This list is intended to be a comprehensive list of resources and includes much more than just the texts cited in Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1.

If you arrived at this resource-rich page via a more-specific link, you can use the search function (Command-F on a Mac) to locate a keyword on this very long page, instead of scrolling all the way down the page in search of your link.

In its beginning sections, this list provides general rainwater-harvesting sources, then follows the topical order in Volume 1’s Introduction and Chapters 1 through 4. Sections O through X provide helpful permaculture, community, government, and funding resources.

Note on website URLs: Almost all URLs listed below (or the organization from which a downloadable document is available) are resources in and of themselves.

A.  General Rainwater Harvesting Resources

Publications

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Vol. 1: Guiding Principles, by Brad Lancaster. Rainsource Press, 2006, revised 2009.
www.HarvestingRainwater.com

City of Tucson Water Harvesting Guidance Manual, edited by Ann Audrey. A great guidance manual providing basic information and design ideas for developers, engineers, designers, and contractors of commercial sites, public buildings, subdivisions, and public rights-of-way. Available online:
www.ci.tucson.az.us/water/harvesting.htm

Stormwater as a Resource: How to Harvest and Protect a Dryland Treasure, by David Morgan and Sandy Trevathan. A collaboration between the City of Santa Fe and the College of Santa Fe, 2002. This booklet is a brief, clear, and concise guide for harvesting rain and snow on your property. Available from:
www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/Storm_Water_as_a_Resource.pdf

Design for Water: Rainwater Harvesting, Stormwater Catchment, and Alternate Water Reuse, by Heather Kinkade-Levario. New Society Publishers, 2007. Focuses on rainwater harvesting in an urban environment. Many illustrations and case studies.

A Water Harvesting Manual for Urban Areas: Case Studies from Delhi, from the Centre for Science and Environment, 2000. A very accessible guide encouraging community and household-based water harvesting in India.
www.cseindia.org

Making Water Everybody’s Business: Practice and Policy of Water Harvesting, from the Centre for Science and Environment, 2001. A great book documenting numerous water-harvesting projects in India.
www.cseindia.org

Dying Wisdom: Rise, Fall, and Potential of India’s Traditional Water Harvesting Systems, edited by Anil Agarwal and Sunita Narain. Centre for Science and Environment, 1997.
www.cseindia.org

The Negev: The Challenge of a Desert, 2nd ed., by Michael Evenari, Leslie Shanan, and Naphtali Tadmor. Harvard University Press, 1982. A study of ancient and recreated water harvesting and runoff agriculture in the Negev desert.

The Collection of Rainfall and Runoff in Rural Areas, by Arnold Pacey and Adrian Cullis. Practical Action Publishing (formerly Intermediate Technology Publications), 1986. A dry, but informative resource with a worthy emphasis on recognizing local needs and utilizing local resources.
www.practicalaction.org

Harvesting Rainwater for Landscape Use, 2nd ed., by Patricia H. Waterfall and Christina Bickelmann. Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, 2004. Good basic guide with calculations for estimating water needs of landscape vegetation. Available online:
www.cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1344.pdf
www.water.az.gov

Slow it. Spread it. Sink it!: A Homeowner’s and Landowner’s Guide to Beneficial Stormwater Management, Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District and The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County. Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program, 2010. This publication comprises chapters on Understanding and Evaluating Stormwater Runoff Around Your Home, Best Management Practices for Stormwater Around the Home, Difficult Sites and Site Constraints, Local Projects, and a Resources Guide. Available online at:
www.sscrcd.org/rainwater.php

Online Resources (in addition to above)

www.HarvestingRainwater.com
Images, Video, Audio, Drops in a Bucket Blog, Financial Incentives, Materials, Suppliers, Designers, Installers, Books, and much more.

www.HarvestingH2O.com
Doug Pushard’s website is a great resource, nationwide and beyond.

www.rainwaterharvesting.org
This site belongs to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), one of India’s leading environmental NGO’s. Although its primary focus is on rainwater harvesting in India, there is much information pertinent to rainwater harvesting around the globe.

Videos

“Harvest of Rain,” Centre for Science and Environment, 1995. Traditional water harvesting systems of India are featured in this 48-minute video.
www.cseindia.org

B. (Introduction)  Water Issues and Protecting the Right to Clean Water for All Citizens of the Earth (including Wildlife)

Publications

Killing the Hidden Waters: Slow Destruction of Water Resources in the American Southwest, by Charles Bowden. University of Texas Press, 1977. A well-written book on how various cultures in the U.S. Southwest have decided to use our water and other resources, and what effect that has had on the people and the environment.

Keepers of the Spring: Reclaiming Our Water in an Age of Globalization, by Fred Pearce. Island Press, 2004. An excellent resource documenting both the mistakes of inappropriate western engineering schemes that make fresh water scarcer, and the successes of indigenous traditional water harvesting schemes that lead to fresh water abundance.

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, by Marc Risner. Penguin Books, 1993. A very well-written book on water policy, politics, and use in the American West. A video series based on the book is also available.

Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America’s Fresh Waters, by Robert Glennon. Island Press, 2002. A great book on the consequences of our country’s growing dependence on our dwindling groundwater resources.

Desert Waters: From Ancient Aquifers to Modern Demands, by Nancy R. Laney. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 1998. A good, concise publication on our water situation in the Southwest with tips on how to reduce our water use.

Blue Gold: The Global Water Crisis and the Commodification of the World’s Water Supply, by Maude Barlow. International Forum on Globalization Special Report, 1999. This is a very clear and concise report on the state of our fresh water resources and how we can protect and enhance them. Online summary and ordering information at:
www.ifg.org/analysis/reports/bgsummary.htm

Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water, by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke. The New Press, 2002. An important book on the world’s growing fresh-water crisis, the corporate assault on the water “commons,” and how ordinary citizens all over the world are taking back control, becoming the “keepers” of the fresh-water systems in their localities.

Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water by Maude Barlow. The New Press, 2007. Maude’s most up-to-date look at the global water crisis and its impact on the human and natural world.

Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity, by Sandra Postel. Worldwatch Institute, 1997. A great book looking at the mismanagement of the world’s water resources, and how we can promote more sustainable use of that water through conservation and a water ethic.

Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit, by Vandana Shiva. South End Press, 2002. An excellent book examining the international water trade, damming, mining, and aquafarming, Shiva exposes the destruction of the earth and the disenfranchisement of the world’s poor as they are stripped of their right to a precious common good.

Water Conscious: How We All Have to Change to Protect Our Most Critical Resource. Edited by Tara Lohan. Independent Media Institute, 2008. A solution-focused guide to the global water crisis, with inspiring essays from leading thinkers and activists.

“Troubled Waters,” by Sandra Postel. The Sciences (March/April 2000). A look at the world’s fragile supply of fresh water.

YES! A Journal of Positive Futures, no. 28, Winter 2004. This issue is devoted to water issues including access to fresh water as a human right, protecting watersheds, indigenous water conservation, and more.

The World’s Water, 2004-2005, The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources, by Peter Gleick. Island Press, 2005. Gives a global overview of water use with use by country, dams by country, etc.

Online Resources

www.citizen.org/cmep/water
The Water for All Campaign of the national non-profit public interest organization, Public Citizen.

Videos/Films

“Flow: How Did a Handful of Corporations Steal Our Water?” Oscilloscope Pictures, 2008. Excellent film documenting local and global water right issues along with community efforts reclaiming their rights and enhancing their water resources with rainwater harvesting.

“Blue Gold: World Water Wars,” PBS, 2008.

C. (Introduction)  Books about People, Water and How They Shape Each Other

Publications

Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushman Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought, by James G. Workman. Walker & Company, 2009. A great, page-turner of a book documenting the Bushmen’s fight to continue their traditional way of life in the dry Kalahari, the Botswanan government’s attempts to destroy that way of life, and what we can learn from it all.

The Secret Knowledge of Water: Discovering the Essence of the American Desert, by Craig Childs. Sasquatch Books, 2000. A wonderful book about the author’s endless search for water in the desert. Incredible adventures lead to his discovery that the desert is nothing but water.

The Desert Smells Like Rain, by Gary Paul Nabhan. North Point Press, 1982. A graceful and humane tour of the Tohono O’ Odham and how they live in the beautiful Sonoran desert.

Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story, by Gary Paul Nabhan. Counterpoint, 1997. A wonderful book celebrating how people and nature can coexist and enhance one another.

Dry: Life Without Water, by Ehsan Masood and Daniel Schaffer. Harvard University Press, 2006. Human and wildlife’s innovations to live in arid and semi-arid regions.

Online Water Facts

www.h2o4u.org/education/facts.shtml

D. (Chapter 1)  On Mr. Zephaniah Phiri & ZWRP: Zvishavane Water Resources Project

Publications

The Water Harvester: Episodes from the Inspired Life of Zephaniah Phiri, by Mary Witoshynsky. Weaver Press, 2000.
Weaver Press
Box A1922
Harare, Zimbabwe

Organizations

If you’d like to support the great work of this grassroots project write to:
Mr. Zephaniah Phiri Maseko
Zvishavane Water Resources Project
P.O. Box 118
Zvishavane, Zimbabwe

E. (Chapter 1)  Permaculture, General Works

Publications

Introduction to Permaculture, by Bill Mollison. Tagari Publications, 1988. A smaller, more readable version of Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual, without the drylands emphasis.

Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual, by Bill Mollison. Tagari Publications, 1988. The permaculture Big Book with a good emphasis on drylands, and an even better emphasis on how to incorporate water harvesting into an efficient, holistic system.

Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2^nd edition, by Toby Hemenway. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2009. While not drylands-specific, this book clearly describes how you can work the integrated design of permaculture into your backyard garden and landscape.

Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, by David Holmgren. Holmgren Design Services, 2002. A more cerebral and very worthwhile book based on the co-originator of permaculture’s extensive practical experience, which allows for a deeper understanding of permaculture concepts.

