Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster

Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) 2008 Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ
2008-07-26 - 2008-07-30
July 26-30, 2008
Tucson, Arizona
This conference promises workshops, presentations, tours, and educational events – including some on water harvesting.
For more information see: www.swcs.org

Comanche Creek Restoration Volunteer Weekend - Nortern, New Mexico
2008-07-18 - 2008-07-20
Friday – Sunday, July 18 – 20
Bill Zydeek, Steve Carson, and Craig Spoonholtz will lead groups in stream restoration projects in the Comanche Creek watershed in the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest. For more information see the “workshops and events” page at www.quiviracoalition.org

Practical Permaculture for Sustainable Farming and Gardening - Northern New Mexico
2008-07-12 - 2008-07-16
This is a series of three five-days workshops held at Seeds of Change Farm in Northern New Mexico. Field-based classes will offer plenty of opportunities for learning outdoors. Each workshop can be taken in series or separately. Completion of the entire series leads to permaculture certification. You can take all three workshops or pick one or two. Click here for the full workshop schedule and info
Workshop Two: Natural and Constructed Ecosystems
Saturday, July 12 – Wednesday, July 16

with Brad Lancaster author of Rainwater Harvesting in Drylands & Beyond & Scott Pittman

Forest and Trees; Their Role in the Landscape
Food Forests and Gardens for Self-Sufficiency
Rainwater Harvesting and Reuse
Water Management on the Landscape

Hands-on exercises in understanding of role and management of weeds, introduction to native pollinators & honey bees to farms, orchards and home gardens; soil management in drylands on broadscale, tracking water on the landscape, learning to design rainwater harvesting systems. register here

Permaculture/Water Design Intensive - Flagstaff, Prescott, and Tucson, AZ
2008-07-07 - 2008-08-01
July 7 – August 1, 2008
Flagstaff, Prescott, and Tucson, Arizona
www.ecosainstitute.org
This summer, invest in a program that will have you generating positive solutions to the global environmental emergencies we face today.
Learn from the best!
Permaculture experts Brad Lancaster, Andrew Millison, and Joshua Robinson will introduce you to desert, temperate and mountain regions of Arizona in a four-week intensive teaching you the theory and practice of permaculture and water systems design.
Learn to create thoughtful site analyses, edible and native landscapes, greywater and rainwater harvesting systems, solar ovens, healthy soils and community gardens. Visit beekeepers, food and seed banks, passive and active solar buildings, permaculture farms and sustainable communities. Meet with city officials and community activists who have brought sustainability to their municipalities, and become one yourself!
72-hour Permaculture Certificate awarded. Credit available from Prescott College.
www.ecohood.info/

Brad Lancaster "The Ethics & Aesthetics of Rainwater Harvesting", Tucson, AZ
2008-06-28 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
28 June Saturday
3-5pm
MOCA Design Lab
149 N. Stone Ave.
Tucson, AZ

Brad Lancaster “The Ethics & Aesthetics of Rainwater Harvesting”
Free to MOCA members, $5 non-members
Welcome the monsoon season and the publication of volume two of Brad’s forward-thinking series on rainwater and greywater harvesting â€“ Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks â€“ with a visually engaging discussion of the ethical and aesthetic beauty of turning the Sonoran Desert’s water scarcity into abundance.
www.moca-tucson.org
520.624.5019

Volumes 1 and 2 Book Signings with Brad Lancaster at Tucson Santa Cruz Farmers' Market
2008-06-26 16:00 - 17:30
Thursday, June 26, 2008
4 to 5:30pm
Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market
NE Corner of Speedway and Riverview between the Arizona School for Deaf and Blind and El Rio Neighborhood Center
Brad will be hanging out at this great market selling and signing copies of his books “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1” and “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2”

Volumes 1 and 2 Book Signings with Brad Lancaster at Tucson CSA
2008-06-24 16:00 - 17:30
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
4 to 5:30pm
Tucson CSA pick up at old YMCA courtyard
300 E. University Blvd
Brad will be hanging out selling and signing copies of his books “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1” and
“Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2”. Just in time for the coming monsoon rains!

