Videos
See Brad Lancaster – Harvesting Rainwater, Brad’s channel on YouTube, for additional videos. New videos will be added periodically.
Scroll down for videos on the harvesting of Rainwater, Stormwater and Street Runoff, Greywater, Condensate & Dew, Fog, Sun & Shade, Soil & Fertility, and Neighborhood Food Forestry
Rainwater Harvesting Videos
How to Soak Up Rain Like a Sponge! – a teaching demonstration
Rainwater harvesting in tanks vs water harvesting in the living sponge of rain gardens — there are pros and cons to both.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
See How This Dry, Flooded Office Complex Became a Rain-fed Green Oasis!
From sterile gravel lot to lush rain-fed paradise!
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
The Water Harvester: An Invitation to Abundance
A documentary on Brad Lancaster and some of his water-harvesting mentors.Click on the arrow in the center of the image below.It was produced, directed, and edited by David Fenster for Arizona Illustrated on Arizona Public Media.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Portlandia Ecovillage Is A Giant Rainwater Sponge
Kailash Ecovillage in Portland, Oregon has transformed their 2 acres to absorb all of the rain that falls on it with an edible landscape, in a way that they give more water to their groundwater than they take from it via their well.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dry Land, Episode 5 of the Greenhorns’ Our Land Series
Dry Land, Episode 5 of the Greenhorns’ Our Land Series Brad discusses how we can work with nature to deconstruct our water woes back into water wins.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvesting +30,000 gallons of roof runoff in tree basins for FREE
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Alluvial Fans of the Southwest and their place in our watersheds
Passive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
A Wonderful Example of an Inner-City Residence Retrofitted for Water-Harvesting in Los Angeles, California
This is a great example for cities everywhere, and beautiful street theater.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Bill Zeedyk and induced meandering in Altar Valley, Arizona – Part One
Bill Zeedyk describing some of the aims and coming effects of volunteer-installed on-the-ground work at the Elkhorn/Las Delicias Watershed Restoration Demonstration Project site in Altar Valley, Arizona by using induced meandering within the water channel with one-rock-high baffles and one-rock dams seeded with native restoration seed mixes.
Passive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Billy Kniffen Watershed Model
I love this 3-D interactive model! It works for all ages. Clearly shows how different watershed surfaces affect our water quality and quantity.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster and ECOSA Institute
This short video by Malcolm Matusky is compiled from clips and stills taken during field-study days with Brad and ECOSA Institute students, and includes Brad’s description of what beneficial ruins are and why we would want to create them.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster: the muffin tin and sponge models
Water-harvesting demonstration filmed by Sustainable World Media
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster: Water-Harvesting Basics, Part 1
Part 1 of 3 short videos from Sustainable World Media in which Brad talks about Water Harvesting and more
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part One)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 1 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part Two)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 2 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brock Dolman on Watershed 2.0 at TEDxMission, October 2012
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Bunyip Water Level: Creating Berms, A Demo on the Beach with Brad Lancaster
Brad demonstrates how to place and build a berm using a homemade bunyip water level.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Desert Ecovillage Built for the Rain
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the Milagro Cohousing Community, completed in 2004. Milagro is located in Tucson, Arizona, and the design is centered around harvesting and reusing onsite waters. Brad was part of the original design team for this project, which is thriving today, 15 years after its installation, as you can see in this video.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Desert Streetside Rainwater Abundance at 25 Years
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the rainwater harvesting neighborhood transformation that has happened in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. Brad has been working on soaking up the rains when they come since he started his project in the mid-nineties.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dryland rain gardens harvest all water from burst water line!
By planting the rain before you plant (with water-harvesting earthworks) you will be able to harvest ALL free waters (such as rainwater, stormwater, greywater, air conditioning condensate, or in this case—broken water line runoff) that exist or appear on site.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings Join Kirsten Dirksen as she tours with Brad around his home, his and his brother’s urban-Tucson property, and the surrounding neighborhood, learning about their harvests of rainwater, stormwater, wild foods, sun, shade, would-be-wastes, and more.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Protected: Evolutions in the Planting of Water – viewable with purchase
If you purchased this video, you should have received the password to view it with your order receipt
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Fighting Drought with an Ancient Practice: Harvesting the Rain
Ancient and modern methods of collecting and storing rainwater are being used to address severe drought today.