Magazines

The Permaculture Activist. For subscription information:
www.permacultureactivist.net

Videos

“Global Gardener,” Bullfrog Films, 1991. Travel the world to see how permaculture approaches to sustainable agriculture have turned wastelands into food forests in the Tropics, Drylands, Cool Climates, and the Urban environment. Order from:
Bullfrog Films
P.O. Box 149
Oley PA 19547
(800) 543-3764

F. (Chapter 2)  Watershed Resources

Online Resources

cfpub1.epa.gov/surf/locate/map2.cfm
“Surf Your Watershed,” a website of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Here you can locate the regional watershed of which your town or site is a part, and get information about that watershed, though this website lacks the detail to show you the boundaries of smaller watersheds.

Maps and Aerial Photographs

USGS Mapping Resources
United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic contour maps, often called “topo maps,” can be very helpful in determining watershed boundaries since they illustrate the changing elevation of a landscape. Visit their website below and either use the search box or click on Map Locator.
store.usgs.gov

Urban Environments
You can often obtain detailed paper or digital topo maps, or aerial photos with superimposed contour lines, from government agencies. The departments of transportation, mapping, or flood control are usually good places to start.

Google Earth

Map Reading
www.map-reading.com

G. (Chapter 2)  Meteorological and Climate Resources

Online Resources

susdesign.com/usa_climate/index.php
Sustainable by Design’s USA Climate Data for about 250 U.S. cities
Info includes: cloud cover, degree days (heating and cooling), freezing days, humidity, precipitation (amount, days, snow), sunshine, temperature (average highs and lows, record high and low), wind (average and maximum speed)

www.wrh.noaa.gov
This is the Western Region Headquarters page of the United States National Weather Service’s website. Locate the weather stations closest to your site and find out their elevations. Download data from those stations that are most like your site.

ag.arizona.edu/azmet
Arizona Meteorological Network. Evaporation rates, prevailing winds, soil temperatures, and minimum/maximum temperatures are listed for various sites. For other states contact your local agricultural extension service for similar meteorological networks.

Miscellaneous

The U.S. National Forest Service compiles data for remote weather stations, though the data is not as comprehensive nor standardized as the above two resources. However, for rural sites a Forest Service weather station may be closer to a given site than one monitored by other agencies.

Local airports, since they collect and record climatic data.

Rain gauge from a hardware or garden store with which to begin keeping precipitation records for your site.

H. (Chapter 3)  Rainwater Harvesting with Earthworks Resources

Publications

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Vol. 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks, by Brad Lancaster. Rainsource Press, 2008. This is a thorough guide describing how to create and use diverse water-harvesting earthworks and their numerous variations. Many case studies are featured along with tips on how to integrate your earthworks with multiple on-site resources and challenges so they do far more than harvest water. Includes a chapter on integrating the harvest of greywater.
www.HarvestingRainwater.com

A Guide for Deserrt and Dryland Restoration: New Hope for Arid Lands by David A. Bainbridge, Island Press, 2007. Very thorough guide on dryland restoration with simple and effective strategies.

An Introduction to Erosion Control, by Bill Zeedyk and Jan-Willem Jansens. Earth Works Institute, Rio Puerco Management Committee, Quivira Coalition, May 2004. Basic how-to guide for simple and effective erosion control strategies that harvest soil and water. Download for free on publications page of: www.QuiviraCoalition.org

Let the Water Do the Work: Induced Meandering, and Evolving Method for Restoring Incised Channel, Bill Zeedyk, Van Clothier, and Tamara E. Gadzia, the Quivira Coaltion, 2009. THE induced meandering book, along with great info on one-rock dams, Zuni bowls, and more.

Water Harvesting from Low-Standard Rural Roads by Bill Zeedyk, Quivira Coalition, 2006. Very useful book explaining how to turn the liability of erosive roads into a stable water-harvesting asset.

Drylands Watershed Restoration: Introductory Workshop Activities, by Ben Haggard. Sol y Sombra Foundation, 1994. A wonderful, albeit hard-to-find resource about water harvesting earthworks and how you can set up workshops on the subject.

“Dynamic Water Storage,” by Tim Murphy. Permaculture Drylands Journal, #30, summer 1998, pp. 22–24.

Alternative Irrigation: The Promise of Runoff Agriculture, by Christopher J. Barrow. Earthscan, 1999. An introduction to strategies of runoff agriculture used around the world.
www.earthscan.co.uk

Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden. Timber Press, 2007.

Creating Rain Gardens: Capturing the Rain for Your Own Water-Efficient Garden, by Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and Apryl Uncapher. Timber Press, 2012.

Online Resources

www.HarvestingRainwater.com
Images, Video, Audio, Drop in a Bucket Blog, Financial Incentives, Materials, Suppliers, Designers, Installers, Books, and much more.

www.DrylandsSolutions.com
Many great examples by drylands-restoration master Craig Sponholtz.

Videos/DVDs

“Harvest Rain,” by the Fundacion San Bernardino. Highlights the dramatic success of constructing check dams in the watersheds of El Coronado Ranch, Arizona. Contact Valer Austin at:
vaustin@elcoronadoranch.net

“Water Harvesting the Permaculture Way,” The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia. Documents Geoff Lawton as he designs and builds a dam and swale system on a client’s small one-acre farm.