Hands-On Greywater-Harvesting Workshop with Brad Lancaster in Flagstaff, Arizona
2008-06-07 09:00
Saturday, June 7, 2008
9:00am
Flagstaff, Arizona
Investment: $55
Join Brad Lancaster and Eden on Earth, LLC for an empowering presentation and hands-on workshop covering the conceptualization, design, and installation of legal greywater-harvesting systems as well as the basics of rainwater harvesting systems.
To register and for more info see http://www.edenonearthlandscaping.com/workshop.html
This event is sponsored by the City of Flagstaff, The Coconino Sustainable Building Program, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center and Eden on Earth.

Morning Breakfast Seminar on Greywater Harvesting with Brad Lancaster in Flagstaff, Arizona
2008-06-06 06:30 - 08:00
Friday, June 6, 2008
6:30am to 8:00am
County Administration Building
BOS room
Flagstaff, Arizona
FREE, including continental breakfast
This will be a power point presentation and discussion on the design, materials, and installation of low-cost, efficient, passive gravity-fed, legal greywater systems in Arizona. While this presentation is open to everyone, it will be geared towards professional trades people, contractors, designers, installers, inspectors, and policy makers of greywater systems.
Greywater stubouts (required in all new home construction in Cottonwood, AZ; Sierra Vista, AZ; and soon Tucson, AZ) will be discussed along with State financial incentives (up to $1,200 per residence with $200 going to the installer/builder)
This event is sponsored by the City of Flagstaff, The Coconino Sustainable Building Program, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center and Eden on Earth
For more information contact:

Amanda Acheson
aacheson@coconino.az.gov

Rainwater and Greywater-Harvesting Presentation by Brad Lancaster in Flagstaff, Arizona
2008-06-05 19:00
Thursday, June 5, 2008
7:00 pm
Northern Arizona University Cline Library Auditorium
FREE
This inspiring presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. Greywater harvesting is the process of directing water from household sink, bathtub, shower, and washing machine drains into the soils of the landscape where the water is naturally filtered and reused to generate more on-site resources. The two work hand in hand, and can reduce our water consumption by 30 to 50%! You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.
Brad Lancaster is the author of the award-winning “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain Into Your Life and Landscape” and “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks” (www.HarvestingRainwater.com). Living on an eighth of an acre in downtown Tucson, Arizona, where rainfall is less than 12 inches annually, Brad practices what he preaches by harvesting over 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year.
Brad and his brother Rodd have created an oasis in the desert by directing this harvested rainwater not off their property and into storm drains, but instead incorporating it into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that includes habitat for wildlife.
Brad Lancaster is a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and co-founder of Desert Harvesters (DesertHarvesters.org). Brad has taught programs for the ECOSA Institute, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Prescott College, Audubon Expeditions, City of Asheville, North Carolina and many others. He has helped design integrated water harvesting and permaculture systems for homeowners and gardeners, including the Tucson Audubon Simpson Farm restoration site, the Milagro and Stone Curves co-housing projects.
This event is sponsored primarily by One Community Sustainable Living Lecture Series and co-sponsored by the City of Flagstaff, The Coconino Sustainable Building Program, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center and Eden on Earth.
For more information contact:
Amanda Acheson
aacheson@coconino.az.gov

Book Signing and Water Harvesting Talk with Brad Lancaster in Edgewood, New Mexico
2008-05-17 18:00
Saturday, May 17, 2008
6pm
Edgewood, NM
Pot luck dinner, book signing, and new talk with Brad Lancaster to celebrate the release of his new book “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks”. Talk will happen after pot luck dinner.
To get to event in Edgewood, take I-40 to Exit #187 in Edgewood (about 25 miles east of Albuquerque). At the off-ramp stop sign, go south two blocks, weaving carefully and slowly through the ever-changing orange barrels to the stop sign at the frontage road (Old Highway #66). Go straight (across the frontage road) up the hill 1/2 mile (passing the Walgreen’s and the Mormon Church on the right) and turn right onto Moriarty Road. Go 1/4 mile down this gravel road to #24 on the right and turn into driveway.
Contact Chris Meuli 505-281-4871