Active SystemsNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Free Water by Andrew Brown of Focus Forward
Tucson filmmaker Andrew Brown says, “A short film I made on local rainwater-harvesting genius Brad Lancaster was a semifinalist in the Focus Forward film competition! I would really appreciate it if you took the time to check it out… and share if you can. I really believe in Brad’s message.”
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Get great water flow (and more joy) from your gravity-fed rainwater tanks with full-port valves
Active SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Greening the Desert II
Greening the Desert II is a dynamic water harvesting project in Jordan. This video is a great update of the original version. Click here to watch the video with Arabic subtitles. For more information and data on this project, see the article, “Permaculture Under Drought and Salinity Conditions,” by Mohammed Ayesh, a Jordanian agricultural engineer who has long been involved in the project.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvesting the Future: Legacy of the Land
Ak-chin farming makes desert agriculture possible, and now, those practices help communities today. Farming can thrive in the desert. The Tohono O’odham people have grown crops for thousands of years, and in this short documentary by Wenona & Sal Baldenegro, we see these traditional practices are in community planning today. video here.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Homemade Cisterns Help Harvest Rain
This new Arizona Public Media video/story on a rain-jar cooperative shows how rain-irrigated trees are bringing life—in many varied forms—back to the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood.
Active SystemsNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How Rain Gardens Make Streets Greener & Reduce Flooding
How a series of a hybrid of street-side eddy backwater basins and flow-through basins harvest street runoff in BOTH low & BIG flow events, while also controlling erosion with hand-built one-rock-high structures such as the one-rock dam / rock-mulch rundown hybrids that act as grade-control structures at the upstream inlet of each basin.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How to care for, and learn from, your neighborhood street runoff garden
Easy street water harvesting maintenance tips to boost performance, improve your plant identification skills, and erosion-control rock work strategies and tips.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How to Make Your Home & Neighborhood Greener, Cheaper, & More Comfortable!
Discover how to foster thriving urban spaces through practical strategies promoting affordable housing and strong community engagement. Learn how water-harvesting green infrastructure initiatives and passive sun and shade harvesting can contribute to sustainable living within the urban community, supported by effective local government policies. We’ll explore the role of community building in fostering resilient neighborhoods and rain-irrigated native food forests.
Greywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Increase your rainwater tank’s capacity and uses
Don’t hoard rainwater in the rainy season – use it! And do so in multiple, integrated ways that enables the water to do more for you and produce greater abundance.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingRainwater Harvesting
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Live off grid in urban desert – Tips from Brad Lancaster, Tucson, Arizona
Join Verge Permaculture as they interview Brad at his home.
Greywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Locals Promote Rainwater Harvesting in Creative Forms
This rainwater-harvesting segment from AZ Illustrated Nature features the work of and interviews with landscape designer Logan Byers (Local Design + Build) and rainwater-harvesting expert Brad Lancaster.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Make A Drip Irrigation & Fertilization System In 1 Minute For Free!