I. (Chapter 3)  Rainwater Harvesting with Cisterns Resources

Publications

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, vol. 3: Roof Catchment and Cistern Systems, by Brad Lancaster. Rainsource Press, publication date TBA. This volume presents guidelines specific to cistern systems, helps you select the best non-toxic materials for your system, and size it for maximum efficiency. Numerous case studies are given describing various systems and how, through integrated design, tanks do far more than just store water.
www.HarvestingRainwater.com

Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged, 2nd rev. ed., by Suzy Banks with Richard Heinichen. Tank Town Publishing, 2004. An entertaining resource on various cisterns and how you could plumb them into your home with gravity feed or mechanically pressurized systems.
www.rainwatercollection.com

Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply: Design, Construction, and Implementation, by John Gould and Erik Nissen-Petersen. Practical Action Publishing (formerly Intermediate Technology Publications), 1999.  An excellent review of rainwater harvesting practices around the world. It presents case studies that will help anyone intending to design or construct a rainwater catchment system.
www.practicalaction.org

Rainwater Harvesting: System Planning, AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M System. An excellent guide to the harvest of water in tanks and the water’s distribution. This is the workbook/textbook for the recommended water-harvesting accreditation course of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA).

Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting, 3rd ed., Texas Water Development Board in Cooperation, 2005. A great, easy-to-read resource on harvesting rainwater in cisterns. Water quality, basic system set-up, and case studies are all covered. A short video covering cistern basics is also available. Manual available online at:
www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/RainwaterHarvestingManual_3rdedition.pdf

Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use, Plus How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks, by Art Ludwig. Oasis Design, 2005. A great overview and how-to on numerous water storage options.
www.oasisdesign.net

Ferrocement Water Tanks and Their Construction, by S. B. Watt. Practical Action Publishing (formerly Intermediate Technology Publications), 1978. A very practical resource emphasizing low-tech methods of ferrocement cistern construction, and mention of unstabilized adobe cisterns.

Guidelines on Rainwater Catchment Systems for Hawaii, by Patricia S. H. Macomber. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2001. An informative guide documenting the use of various tanks, and providing a good overview of harvested rainwater quality and treatment and filtration options. Available online at:
www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/RM-12.pdf

Sustainable House, by Michael Mobbs. Choice Books, 1998. How a family of four renovated their inner-city Sydney, Australian home to make it almost entirely self-sufficient in electricity, water, and waste disposal.

Roof-Reliant Landscaping: Rainwater Harvesting with Cistern Systems in New Mexico, by Nate Downey. Office of the State Engineer of New Mexico, 2009. A well-written, thorough guide.
www.ose.state.nm

“The Secrets Of Low Tech Plumbing,” by John Vivian. Mother Earth News, June/July 1995, pp. 34–90. Information on simple rain catchment, water ram pumps, solar pumps, and old fashioned water conservation.
www.motherearthnews.com/top_articles/1995_June_July/The_Secrets_of_Low_Tech_Plumbing

Online Resources (in addition to above)

www.watertanks.com
A good quick reference for availability and prices of pre-manufactured water tanks. You may find a local distributor is more convenient and cheaper without the shipping, but this website is good to start the search of what is available.

www.harvestingwater.com/rainwatr.htm
This is a great website documenting Ole Ersson’s permitted potable rainwater harvesting system in Portland, Oregon. Includes diagram of the system and components used. The system cost $1,500 and harvests 27,000 gallons per year.

www.ferrocement.com
Ferrocement tank resource

Videos

“Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged,” Tank Town, 1999. An entertaining and informative 37-minute video on the design and installation of household rainwater systems providing potable water.
www.rainwatercollection.com

J. (Chapter 3)  Household Water Usage and Water Conservation

Publications

Handbook of Water Use and Conservation, by Amy Vickers. WaterPlow Press, 2001. The most thorough reference on water use and conservation.
www.waterplowpress.com

Water Efficiency for Your Home: Products and Advice Which Save Water Energy, and Money, 3rd ed., by John Woodwell, Jim Dyer, Richard Pinkham, and Scott Chaplin. Rocky Mountain Institute, 1995.
www.rmi.org/images/other/Water/W95-36_WaterEff4Home.pdf

Online Resource

www.h2ouse.org
This user-friendly website provides water use rates for household appliances, as well as recommended conservation strategies.

K. (Chapter 3)  Greywater Resources

Publications

Greywater and Your Detergent, prepared by the Office of Arid Land Studies in cooperation with the Soil, Water and Plant Analysis Laboratory, University of Arizona, sponsored by Tucson Water. A handy pamphlet comparing the performance of various detergents dissolved in greywater used to irrigate a landscape.
(520) 791-4331

Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems, Includes Branched Drains, by Art Ludwig. Oasis Design, 1991-2007. Presents a wide array of greywater-harvesting options.
www.oasisdesign.net

Greywater Guidelines, by Val L. Little. Arizona greywater guidelines. To obtain a copy (hardcopy or downloadable pdf), go to:
watercasa.org/graywaterguidelines.php

Online Resources

www.greywater.com
Great resources for greywater, including various systems and greywater volume estimates.

www.oasisdesign.net
Art Ludwig’s website is probably the most comprehensive web resource for greywater, and on it you’ll find plenty more info relating to water and ecological design.

www.HarvestingRainwater.com
Click on the Greywater Harvesting page for guides on appropriate soaps and detergents, financial incentives, images, video, how-to, and more.

www.lanfaxlabs.com.au
Click on the link to “laundry products research” to find great information on the various ingredients of different products, and what those products mean for your plants and soil.