Applied Watershed Restoration with Craig Sponholtz
2008-05-11 - 2008-05-16
May 11 – 16, 2008
Wind River Ranch
Las Vegas, New Mexico
One week long practicum, May 11 – May 17, 2008
Applied hands-on experience in Practical Watershed Restoration
Topics Include:

Tracking water in the landscape
Runoff management principles
Storing moisture in natural landforms
Protecting and building soil resources
Increasing base flow in channels
Passive water harvesting
Plant succession in restoration projects
Food production in restoration projects
Wildlife habitat restoration
Road drainage improvement
Erosion control structures and uses
Use of onsite materials
Increasing runoff infiltration
Runoff agriculture and re-vegetation
Floodplain agriculture and re-vegetation
Headcut treatments
Induced Meandering
Irrigation diversions
For more information visit www.permaculture.org

Greywater-Harvesting Hands-On Workshop with Brad Lancaster
2008-05-10 13:00 - 16:00
Saturday, May 10, 2008
1pm to 4pm
Dolce Verde – 2017 N Laurel Ave
Phoenix, Arizona
Directions: Crossroads: McDowell and 15th Ave. North from the Downtown Public Market to McDowell Rd. West on McDowell, past the light at 15th Ave. Take your first right onto Laurel Ave. Go North, past Palm Lane, 2017 is the 5th house on the right with a green picket fence around the front yard.
Contact: Jennifer, 602-252-8977, phoenixhomesteader@gmail.com
Investment: $29
Learn how to install, and actually install, two typical greywater harvesting projects – an outdoor shower and a greywater redirect from a washing machine. Space is limited to 30 participants. You must pre-register for this class. Please arrive a few minutes early so that we may begin our installation portion on time.

Rainwater- and Greywater-Harvesting Class with Brad Lancaster
2008-05-10 09:00 - 12:00
Saturday, May 10, 2008
9am to noon
Downtown Phoenix Public Market – 721 N. Central in the Large Meeting Room
SE Corner of Central Ave. & McKinley St. (2 blks S of Roosevelt)
Contact: Jennifer, 602-252-8977, phoenixhomesteader@gmail.com
Investment: $39
Learn rain and greywater harvesting from expert and award-winning author Brad Lancaster. Learn how to create simple, low-maintenance, legal, and effective household greywater harvesting systems that use gravity to direct greywater directly into the landscape (no stinky tanks) where it passively irrigates landscape plantings. This can greatly lower water consumption and water bills, while enhancing and beautifying your yard. We will discuss how to create greywater systems, greywater-harvesting guidelines, materials and suppliers, greywater-appropriate soaps and detergents, marrying greywater and rainwater-harvesting earthworks, and how to maximize your greywater-irrigated landscape’s potential with passive solar design, food production, and oasis design. We will also discuss tax rebates for rainwater and greywater-harvesting systems, and view a slide show of different greywater systems. We will also design and install two greywater systems at Dolce Verde (2017 N Laurel Ave, 85007) in Central Phoenix, giving you hands on experience so that you can install one yourself. Don’t miss this chance.