Learn a simple trick for a quick and easy DIY drip irrigation system, perfect for discreet guerrilla growing. This method is ideal for watering plants on the go! Also discover how to fertilize your plants for free (with urine!) using this system with just a plastic bucket, making it great for thrifty neighborhood foresters.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Making a Bunyip Water Level with Brad Lancaster
Brad demonstrates how to make and use a bunyip water level—very useful for getting elevations right on your water-harvesting earthworks—with a few simple tools and parts.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Maximize the harvest: diverting water from one side of the street to the other to fill all rain gardens
A simple strategy to divert stormwater from one side of the street to the other in order to fill all the rain gardens on both sides of the street in a way that does NOT cause any flooding, but rather reduces flooding, while it also rehydrates the community and watershed and provides free irrigation water for a native food forest.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Miracle on Elmer Avenue Andy Lipkis
Miracle on Elmer Avenue Andy Lipkis, Founder and President of TreePeople, talks about Elmer Avenue, a neighborhood in Los Angeles’ NE San Fernando Valley that was transformed from a flood-hazard zone into a model of sustainability.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Overview of Lancaster-Homestead Water-Harvesting Strategies
A water-harvesting overview highlighting some of the strategies implemented at the Lancaster homestead to harvest street runoff, roof runoff (with simple filtration), and greywater.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Plant the rain—don’t drain it—to end the drought with passive water harvesting by Brad Lancaster
This video was shot in early summer 2021 coming out of the driest year on record with record heat, and finally got 1.7 inches (43 mm) of rain 7-2021. But almost everyone let the vast majority of that rain drain away! For them, the drought continues. But for those who planted and harvested the rain, the drought ended where water has deeply infiltrated and abundance has been renewed!
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Brad’s TEDxTucson talk, Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting Basics: A Simple Muffin Tin Metaphor
Brad Lancaster with the muffin tin demonstration compares FUNCTIONAL landscapes with water-HARVESTING topography to DYSFUNCTIONAL landscapes with water-DRAINING topography.Water-harvesting landscapes also capture and grow organic matter, soil fertility, and the living sponge; while reducing flooding and controlling erosion in a way that helps recharge our groundwater and mitigate drought.Apply to save money, time, and resources; & grow verdant, productive gardens and landscapes.
Passive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting Math: The Runoff Coefficient
Brad Lancaster explains an important concept in rainwater harvesting: the Runoff Coefficient.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting, inverted-umbrella style
A beautiful call to water harvesting by the Centre for Science and Environment in India.
Active SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Rainwater in evaporative coolers makes your cooler pads last forever!
You never get any salt or other mineral build up on your evaporative cooler pads when rainwater is your water source. And salt-free, nitrogen-rich rainwater is also the best water source for your plant and soil life.Enter some intro copy about this video here.
Active SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Ray’s Soil Health Lecture
Great demonstrations on the comparative performance of untilled farm soil that is high in organic matter, versus regularly tilled, synthetically fertilized soil. Tips on how to enhance the living fertile sponge of your soil.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Snow Falls on a Sinking CIty
Watch and read the American Oasis story about Brad Lancaster and others who are building on the region’s water-harvesting heritage and traditions.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Stormwater-harvesting eddy basins for free irrigation, flood control, drought-proofing, food forestry, & more!
How neighborhood forestry-led efforts turn flooding problems into a free irrigation resources that also help recharge the aquifer and other local waters.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Summer Solstice Sun & Shade Trap
See how this layout of trees and cisterns on the west of and house on the north of the garden create an afternoon Shade Trap when the cisterns and trees shade and cool the garden (and front porch) at the hottest time of the day.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Summer-Solstice Solar Arc of Trees for Free Harvest of Shade & Cooling
See how this ideal orientation of home and landscape trees (in water-harvesting basins) to the sun—plus appropriately sized equator-facing roof overhang—maximizes the on-site potential to freely/passively harvest cooling shade in summer, generate rooftop-solar power & solar hot water year round, while also maintaining ideal solar access in winter.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
This green oasis is a drought-proof village in Rajasthan
A video on the village and villagers of Laporiya (featured as a case study in the Introduction of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2, 2nd Edition), and how they turned water scarcity into water abundance by harvesting the rain and revegetating their watershed.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Buffs Podcast│Ep. # 11│Harvesting Water in Arid Lands – Brad Lancaster
Brad Lancaster, author and expert on water harvesting, talks to Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin about how individuals and communities can make the most of rainfall and greywater to stretch local supplies.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Harvesting Demo with Brad Lancaster
Using a sponge model as a demonstration tool, Brad Lancaster shows us the effectiveness of harvesting rain.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Harvesting University!