Video/Film

“Laundry to Landscape: Greywater Systems with Art Ludwig of Oasis Design,” Oasis Design, 2009. Clear video focusing on a drumless laundry greywater system using the washing machine’s pump to distribute water into the landscape via plastic drip-irrigation tubing.
www.OasisDesign.net

L. (Chapter 4)  Sun Angles and Passive Solar Designs

Publications

Passive Solar Architecture Pocket Reference, by Ken Haggard, David Bainbridge, and Rachel Aljilani. International Solar Energy Society (ISES), 2009. This book provides easy-to-use information on a wide range of topics relevant to the passive built environment, including thermal sources, microclimate, radiation, air flow relations, passive heating, cooling and ventilation, natural lighting and life cycle cost and design.

Passive Solar Architecture: Heating, Cooling, Ventilation, Daylighting, and More Using Natural Flows, by David A. Bainbridge and Ken Haggard. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011. An excellent, thorough resource.

The Passive Solar Energy Book, by Ed Mazria. Rodale Press, 1979. Out of print, but available from amazon.com, powells.com, and others. An excellent book.

Sun, Wind, and Light: Architectural Design Strategies, 2nd ed., by G. Z. Brown and Mark DeKay. William Stout Architectural Books, 2000. A pattern book illustrating passive heating and cooling strategies for a diverse array of contexts ranging from individual homes to high rises to whole towns.

The Food and Heat Producing Solar Greenhouse, by Bill Yanda and Rick Fisher. John Muir Publications, 1980.

Effective Shading with Landscape Trees, by William B. Miller and Charles M. Sacamano. University of Arizona College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension bulletin 188035/8835, March 1990.

A Golden Thread: 2,500 Year of Solar Architecture and Technology, by Ken Butti and John Perlin. Cheshire Books, 1980. Fascinating history, solar design has been around a very long time.

The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, by Dan Chiras. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2002.

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1, 2nd Edition: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, by Brad Lancaster. Rainsource Press, 2012. For numerous tools for the integrated, regenerative harvest of on-site water, sun, fertility, food, and more, see Chapter 4 – Integrated Design; Appendix 7 – Sun Angles and Paths; and Appendix 9 – Water-Energy-Carbon Nexus.

Online

susdesign.com/tools.php
Sustainable by Design’s online tools to determine sun angles and position, visualize sun paths, window overhang design and visualization of overhang shade, overhang recommendations, visualization of penetration of sunlight through windows into a room, visualization of shading from window louvers and fins, calculation of heat gain through windows, visualization of shadows cast by solar PV and hot water panels, and monthly climate data for about 250 U.S. cities.

www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/
NOAA Solar Calculator to find sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and solar position for any place on Earth

aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/AltAz.php
The USNO Sun or Moon Altitude/Azimuth calculates the altitude and azimuth of the sun or moon at multiple times during any day anywhere in the world between the year 1700 and the year 2100. Results are displayed in 24-hour format.

www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodels/struts/calcDeclination
www.magnetic-declination.com
Magnetic declination is the angle, at a given location and on a given date, between true north and magnetic north. Due to magnetic changes in the earth’s core, magnetic declination changes from place to place and over time. Use either of these websites to determine how many degrees you’ll need to correct your compass’ reading of magnetic north to know where true north is. Note: for the NOAA site, you’ll need to know your site’s latitude and longitude in decimal format. To convert coordinates from minutes and seconds to decimal format, visit this page of the U.S. government’s FCC website.

Solar Design Software

Autodesk Ecotect Analysis
Great for visually assessing sun and shadow relationships anytime of the year, anywhere in the world. Also includes design tips, and carbon-emission and energy-consumption analysis.
usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=12602821&siteID=123112
video demonstration: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZ35xh4ofw

Google Solar SketchUp
Free software to visualize sun and shadow relationships for anytime of the year, anywhere in the world.
www.solarsketchup.com
video demonstration: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4MXyzgC1Jk

Apps

Sun Seeker: 3D Augmented Reality Camera 3-D View
Uses the GPS unit in your phone to find and show your site’s solar path, its hour intervals, its winter- and summer-solstice paths, sunrise and sunset times, and current time’s shadow ratio. A pretty good app, but needs improvement. It gives you the shadow ratio only for the date and time you are looking at the app. It could be improved by enabling you to find the shadow ratio for any date and time of your choosing. In addition, it would be great if you could export and print the sun path images and map views.