Water-Harvesting Volume 2 Presentation, Book Release, and Signing with Brad Lancaster
2008-05-08 19:00
Thursday, May 8, 2008
7pm
Antigone Books
411 North 4th Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85705
Tel: 520-792-3715
antigonebooks@qwest.net
Join Brad Lancaster for an inspiring presentation on water-harvesting earthworks that turn scarcity into abundance. Both the new talk, and the new book “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks” feature:

How Indian villagers in the most populated desert of the world have turned a wasteland into an oasis by harvesting the rain
How progressive individuals, neighborhoods, and cities are redirecting street runoff to passively irrigate flourishing shade trees planted along the street, create food-producing greenways, and control flooding
How check dams have helped create springs and perennial flows in once-dry creeks
How backyard greywater laundromats are turning “wastewater” into a resource growing food, beauty, and shade that builds community, and more
How ordinary folks are enhancing their community by becoming water-harvesting superheroes – and how you can too!

Rainwater Harvesting Volume 2 Book Signing
2008-05-04 11:30 - 13:30
Saturday, May 4, 2008
11:30am to 1:30pm
Native Seeds/SEARCH
526 N. 4th Ave.
Tucson, Arizona
520-622-5561
Brad Lancaster will be signing copies of his newest book “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks”

Water Harvesting Talk by Brad Lancaster at Glendale Garden Festival
2008-05-03 08:30 - 13:00
The Festival is free from 8:30am to 1pm
Brad’s talk is from 9:30am to 10:30am in the large meeting room
Here’s the lowdown:
Come celebrate everything green at the Glendale Garden Festival on May 3rd.Â This is an opportunity for the entire family to learn about desert gardening and green living at the award-winning Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.The event includes interactive garden art activities, go green information booths, and entertaining presentations and activities for people of all ages. Adults can learn from the experts about tree care, low-water-use gardening, water harvesting and more. Children can participate in a variety of fun, hands-on activities in the garden and attend a puppet show and magic show about water in the desert.
The Glendale Garden Festival will be held May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden surrounding the Glendale Main Library (5959 W. Brown Street, Glendale). The event is free and open to the public.

Water-Harvesting Volume 2 Presentation, Book Release, and Signing with Brad Lancaster
2008-05-02 18:00 - 20:00
Friday, May 2, 2008
6pm – 8pm
Silverbell Trading
Casas Adobes Plaza
7119 N. Oracle Road
Tucson, Arizona
520-797-6852
Silverbelltrader@aol.com

Join Brad Lancaster for an inspiring presentation on water-harvesting earthworks that turn scarcity into abundance. Both the new talk, and the new book “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks” feature:

How Indian villagers in the most populated desert of the world turned a wasteland into an oasis by harvesting the rain
How progressive individuals, neighborhoods, and cities are redirecting street runoff to passively irrigate flourishing shade trees planted along the street, create food-producing greenways, and control flooding
How check dams have helped create springs and perennial flows in once-dry creeks
How backyard greywater laundromats are turning “wastewater” into a resource growing food, beauty, and shade that builds community, and more
How ordinary folks are enhancing their community by becoming water-harvesting superheroes – and how you can too!

Water-Harvesting Volume 2 Presentation, Book Release, and Signing with Brad Lancaster
2008-05-01 16:30 - 17:00
Thursday, May 1, 2008
4:30pm – 6pm
University of Arizona bookstore at the Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC), Main Level
1209 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721
Directions:Â Take Mountain Ave. South from Speedway Blvd.Â to the Second Street parking garage
Contact:Â For general information call 621-2814, or visit our website at www.uofabookstores.com
Join Brad Lancaster for an inspiring presentation on water-harvesting earthworks that turn scarcity into abundance. Both the new talk, and the new book “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks” feature:
How villagers in the most populated desert of the world turned a wasteland into an oasis by harvesting the rain
How progressive individuals, neighborhoods, and cities are redirecting street runoff to passively irrigate flourishing shade trees planted along the street, create food-producing greenways, and control flooding
How ordinary folks are enhancing their community by becoming water-harvesting superheroes
How check dams have helped create springs and perennial flows in once-dry creeks
How backyard greywater laundromats are turning “wastewater” into a resource growing food, beauty, and shade that builds community, and more