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the epic water harvesting demonstration site on University of Arizona’s campus in Tucson, Arizona.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Rainglers
A short, sweet film featuring Greg Peterson of the Urban Farm, Ryan Wood of Watershed Management Group, Ken Singh of Singh Farms, and Brad Lancaster talking about place-based, community-building, common-sense solutions to Arizona’s water needs.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
We Collected Thousands of Gallons From One Rainstorm!
How we turned a small rain event into a BIG rainwater harvest by planting stormwater within simple street-SIDE and IN-street water-harvesting earthworks or rain gardens growing food and shade-producing native plants. Some of these installations also help calm traffic. This dramatically helps reduce the negative effects of drought, climate change, and speeding traffic; while making our neighborhood more beautiful, comfortable, and safe.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Winter Solstice Sun & Shade Trap
See how this layout of trees and cisterns on the west, and house on the north, of the garden create a Sun Trap welcoming the morning sun on the garden (and front porch), while a Shade Trap is created in the afternoon when the cisterns and trees shade and cool the garden (and front porch) at the hottest time of the day.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter-Solstice Solar Arc for Free Harvest of Sun & Heating
See how this ideal orientation of home and landscape trees (within water-harvesting basins) to the sun—plus appropriately sized equator-facing roof overhang—maximizes the on-site potential to freely/passively harvest warming sun and light in winter, generate rooftop-solar power & solar hot water year round, while also harvesting cooling shade in summer.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
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Stormwater and Street Runoff Harvesting Videos
How Rain Gardens Make Streets Greener & Reduce Flooding
How a series of a hybrid of street-side eddy backwater basins and flow-through basins harvest street runoff in BOTH low & BIG flow events, while also controlling erosion with hand-built one-rock-high structures such as the one-rock dam / rock-mulch rundown hybrids that act as grade-control structures at the upstream inlet of each basin.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How to care for, and learn from, your neighborhood street runoff garden
Easy street water harvesting maintenance tips to boost performance, improve your plant identification skills, and erosion-control rock work strategies and tips.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Brad’s TEDxTucson talk, Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How To Transform Bleak Parking Lots Into Oasis Gardens
How Aaron Kauffman has created an easily replicable, low-cost, free water, rain garden / snow garden parking lot retrofit that is transforming high school and public park parking lots across Santa Fe, New Mexico with this innovative flood-controlling, water-conserving, groundwater-recharging green infrastructure.
Passive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Rainglers
A short, sweet film featuring Greg Peterson of the Urban Farm, Ryan Wood of Watershed Management Group, Ken Singh of Singh Farms, and Brad Lancaster talking about place-based, community-building, common-sense solutions to Arizona’s water needs.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Slow the Flow: Make Your Landscape Act More Like a Sponge
This informative and entertaining film brings to life practices and projects that individuals and communities have created to steward our watersheds and slow the flow of stormwater, one of the largest contributors of pollution into our waterways. Approximate run time: 30 minutes.
Free Water by Andrew Brown of Focus Forward
Tucson filmmaker Andrew Brown says, “A short film I made on local rainwater-harvesting genius Brad Lancaster was a semifinalist in the Focus Forward film competition! I would really appreciate it if you took the time to check it out… and share if you can. I really believe in Brad’s message.”