Other

Your site’s latitude: Look at a globe, atlas, or topographic map, or google “what is the latitude of (your town, state, country).”

Solar Ovens/Cooking

Sun Ovens International, Inc.
They make the Global Sun Oven®, the most efficient solar oven I’ve used.
www.sunoven.com

Solar Cookers International
A great organization/resource for making and using your own solar oven.
www.solarcookers.org

Barbara Kerr and the Kerr-Cole Sustainable Living Center
Pioneering work in solar cooking and sustainable living.
solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Barbara_Kerr
solarcooking.org/bkerr/ (link for Kerr-Cole SLC)

Publications

The Sunny Side of Cooking: Solar Cooking and Other Ecologically Friendly Cooking Methods for the 21^st Century by Lisa Rayner. Lifeweaver LLC, 2007. P.O. Box 22324, Flagstaff. AZ 86002.
www.LisaRayner.com.

Solar Cooking Naturally, by Virginia Heather Gurley. Sunlight Works, 1995.

M. (Chapter 4)  Solar Access, Solar Easements, and Solar Rights

For design tools see section L. (Chapter 4) Sun Angles and Passive Solar Designs

Solar rights are the right to access and harness the rays of the sun.

But when solar rights enter the world of legal terminology, terms can vary or shift with nuance. Below are three common terms and how they may be defined:

Solar Access – the ability to continue to receive and utilize sunlight on one’s property, across property lines, without obstruction from another property (e.g., buildings, trees, or other impediments)

Solar Easements – the right, expressed as an easement, restriction, covenant, or condition contained in any deed, contract, or other publicly recorded document assuring a landowner adequate solar access for solar energy systems and/or passive solar (lighting, cooking, growing crops, clothes drying, heating, and cooling) systems

Solar Rights – the ability to install and utilize solar-energy systems and/or passive solar systems on property subject to public or private land-use restrictions (e.g., homeowners association Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CCRs))

A Comprehensive Review of Solar Access Law in the United States
www.solarabcs.org/about/publications/reports/solar-access/

New Mexico’s Solar Rights
For information contact the Energy Conservation and Management Division, NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. For a downloadable PDF on the subject, go to:
www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ECMD/LawsRegulationsExecutiveOrders/documents/SolarRightsAct.pdf

Project Laundry List
Works toward making air-drying and cold-water washing laundry acceptable, legal, and desirable as simple and effective ways to save energy. Great info and activism.
www.laundrylist.org

Opportunity Outside of Shadow: A New Paradigm for City Planning
Great info on historic solar rights and solar easements in England, plus design tips to maintain solar access within cities in all latitudes, by Sean Scott, Trim Tab, Winter 2012.
www.pageturnpro.com/Cascadia-Green-Building-Council/35580-Trim-Tab-v12–Winter-2012/index.html#46

Right to Light
A form of easement in English law that gives a long-standing owner of a building with windows a right to maintain the level of natural, passive, free illumination through the windows from the sun. It is based on the Ancient Lights law.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_light

Living Building Challenge Imperative 18:Rights to Nature
The Living Building Challenge is the most sustainable, integrated green design certification I’ve come across, setting a much higher bar than LEED. You must meet or exceed 20 Imperatives/requirements. Imperative 18:Rights to Nature covers solar rights and solar access. The full Living Building Challenge 2.0 can be downloaded from the website below.
ilbi.org/lbc/standard

Solar Rights by Sara C. Bronin, Boston University Law Review, Vol. 89, p. 1217, 2009. Discusses the value of solar access/rights and of attempts to assign solar rights in different countries over time, and how American efforts have fallen short.

Modern Lights by Sara C. Bronin, University of Colorado Law Review, Vol. 80, p. 101, 2009. A companion piece to Sara’s Solar Rights, this article proposes a framework within which a comprehensive solar-rights regime might be developed.

Boulder, Colorado Solar Access Code
www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/codes/boldera1_gb.shtml

What initiated first comprehensive zoning resolution in U.S.
NYC Dept of Planning website describes how a seven-acre shadow cast by one of the first skyscrapers in Manhattan initiated the first comprehensive zoning resolution in the U.S. in 1915.
www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zonehis.shtml

N. (Chapter 4)  Integrated Design Patterns

Publications

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction, by Christopher Alexander, S. Ishikawa, M. Silverstein. Oxford, 1977.

An Introduction to Permaculture, by Bill Mollison. Tagari Publications, 1988.

Sun, Wind, and Light: Architectural Design Strategies, 2nd ed., by G. Z. Brown and Mark DeKay. William Stout Architectural Books, 2000.

The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage, by Ianto Evans, Michael G. Smith, and Linda Smiley. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2002.

Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape—Naturally, by Robert Kourik. Metamorphic Press, 1986.

Online

www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodels/struts/calcDeclination
www.magnetic-declination.com
Magnetic declination is the angle, at a given location and on a given date, between true north and magnetic north. Due to magnetic changes in the earth’s core, magnetic declination changes from place to place and over time. Use either of these websites to determine how many degrees you’ll need to correct your compass’ reading of magnetic north to know where true north is. Note: for the NOAA site, you’ll need to know your site’s latitude and longitude in decimal format. To convert coordinates from minutes and seconds to decimal format, visit this page of the U.S. government’s FCC website.