Drought-Proofing Our Community - Water-Harvesting Presentation with Brad Lancaster
2008-04-20 18:00 - 20:00
Sunday, April 20
6-8pm
Jubilee, 46 Wall St. Downtown Asheville, North Carolina
Donation requested
Can Asheville reduce its water consumption up to 50%?! In this time of increasing weather shifts and water shortages, Asheville is blessed to be hosting one of the country’s leading pioneers on WATER HARVESTING SOLUTIONS for homes, neighborhoods, and cities…
Learn how you can be part of the solution:
Rainwater, greywater, and stormwater flooding
Controlled erosion
Reduced costs of living and energy consumption
Passively cooled cities in summer
Enhanced local food security
Revival of dead waterways
Minimized water pollution
Building social networks
Community celebration
Case studies galore
Book signing
More
For more info contact:
Janell@kleiworks.org
AVI@kleiwerks.org
828-225-8820
Sponsored by Asheville Institute, Woodfin Water District, RiverLink, Urvana, Land-of-Sky Regional Council, The Fortune Building, Jubilee’s Earth Team, Sustainable Alliance of the Mountains, Urban Headwaters
Supported by: SACEE, the Sensible City, WNC Nature Center, Sustainable Asheville, Bountiful Cities Project, WNC Alliance, Asheville Permaculture Guild, The MAP, Smisth Mill Creek Institute,Organic Grower’s School, Clean Air Community Trust

Solar Rock 2008
2008-03-29 12:00 - 17:00
Saturday, March 29, 2008
noon to 5pm
Himmel Park, Tucson, AZ
Part of National Day on Climate Action, this event will consist of a 100% solar powered outdoor concert showcasing local talent, as well as speakers and educational displays by local schools, community organizations and green businesses. It is a fun and informative event calling upon Congress to take decisive action on global warming: 80% cuts in carbon emissions by 2050. The event also focuses on how we can get there with substantive steps taken to reduce emissions at the federal, state, city, and ultimately, individual level.
In doing this, we hope to inform Tucsonans about local organizations, businesses and schools that are helping to create a more sustainable environment with the goal of inspiring grassroots mobilization and active participation from community members and to have some fun while we’re at it!
For more info visit: http://www.solar-rock.blogspot.com/

Water Harvesting Strategies for Your Home by Kevin Moore Koch
2008-03-13 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday, March 13th, 2008
7 – 8:30pm
Bookmans on Grant
Tucson, AZ
Free

Water Harvesting Strategies for Your Home – Learn how to incorporate water harvesting strategies in your life. Presented by Kevin Moore Koch of Technicians for Sustainability. 7 – 8:30 pm. Community room in Bookmans on Grant. Free. (info 520-740-0736)

Humanure Presentation by Joseph Jenkins
2008-03-12 19:30
March 12, 2008
7:30 pm
Crossroads Community Room
Prescott College
Prescott, Arizona
Humanure (the odorous exretions of human beings) can be recycled using natural processes without creating environmental pollution. And it can be done in your own backyard (just don’t tell your neighbors). Joseph Jenkins, author of the “The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure” will cover this topic at least a couple of inches deep.

Solar Energy for Your Home by Kevin Moore Koch, Tucson, AZ
2008-03-06 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday, March 6th, 2008
7 to 8:30pm
Bookmans on Grant, Tucson, AZ
Free

Solar Energy for Your Home – Learn how to incorporate solar energy in your life. Presented by Kevin Moore Koch of Technicians for Sustainability. 7 – 8:30 pm. Community room in Bookmans on Grant. Free. (info 520-740-0736)

Water Harvesting Presentation by Brad Lancaster in Truth or Consequences, NM
2008-03-01 19:00
March 1, 2008
7 pm
Episcopal Church of St. Paul
407 Cedar Street
(at the traffic light: go east on 3rd St, then north on Cedar St.)
Truth or Consequences, NM
For more info contact janbt@valornet.com or candi@riolink.com
The Bountiful Alliance presents:
Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance
This inspiring presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. Greywater harvesting is the process of directing water from household sink, bathtub, shower, and washing machine drains into the soils of the landscape where the water is naturally filtered and reused to generate more on-site resources. The two work hand in hand, and can reduce our water consumption by 30 to 50%! You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.
co-sponsored by the Sierra Club