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
A Wonderful Example of an Inner-City Residence Retrofitted for Water-Harvesting in Los Angeles, California
This is a great example for cities everywhere, and beautiful street theater.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Billy Kniffen Watershed Model
I love this 3-D interactive model! It works for all ages. Clearly shows how different watershed surfaces affect our water quality and quantity.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster and ECOSA Institute
This short video by Malcolm Matusky is compiled from clips and stills taken during field-study days with Brad and ECOSA Institute students, and includes Brad’s description of what beneficial ruins are and why we would want to create them.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster: the muffin tin and sponge models
Water-harvesting demonstration filmed by Sustainable World Media
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster: Water-Harvesting Basics, Part 1
Part 1 of 3 short videos from Sustainable World Media in which Brad talks about Water Harvesting and more
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part One)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 1 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part Two)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 2 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brock Dolman on Watershed 2.0 at TEDxMission, October 2012
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Bunyip Water Level: Creating Berms, A Demo on the Beach with Brad Lancaster
Brad demonstrates how to place and build a berm using a homemade bunyip water level.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Comparing summer night time temperatures: Cooling rain gardens vs. heating pavement
Stormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Desert Ecovillage Built for the Rain
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the Milagro Cohousing Community, completed in 2004. Milagro is located in Tucson, Arizona, and the design is centered around harvesting and reusing onsite waters. Brad was part of the original design team for this project, which is thriving today, 15 years after its installation, as you can see in this video.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Desert Streetside Rainwater Abundance at 25 Years
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the rainwater harvesting neighborhood transformation that has happened in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. Brad has been working on soaking up the rains when they come since he started his project in the mid-nineties.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dry Land, Episode 5 of the Greenhorns’ Our Land Series
Dry Land, Episode 5 of the Greenhorns’ Our Land Series Brad discusses how we can work with nature to deconstruct our water woes back into water wins.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dryland rain gardens harvest all water from burst water line!
By planting the rain before you plant (with water-harvesting earthworks) you will be able to harvest ALL free waters (such as rainwater, stormwater, greywater, air conditioning condensate, or in this case—broken water line runoff) that exist or appear on site.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings Join Kirsten Dirksen as she tours with Brad around his home, his and his brother’s urban-Tucson property, and the surrounding neighborhood, learning about their harvests of rainwater, stormwater, wild foods, sun, shade, would-be-wastes, and more.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Protected: Evolutions in the Planting of Water – viewable with purchase
If you purchased this video, you should have received the password to view it with your order receipt
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Fighting Drought with an Ancient Practice: Harvesting the Rain
Ancient and modern methods of collecting and storing rainwater are being used to address severe drought today.
Active SystemsNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Greening the Desert II
Greening the Desert II is a dynamic water harvesting project in Jordan. This video is a great update of the original version. Click here to watch the video with Arabic subtitles. For more information and data on this project, see the article, “Permaculture Under Drought and Salinity Conditions,” by Mohammed Ayesh, a Jordanian agricultural engineer who has long been involved in the project.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvest more rainwater with a living sponge than with a water tank
You can grow tanks (and living pumps), rather than buy them, and they’ll have a lot more water-harvesting capacity.
Neighborhood Food ForestryStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvesting FREE rain-irrigated mesquite pods for goat and people feed
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvesting the Future: Legacy of the Land
Ak-chin farming makes desert agriculture possible, and now, those practices help communities today. Farming can thrive in the desert. The Tohono O’odham people have grown crops for thousands of years, and in this short documentary by Wenona & Sal Baldenegro, we see these traditional practices are in community planning today. video here.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Homemade Cisterns Help Harvest Rain
This new Arizona Public Media video/story on a rain-jar cooperative shows how rain-irrigated trees are bringing life—in many varied forms—back to the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood.
Active SystemsNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How to Make Your Home & Neighborhood Greener, Cheaper, & More Comfortable!
Discover how to foster thriving urban spaces through practical strategies promoting affordable housing and strong community engagement. Learn how water-harvesting green infrastructure initiatives and passive sun and shade harvesting can contribute to sustainable living within the urban community, supported by effective local government policies. We’ll explore the role of community building in fostering resilient neighborhoods and rain-irrigated native food forests.
Greywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Live off grid in urban desert – Tips from Brad Lancaster, Tucson, Arizona
Join Verge Permaculture as they interview Brad at his home.
Greywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Locals Promote Rainwater Harvesting in Creative Forms
This rainwater-harvesting segment from AZ Illustrated Nature features the work of and interviews with landscape designer Logan Byers (Local Design + Build) and rainwater-harvesting expert Brad Lancaster.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Making a Bunyip Water Level with Brad Lancaster
Brad demonstrates how to make and use a bunyip water level—very useful for getting elevations right on your water-harvesting earthworks—with a few simple tools and parts.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Maximize the harvest: diverting water from one side of the street to the other to fill all rain gardens
A simple strategy to divert stormwater from one side of the street to the other in order to fill all the rain gardens on both sides of the street in a way that does NOT cause any flooding, but rather reduces flooding, while it also rehydrates the community and watershed and provides free irrigation water for a native food forest.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Miracle on Elmer Avenue Andy Lipkis
Miracle on Elmer Avenue Andy Lipkis, Founder and President of TreePeople, talks about Elmer Avenue, a neighborhood in Los Angeles’ NE San Fernando Valley that was transformed from a flood-hazard zone into a model of sustainability.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Overview of Lancaster-Homestead Water-Harvesting Strategies
A water-harvesting overview highlighting some of the strategies implemented at the Lancaster homestead to harvest street runoff, roof runoff (with simple filtration), and greywater.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Plant the rain so plants self-seed, germinate, and thrive by Brad Lancaster
This video is about multi-use native plants self seeding, germinating , and thriving where we planted the rain. Typically, no supplemental irrigation is needed for these seedlings (the exception might be in an extreme drought).
Neighborhood Food ForestryStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Plant the rain—don’t drain it—to end the drought with passive water harvesting by Brad Lancaster
This video was shot in early summer 2021 coming out of the driest year on record with record heat, and finally got 1.7 inches (43 mm) of rain 7-2021. But almost everyone let the vast majority of that rain drain away! For them, the drought continues. But for those who planted and harvested the rain, the drought ended where water has deeply infiltrated and abundance has been renewed!
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Planting rain & shade in streets to cool & calm the hood
See the linked video below…
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Portlandia Ecovillage Is A Giant Rainwater Sponge
Kailash Ecovillage in Portland, Oregon has transformed their 2 acres to absorb all of the rain that falls on it with an edible landscape, in a way that they give more water to their groundwater than they take from it via their well.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Rain-irrigated LIVING air conditioners, shading and cooling neighborhood streets by 38˚F (21˚C)!
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting Math: The Runoff Coefficient
Brad Lancaster explains an important concept in rainwater harvesting: the Runoff Coefficient.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Ray’s Soil Health Lecture
Great demonstrations on the comparative performance of untilled farm soil that is high in organic matter, versus regularly tilled, synthetically fertilized soil. Tips on how to enhance the living fertile sponge of your soil.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
See How This Dry, Flooded Office Complex Became a Rain-fed Green Oasis!
From sterile gravel lot to lush rain-fed paradise!
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Snow Falls on a Sinking CIty
Watch and read the American Oasis story about Brad Lancaster and others who are building on the region’s water-harvesting heritage and traditions.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Stormwater-harvesting eddy basins for free irrigation, flood control, drought-proofing, food forestry, & more!
How neighborhood forestry-led efforts turn flooding problems into a free irrigation resources that also help recharge the aquifer and other local waters.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
The Water Harvester: An Invitation to Abundance
A documentary on Brad Lancaster and some of his water-harvesting mentors.Click on the arrow in the center of the image below.It was produced, directed, and edited by David Fenster for Arizona Illustrated on Arizona Public Media.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
This green oasis is a drought-proof village in Rajasthan
A video on the village and villagers of Laporiya (featured as a case study in the Introduction of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2, 2nd Edition), and how they turned water scarcity into water abundance by harvesting the rain and revegetating their watershed.
Passive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Transplanting FREE volunteer seedlings of multi-use native plants within rain gardens
Brad Lancaster hosts this video about how you can plant your water-harvesting basins for FREE by transplanting volunteer seedlings of desired plants that come up with the rains.