The following resource sections are about rainwater-harvesting community and government resources, as well as a list of firms and individuals that do rainwater-harvesting design.

O. Green Home Tours

Tour other sites to learn from their successes and mistakes.

American Solar Energy Society
Visit the ASES National Solar Tour section of their website at:
www.ases.org

U.S. Green Building Council
The directory on their website can help you track down local green builder programs, some of which organize tours.
www.usgbc.org

P. Models for Public Sites

Akash Ganga Chennai Rain Centre
An urban rainwater harvesting demonstration site in Chennai, India.
www.raincentre.org

Rainwater Harvesting: Success Story from Chennai India, by Ram Krishnan. A report presented at the ARCSA Conference in Austin, Texas, August 21-23, 2003. Order proceedings from:
www.arcsa-usa.org

TreePeople
Their website features water-harvesting demonstration sites in Los Angeles, California.
www.TreePeople.org

Seattle, Washington Public Utilities SEA Streets Project
Progressive multi-use water harvesting/ beautification/ flood control strategies in the public rights-of-way.
www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Drainage_&_Sewer_System/GreenStormwaterInfrastructure/NaturalDrainageProjects/index.htm

HarvestingRainwater.com
Links to photos, videos, cost benefit analysis, technical drawings, and much more for many sites listed by country, state, and city.
www.harvestingrainwater.com/rainwater-harvesting-inforesources/water-harvesting-demonstration-sites/

Q. Sustainable Communities

Superbia!: 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods, by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann. New Society Publishers, 2003. Presents a number of easy ways to improve existing communities.

Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes, by Judy Corbett and Michael Corbett. Island Press, 2000. An inside look at the development of Village Homes, a unique example of sustainable design in a community. This 60-acre residential and business development includes extensive common areas, community gardens, narrow streets, pedestrian and bike paths, solar homes, and in terms of rainwater harvesting—an innovative ecological drainage system.

R. Water-Harvesting Resources List

Travelers Earth Repair Network
A project of the Friends of the Trees Society, with many other resources available via their site-based email.
www.geocities.com/RainForest/4663/tern.html

S. Water-Harvesting Groups to Join

American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
www.arcsa-usa.org

International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
www.ircsa.org

T. Groups Offering Workshops in Rainwater Harvesting and Permaculture, Information Sources

Magazines/Journals

Permaculture Activist
Permaculture and related courses around the world. Information on courses and events, as well as subscription information at:
www.permacultureactivist.net

The Last Straw: The International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Building
Lists natural building and sustainable building events and workshops.
www.thelaststraw.org

Organizations

Drylands-Specific

Sonoran Permaculture Guild (Arizona)
www.sonoranpermaculture.org

Watershed Management Group (Arizona)
A Tucson-based non-profit whose mission is to improve rural and urban livelihoods by integrating community development and conservation. They provide local residents and community groups with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage their natural resources sustainably.
www.watershedmg.org

ECOSA Institute (Arizona)
www.ecosainstitute.org

Permaculture Institute (New Mexico)
www.permaculture.org

Earthworks Institute (New Mexico)
www.earthworksinstitute.org

Craig Sponholtz/Dryland Solutions
Watershed restoration, water harvesting, consulting services, educational programs and workshops.
www.drylandsolutions.com

Non-Drylands-Specific

Occidental Arts And Ecology Center (OAEC) and OAEC’s WATER Institute (California)
These organizations conduct many fine workshops including “Watershed Basins of Relations: Starting and Sustaining Community Watershed Groups.”
www.oaec.org

Permaculture Institute of Northern California
www.regenerativedesign.org

In Mexico

Alternativas
www.alternativas.org.mx

U. Watershed Community Organizing and Watershed Awareness

Publications

“Basins of Relations: Restoring a Watershed State of Being,” by Brock Dolman. Permaculture Activist, no. 47, Summer 2002, pp. 8–12.

“A Watershed Runs through You,” by Freeman House. YES! Magazine, no. 28, Winter 2004.

Watersheds: A Practical Handbook for Healthy Water, by Clive Dobson and Gregor Gilpin Beck. Firefly Books, 1999. A beautifully illustrated book providing an overview of the fundamentals of ecology from the simple concept of a watershed to the biological intricacies of a wetland ecosystem and its implications on the environment.