New Mexico Organic Farming Conference
2008-02-29 07:30 - 2008-03-01 17:00
Friday, February 29, 2008 and Saturday, March 1, 2008
7:30am to 5:00pm
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Marriott Albuquerque Pyramid North
5151 San Francisco Road
505-473-1004 (Santa Fe)
505-841-9067 (Albuquerque)
Lots of great info at this conference. Brad Lancaster will present “Planting Rain to Grow Abundance” at 10am on Friday, Feb. 29.

Water Harvesting Presentation at 2008 Xeriscape Expo, Albuquerque
2008-02-23
Saturday, February 23, 2008
At the NM EXPO – Fairgrounds
The Xeriscape conference is February 21 and 22. The Expo is February 23 and 24. Brad Lancaster will present on how to turn
Water Scarcity into Water Abundance by Planting and Harvesting the Rain at 2:00pm on Feb. 23 at the Expo.
For more information see http://www.xeriscapenm.com

Solar Energy Workshop, PV Design and Installation, Tucson, AZ
2008-02-18 - 2008-02-23
Take hold of the Sun this Winter
Workshop presented by Solar Energy International (SEI)
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PV Design & Installation â€“ Tucson, Arizona
The photovoltaic market world-wide has experienced an enormous 35%growth rate over the last five years. This course was developed for those seeking employment in the booming solar industry or for homeowners looking to install their own systems or hire a contractor. This curriculum provides a strong foundation of grid-tied and battery based systems where participants will gain technical skills of how to design and safely install solar electric systems.Â
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Join us in co-sponsorship with Tucson Electric Power and The Solar Store for this 6-day hands-on workshop on photovoltaics. The workshop will be held February 18th â€“ 23rd at the Town of Marana Operations Center in Marana, AZ just north of Tucson. SEI Members receive a $50 discount!
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Students leave this workshop being able to:

Cite energy efficient solutions to reduce the load of a home

Incorporate local climate and site conditions in a PV system design

Evaluate the differences between commercially available components:
Â Â modules, inverters, controllers, batteries, and racks

Obtain and apply module data from spec sheet

Perform load analysis for a home or business

Size a grid-tied system: inverter, array, wire, disconnects, overcurrent protection

List advantages/disadvantages for various mounting types

List order of commissioning and decommissioning & safety hazards

Define net metering and state incentive programs

Size a stand-alone system and specify the appropriate components: inverter,
Â Â wire, charge controller, batteries, and modules

Perform detailed site evaluation for determining system location and install
Â Â details
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This workshop is accredited by the Institute of Sustainable Power (ISP) and helps fulfill the requirement for national photovoltaic certification. The â€˜Certificate of Completion’ from this workshop fulfills the educational requirement to take the NBACEP PV Entry Level Certificate of Knowledge Exam. See www.nabcep.org for more information.
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Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn about solar!
Please visit www.solarenergy.org for additional information.Â Please contact SEI at 970.963.8855 for workshop details or to register.Â

Solar Energy Talk with Kevin Moore Koch, Tucson, AZ
2008-02-10 10:15
Sunday, Feb. 10th, 2008
10:15 am
St. Phillips in the Hills
Solar Energy: Theory and Practice- This talk will cover the impact of our energy use in Tucson and Southern Arizona and ways to meet that use through renewable energy. We’ll also discuss how solar energy works, and introduce the incentives and rebates that are currently available. Kevin Moore Koch, Technicians for Sustainability, presenting.The forum will be at St. Philp’s-in-the-Hills (Northeast corner of River Road and Campbell) at 10:15 am