Neighborhood Food ForestryStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Buffs Podcast│Ep. # 11│Harvesting Water in Arid Lands – Brad Lancaster
Brad Lancaster, author and expert on water harvesting, talks to Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin about how individuals and communities can make the most of rainfall and greywater to stretch local supplies.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Harvesting Demo with Brad Lancaster
Using a sponge model as a demonstration tool, Brad Lancaster shows us the effectiveness of harvesting rain.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Harvesting University!
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the epic water harvesting demonstration site on University of Arizona’s campus in Tucson, Arizona.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
We Collected Thousands of Gallons From One Rainstorm!
How we turned a small rain event into a BIG rainwater harvest by planting stormwater within simple street-SIDE and IN-street water-harvesting earthworks or rain gardens growing food and shade-producing native plants. Some of these installations also help calm traffic. This dramatically helps reduce the negative effects of drought, climate change, and speeding traffic; while making our neighborhood more beautiful, comfortable, and safe.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
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Graywater Harvesting Videos
Gravity-fed greywater-harvesting systems for bathroom sink, bathtub, shower, and kitchen sink
How to save a lot of water by reusing the water from bathroom sink, bathtub, shower, and kitchen sink drains for free and safe irrigation of your plants.
Greywater HarvestingPassive Systems
Multi-drain pipe for laundry greywater harvesting
This inexpensive gravity-fed (no pumps or tanks) system uses common plumbing parts, and no expensive or hard-to-find valves.
Greywater HarvestingPassive Systems
Greywater-harvesting food-producing outdoor shower
Plant your greywater as you shower to grow a fragrant, edible, privacy screen that also feeds & shelters chickens, goats, pollinators, and native song birds.
Greywater HarvestingPassive Systems
Overview of Lancaster-Homestead Water-Harvesting Strategies
A water-harvesting overview highlighting some of the strategies implemented at the Lancaster homestead to harvest street runoff, roof runoff (with simple filtration), and greywater.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Increase your rainwater tank’s capacity and uses
Don’t hoard rainwater in the rainy season – use it! And do so in multiple, integrated ways that enables the water to do more for you and produce greater abundance.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingRainwater Harvesting
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings Join Kirsten Dirksen as she tours with Brad around his home, his and his brother’s urban-Tucson property, and the surrounding neighborhood, learning about their harvests of rainwater, stormwater, wild foods, sun, shade, would-be-wastes, and more.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
How to Make Your Home & Neighborhood Greener, Cheaper, & More Comfortable!
Discover how to foster thriving urban spaces through practical strategies promoting affordable housing and strong community engagement. Learn how water-harvesting green infrastructure initiatives and passive sun and shade harvesting can contribute to sustainable living within the urban community, supported by effective local government policies. We’ll explore the role of community building in fostering resilient neighborhoods and rain-irrigated native food forests.
Greywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Live off grid in urban desert – Tips from Brad Lancaster, Tucson, Arizona
Join Verge Permaculture as they interview Brad at his home.
Greywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Brad’s TEDxTucson talk, Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Snow Falls on a Sinking CIty
Watch and read the American Oasis story about Brad Lancaster and others who are building on the region’s water-harvesting heritage and traditions.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
The Water Harvester: An Invitation to Abundance
A documentary on Brad Lancaster and some of his water-harvesting mentors.Click on the arrow in the center of the image below.It was produced, directed, and edited by David Fenster for Arizona Illustrated on Arizona Public Media.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Protected: Turning “Wastes” Into Resources – viewable with purchase
If you purchased this video, you should have received the password to view it with your order receipt
Condensate HarvestingGreywater HarvestingPassive Systems
Water Buffs Podcast│Ep. # 11│Harvesting Water in Arid Lands – Brad Lancaster
Brad Lancaster, author and expert on water harvesting, talks to Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin about how individuals and communities can make the most of rainfall and greywater to stretch local supplies.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Harvesting University!