Basins of Relations: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting and Restoring Our Watersheds, Water Institute, 2008. Wonderful guide to enhance hydrological literacy and take action within your watersheds.
www.oaec.org/water-institute

Getting in Step: Engaging and Involving Stakeholders in Your Watershed, by Charlie MacPherson, Barry Tonning, and Emily Fallasli of Tetra Tech, Inc. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 68-C-99-249, 1998. This guide provides the tools needed to effectively engage stakeholders to restore and maintain healthy environmental conditions throughout their watershed through community support and cooperative action. To get a copy contact Charlie MacPherson at:
charlie.macpherson@tetratech-ffx.com

Getting in Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns, prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 841-B-03-002, December 2003. This guide is an update of the 1998 publication “Getting in Step: A Guide to Effective Outreach in Your Watershed.” This updated version includes more specific information on how to work with the mass media to conduct an outreach campaign. For copies of this guide and its companion video go to the National Service Center for Environmental Publications’ website:
www.epa.gov/ncepihom

Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and Watershed Organizations, compiled by Katherine Luscher. River Network, 1996. This 440-page handbook is based on the experience of dozens of veteran leaders in the river and conservation movements with articles laying out the critical moves every newly forming organization needs to thrive and grow.
www.rivernetwork.org

How to Start a Watershed Awareness Program, by the Aquatic Outreach Institute. Available from the Watershed Project Store.
www.thewatershedproject.org

Stormwater Strategies: Community Responses to Runoff Pollution, by Peter H. Lehner, George P. Aponte Clarke, Diane M. Cameron, and Andrew G. Frank. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), May 1999. One hundred case studies of successful projects around the U.S. that simultaneously improve runoff quality and the environment, have economic advantages, and additional community benefits.

“Stormwater Management: Use It or Lose It,” by Tim Murphy. Sustainable Living in Drylands, no. 5, Winter 1988/89. A great wake-up call to the value of our stormwater runoff, and how we can use it as the local resource it is.

Stormwater: Asset Not Liability, published by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council. (213) 367-4111

Stormwater Journal keeps you updated on issues related to stormwater control and lessening stormwater runoff pollution.
www.stormh2o.com

Small Flows Magazine
A welcome alternative to large-scale, centralized systems, this publication features news, technical, and educational articles about a variety of small community wastewater issues, including treatment technologies, regulations, and finance. Included as an insert are peer-reviewed research journal articles
www.nesc.wvu.edu/smallflows.cfm

International Erosion Control Association (IECA) and its publication Erosion Control Journal keep you updated on erosion control strategies pushed by regulators and the industry.
www.ieca.org

Organizations

The Water Institute
www.oaec.org/water-institute

Surfrider Foundation
www.surfrider.org

Center for Watershed Protection
www.cwp.org

Programs

Occidental Arts and Ecology Center’s WATER Institute
This organization offers the four-day residential training program, “Basins of Relations: Starting and Sustaining Community Watershed Groups.”
www.oaec.org

V. Designing Urban Landscapes and Retrofitting Cities as a Series of Functioning Miniature Urban-Forest Watersheds

Publications

Second Nature: Adapting LA’s Landscape for Sustainable Living, edited by Patrick Condon and Stacy Moriarty. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 1999. A great resource of a group in Los Angeles that is creating cross-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary connections between the people and institutions responsible for the infrastructure, planning, and ecology of Los Angeles such that the city is viewed as a living watershed. Concepts such as passive rainwater-harvesting and multiple-use landscaping are presented to help improve the sustainability of the City and the watershed.
www.TreePeople.org/trees

Product Specification for the Transagency Resources for Economic and Environmental Sustainability Project, by John Stokes Associates, Inc., 1998. Prepared for TreePeople, Beverly Hills, CA. This is the Cost-Benefit Analysis for the T.R.E.E.S. Project, a program in Los Angeles. See Second Nature, above.

Online Resources

www.TreePeople.org/trees

The City Forest: The Keyline Plan for the Human Environment Revolution by P. A. Yeomans, 1971. Available for download at www.soilandhealth.org.

W. Source of Loans for Water-Harvesting Projects

Permaculture Credit Union
Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico
www.pcuonline.org

X. Firms/Designers Specializing in Dryland Water Harvesting, Permaculture Design, or Integrated Design

This is only a partial list of designers and implementation firms doing such work. Those listed helped me with this book through their review of the text and sharing their work and knowledge.

Santa Fe Permaculture
www.sfpermaculture.com

Regenesis Group
Ecological resources for communities, designers, and development professionals.
www.regenesisgroup.com

Craig Sponholtz/Dryland Solutions
Watershed restoration, water harvesting, consulting services, educational programs and workshops.
www.drylandsolutions.com

San Isidro Permaculture
www.sipermaculture.com

Earthwrights Designs/Dirtwrights Technologies
www.earthwrights.com

Rocky Brittain, Architect
(520) 884-8226

Heather Kinkade-Levario
www.forgottenrain.com

David Confer, Integrated Systems Consultant
(520) 991-3737

David Omick, Sustainable Systems/Appropriate Technology Designer
www.omick.net

Art Ludwig (of Oasis Designs), Greywater and Sustainable Systems, Designer/Author
www.OasisDesign.net

Peter Pfieffer (of Barley & Pfeiffer Architects)
Designs swimming-pool-style below-ground sprayed-concrete tanks.
www.barleypfeiffer.com

Overland Partners/Architects
Designed the water-harvesting system for the Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.
www.overlandpartners.com

Steve Kemble (of MudStrawLove LLC)
Spearheaded a student-built ferrocement cistern project for East Campus high school in Douglas, Arizona.  Involved in various rooftop and ground surface rainwater collection projects.
www.mudstrawlove.com