13th Annual Permaculture Design Course - Tucson, AZ
2008-02-09 09:30 - 2008-03-23 17:30
Five Weekends:
February 9th and 10th,
February 16th and 17th,
March 1st and 2th,
March 15th and 16th,
March 22ndÂ andÂ 23rd (MarchÂ 23rd will be morning only forÂ design presentations, potluck, and party).
9:30 AM to 5:30 PM each day.
Cost $650, $595 for early registration (byÂ December 15th).
There is also a class book fee of $39 for a copy ofÂ Introduction to Permaculture.Â Also very highly recommendedÂ is Brad Lancaster’s Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands Vol 1 and Vol 2. For theÂ lastÂ four years the course has beenÂ completely full, so early registration is encouraged. To give a high quality educational experience, we limit the size of the class toÂ seventeenÂ or eighteenÂ participants.
This course is one of the longest running Permaculture courses held each yearÂ in the U.S. andÂ leads to a permaculture designÂ certificate.Â It covers all aspects ofÂ sustainable designÂ with an emphasis on SouthwestÂ Drylands, includingÂ a balanceÂ of hands on experience, classroom time, and design practicum. Dynamic exercises encourage pattern recognition,Â noticing the links between plants andÂ animals, climate, andÂ landforms that make up natural ecosystems. These patterns are the basis forÂ the PermacultureÂ system ofÂ sustainable design.
The course focuses on dryland communities, addressing individual site and neighborhood “problems” such as stormwater flooding. Students learn to read the landscape, to map and analyze energies flowing throughÂ aÂ site, and to develop integrated designs for sustainable systems. The weekend format of the course makes it easier forÂ people who hold a week day job to attend and promotes better integration of theÂ course material into daily life.
Course topics include agroforestry, appropriate technology, building design, design principles and patterning, site analysis, dryland gardening principles, ecosystem restoration, philosophy and ethics of permaculture, regenerative community economics, soils and erosion control, village design, water harvesting, andÂ many otherÂ topics.
We take field trips toÂ working permaculture sites around Tucson, and you will have the chance throughout the course to design and begin implementing permaculture on aÂ site of your choosing. This course is challenging and fun, andÂ it shows the whole big picture of sustainable design in Southwest Drylands and how sustainabilityÂ really works!
Site:Â The classroom willÂ be in the Central Tucson area,Â and at other permaculture sites inÂ the Tucson area.
Much of the class is held outdoors.Â

Taught by Dan Dorsey and instructors from the Sonoran Permaculture Guild. For teacher profiles and other classes scheduledÂ visit: www.sonoranpermaculture.orgÂ or to registerÂ and for more information contact Dan Dorsey, course registrar, atÂ (520) 624-8030 or dorsey@dakotacom.net

frequently asked questions,
orÂ the fine print…

How do I register?

We need a minimum of a non-refundable $100 deposit byÂ December 15th to get the discount rate and to hold you a place in the course. Full payment is dueÂ 21Â daysÂ before the first weekend.Â Special exceptions, like paying for the courseÂ weekend by weekend,Â are made on a case by case basis. Checks and money orders can be made out to our non-profit: “NEST/Sonoran Permaculture Guild”. Cash, money orders, or checksÂ can be handed directly to Dan Dorsey, and a receipt will be issued to you. By mail please send only checks and money orders, no cash.Â Â Mail to: Dan Dorsey 221 E. Linden Tucson, AZ 85705. Include your return address, e-mail,Â and phone number, andÂ you will be sent a receipt. If you want to pay by credit card,Â weÂ are set up through PayPalÂ to handle those transactions. Let me know and I will e-mail you on how to use your major credit card.Â Â
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If after I register and pay, and theÂ course starts, what if I have an emergency and need to cancel out?

