a worthy teacher–his love and deep respect for water shines through on every page.”

- Ben Haggard, author, sustainable systems designer, and permaculture teacher

“Brad Lancaster’s Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond is an important book about using rainfall as the primary driver in creating and restoring landscapes for agriculture and communities. It is ecological design at its best.”

- John Todd, Ph.D., Research Professor and Distinguished Lecturer, The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, The University of Vermont; President, Ocean Arks International; Senior Partner John Todd Ecological Design, Inc.

“This important and timely water-harvesting book reads like a conversation with a trusted friend. As such, it is an effective how-to and why-for manual for living within our means in our shared watersheds. Heartfelt thanks, Brad, for spotlighting the route to abundance in these arid climes!”

- Barbara Clark, project manager, Teran Watershed Project, Cascabel AZ

“Our modern society is afflicted with a severe case of hydrological illiteracy. Brad’s Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, in three volumes, is the antidote needed to mitigate this epidemic of cerebral imperviousness impacting the collective head-waters of our cultural ego-system! Pragmatic practitioners of “waterspread” restoration for arid lands and beyond, will find a wealth of accessible and practical information in these books. The Conservation Hydrology mantra of -Slow It – Spread It – Sink It — has never been better articulated in as clear and concise terms for the homeowner, ranch owner, sub-division developer or city stormwater engineer. I will require this book for all my Basins of Relations community watershed students and feel it should be so as well for all land managers and land use planners. This book is sure to become a classic for all people who believe in a future based on rehydration instead of dehydration and for that I say, Bravo Brad!”

- Brock Dolman, WATER Institute Director, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center

“Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1 is more than a text on how to harvest rainwater. It is a way of life that gives back nourishment to our earth rather than what has become the standard of continually taking. This way of life has become almost a religion for Brad and as he demonstrates, it should be the same for all of us.”

- Heather Kinkade-Levario, R.L.A., President of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) Author of Forgotten Rain – Rediscovering Rainwater Harvesting

“The world needs more practical visionaries like Brad Lancaster! Blending his own knowledge, experience and wisdom with the collected wisdom and practices of water harvesters from around the world, Brad gives us access to a wealth of critically needed tools for rethinking our relationship with the gift of water from the sky. This man more than walks his talk; he lives, breathes, eats and drinks it!”

- David Eisenberg, Director of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology, co-author of the Straw Bale House Book, and a two-term member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Green Building Council

“Brad Lancaster presents the first of three volumes of his vision on what might be called Eco-hydrology. It is not just a book about harvesting rainfall, although there are many practical ideas on how to make use of the water that falls on your land. It is a guide designed to help the reader see what Brad sees when looking at a city lot or homesite. He has set as his goal to train you to see your land and the environment in which it is set in a new way, as a natural resource to be managed in harmony with your living there. While water harvesting is central to living a new paradigm it is only part of a broader vision designed to enrich your quality of life while enhancing the surrounding environment.”

- James J. Riley, Ph.D., Soil, Water and the Environmental Science Department, The University of Arizona

“Like small acorns that grow into mighty oaks, Ben Franklin’s succinct and wise words are perhaps more valuable today: ‘Waste not; want not… A penny saved is a penny earned.’ The anticipation of rain and its eventual harvest and storage for nurturing the native habitat, our source of food, the quality of our air and water, and visual delight for our senses is a natural model for us to mimic. Brad Lancaster’s pioneering series of books, Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, shows us how we can mimic the way nature works, as it immediately provides the resources necessary to support a world of efficient and effective use of water that helps create abundance in all our lives.”

- Dr. Wayne Moody, American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Planner

“This book and the thinking behind it should be part of the basic education of civil engineers, architects, landscape architects and planners everywhere. As a civil engineer working for a progressive municipal water utility in an arid climate, I can see if a majority of our citizens followed these practices, many of our current and future challenges would be alleviated. The positive side benefits in terms of erosion-control, creation of bird habitat, and natural cooling would be exceptional.”

- Patricia Eisenberg, P.E., past president, Arizona Society of Civil Engineers

“On a water-world such as ours, Brad’s book should be a required study for all human beings. Scholarly, forthright and, above all, practical, this work delivers critical knowledge to those thirsty for a positive relationship with water. Thank you Brad for your friendly presentation of such a complex and important component of global sustainability!”

- Paul A. Branson, Earthwise Technologies Ecological Restoration

“Brad Lancaster’s Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Vol. 1, is a fantastic resource for all of us dryland dwellers! Lancaster’s enthusiasm and commitment to more sustainable and rewarding dryland lifestyles bubbles out of every paragraph, and his writing is personable and easily accessible, even though packed with information. This combination makes rainwater harvesting seem not only absolutely necessary if we want to survive for long in drylands, but easy and fun as well! There are lots of concrete, step-by-step examples and explanations of why they work, and Lancaster has had hands-on involvement with many of them. And, they are illustrated with many clear drawings and photographs. This book will be an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to live in drylands in a way that is more responsive to our growing knowledge about the limits to water and other resources, and about better ways to manage them. I’m eagerly awaiting Volumes 2 and 3!”

-David A. Cleveland, Prof., Environmental Studies, U California Santa Barbara, Co-Director, Center for People, Food & Environment, co-author of Food from Dryland Gardens.

“Brad’s book is amazing. He has made it so readable and the photos and diagrams and even cartoons make it easy to follow and very practical, yet the research and figures are there to read which make it a very scholarly book as well. His passion for the subject shines through in a very non-preachy way. It is a remarkable achievement. It is so relevant for places all over the world. It is clear that water is going to be one of the most important issues for the 21st century and he tackles it in a way that everybody can play their part.

- Paul Hallowes, Santa Barbara, California

“This book is the best of both worlds, highly user friendly and highly informational. Its practical and straightforward nature is an antidote to inaction from overwhelm and confusion. It will definitely be an essential resource for our work at the Institute of Permaculture Education for Children and facilitate bringing Permaculture and Water Harvesting into schools.”
-Patty Parks-Wasserman, Director and Founder of Institute of Permaculture Education for Children

“Your books have changed my life. I used to muddle along as one of the sheeple, but you have inspired me to take charge of my life and take more responsibility to grow more of my own food and just “do something”. I’ve finally gotten off my duff and started being proactive instead of wasting away in front of the boob tube when I’m not at work. My goal is to turn my barren yard into a desert oasis. With your guidelines, I can do it.”
- Coya Coleman, Tucson, Arizona