Our refund policy is as follows: If you have a serious injury or illness, or if someone in your immediate family has a serious injury or illness during the course, and you need to cancel out of the entire class after it starts,Â we will refundÂ to you a pro-ratedÂ amount based onÂ theÂ weekends youÂ have already taken.Â Â
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What if IÂ need to cancel before the class begins?
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If you are cancelling out of the entireÂ course after you have already paid, Â we will refund your entire amount minus your $100 deposit up toÂ 21 days before theÂ course begins. If you cancelÂ at leastÂ 7 days before theÂ course begins we will refund 50% of what you have paid over $100. You can thenÂ apply any money you have paid over the $100 deposit to next year’s course. If you or we can find someone to take your place in the class you will receive a full refund minus your $100 deposit.Â
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What if I drop out of theÂ course due to a non-emergency after theÂ course begins?
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We decide refunds inÂ non-emergency situationsÂ on a case by case basis.
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What if IÂ have to miss a whole day or a weekend of the course?
WeÂ expectÂ each participantÂ to attend all the scheduledÂ weekends and classes, and you will get the most out of the course if you do.Â Â But we understand unexpected events come up. It is up to you if you have to miss part of the course, but if you want yourÂ permaculture designÂ certificate at the end, you might have to pay something extra to meet with theÂ instructor who wasÂ teaching duringÂ the missed period if he or she is willingÂ to go over the material.Â In some casesÂ you may evenÂ have to wait until next year’s class to make up the material and get your certificate.
Why is the $100 deposit non-refundable?
Since a lot of work byÂ the organizers occurs before the course starts, yourÂ earlyÂ deposit tells usÂ how many people we canÂ expectÂ in the course. In the very unlikly event theÂ course doesn’t make at all,Â your deposit and any other money you have paidÂ willÂ beÂ refunded in full.
Are thereÂ scholarships and work-trade exchange possibilities available?
ThereÂ will beÂ five scholarships of $100 to hand out this year. If you want to apply; send a maximum one page either typewritten or legibly printed or hand written sheet saying why you need the scholarship (financial reasons) and what you plan to do with the course after you finish taking it. Please don’t apply forÂ a scholarship if you don’t need the money, as we would like thisÂ additional discountÂ to go to those who really want to take the course but need the extra financial help.
There might also be a limited amount of work trade. WeÂ don’t have the resources to offer a full work trade or a full scholarship.Â If you really want to take the course and don’t have the full amount availableÂ at the start of the courseÂ we will work with you. You can pay by the weekend if youÂ assure us youÂ are taking the whole course.Â In the past participants have approached organizationsÂ or individualsÂ andÂ ask themÂ for sponsorship in exchange for doing permaculture design and/ or implementationÂ after they graduate.Â OrÂ Â ask a parent or friend to loan or give you the money at no or little interest. The permaculture Credit Union in Sante Fe makes loans (not grants)Â to take the course. Or maybe approach an organization that might use this type of work and ask them to sponsor you.
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Can I get college credit for taking this class?
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This class leads to aÂ DesignÂ Course Certification in Permaculture. While this certificate is not recognized directly by most universities, many of our students have been university or college students, and have worked with their departments at the University of Arizona, Prescott College, and Pima CommunityÂ College to obtainÂ independent study credit for taking this course. It is up to the individual student to work out arrangements withÂ his/her college andÂ his/her department. PrescottÂ College students have often taken this course for credit. Â ThisÂ Permaculture Design CourseÂ is a standarized course (with emphasis here onÂ SouthwestÂ Drylands)Â given around the worldÂ since 1981, and there are currently over 300,000 graduates working in over 100 countries on sustainability issues.Â Our seasoned team of teachers has been giving this course forÂ thirteen years in Tucson, andÂ together the teaching teamÂ has decades of experience in core Permaculture topicsÂ and other specializedÂ subjectsÂ in theÂ sustainability field.
What if I have additonal questions about what to expect in the course?
Call or e-mail DanÂ Dorsey, course registrar, at 624-8030 or dorsey@dakotacom.net