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the epic water harvesting demonstration site on University of Arizona’s campus in Tucson, Arizona.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Water Rainglers
A short, sweet film featuring Greg Peterson of the Urban Farm, Ryan Wood of Watershed Management Group, Ken Singh of Singh Farms, and Brad Lancaster talking about place-based, community-building, common-sense solutions to Arizona’s water needs.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
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Condensate & Dew Harvesting Videos
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Protected: Turning “Wastes” Into Resources – viewable with purchase
If you purchased this video, you should have received the password to view it with your order receipt
Condensate HarvestingGreywater HarvestingPassive Systems
Water Harvesting University!
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the epic water harvesting demonstration site on University of Arizona’s campus in Tucson, Arizona.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingGreywater HarvestingPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
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Fog Harvesting Videos
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Sun & Shade Harvesting Videos
Summer-Solstice Solar Arc of Trees for Free Harvest of Shade & Cooling
See how this ideal orientation of home and landscape trees (in water-harvesting basins) to the sun—plus appropriately sized equator-facing roof overhang—maximizes the on-site potential to freely/passively harvest cooling shade in summer, generate rooftop-solar power & solar hot water year round, while also maintaining ideal solar access in winter.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter-Solstice Solar Arc for Free Harvest of Sun & Heating
See how this ideal orientation of home and landscape trees (within water-harvesting basins) to the sun—plus appropriately sized equator-facing roof overhang—maximizes the on-site potential to freely/passively harvest warming sun and light in winter, generate rooftop-solar power & solar hot water year round, while also harvesting cooling shade in summer.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
How to Make Your Home & Neighborhood Greener, Cheaper, & More Comfortable!
Discover how to foster thriving urban spaces through practical strategies promoting affordable housing and strong community engagement. Learn how water-harvesting green infrastructure initiatives and passive sun and shade harvesting can contribute to sustainable living within the urban community, supported by effective local government policies. We’ll explore the role of community building in fostering resilient neighborhoods and rain-irrigated native food forests.
Greywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter Solstice Sun and Shadow Paths—Micro version
This video illustrates the sun’s path (and the shadows it casts) on the winter solstice—the day with the longest shadows of the year—for a site at 32˚ N latitude. Awareness of such shadow paths enables you to maintain winter sun access.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter Solstice Sun and Shadow Paths—faster-moving Micro version
This faster-moving video (zoomed-in micro version) illustrates the sun’s path (and the shadows it casts) on the winter solstice—the day with the longest shadows of the year—for a site at 32˚ N latitude. The perspective is from ground level.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter Solstice Sun and Shadow Paths—Macro version
This video illustrates the sun’s path (and the shadows it casts) on the winter solstice—the day with the longest shadows of the year—for a site at 32˚ N latitude. The perspective is from the sky. so you can see the sun’s path.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter Solstice Sun and Shadow Paths—faster-moving Macro version
This faster-moving version of the Winter Solstice Sun and Shadow Paths video illustrates the sun’s path (and the shadows it casts) on the winter solstice—the day with the longest shadows of the year—for a site at 32˚ N latitude. This zoomed-out perspective is from the sky, so you can see the sun. See the zoomed-in micro version of this video here for a perspective from ground level.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsSun and Shade Harvesting
Winter Solstice Sun & Shade Trap
See how this layout of trees and cisterns on the west, and house on the north, of the garden create a Sun Trap welcoming the morning sun on the garden (and front porch), while a Shade Trap is created in the afternoon when the cisterns and trees shade and cool the garden (and front porch) at the hottest time of the day.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Summer Solstice Sun & Shade Trap
See how this layout of trees and cisterns on the west of and house on the north of the garden create an afternoon Shade Trap when the cisterns and trees shade and cool the garden (and front porch) at the hottest time of the day.
Active SystemsPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
How wall color can FREELY cool—or heat—buildings by over 25˚F (13˚C), & shade can cool them by over 45˚F (25˚C)
Passive SystemsSun and Shade Harvesting
Rain-irrigated LIVING air conditioners, shading and cooling neighborhood streets by 38˚F (21˚C)!
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part Two)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 2 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings Join Kirsten Dirksen as she tours with Brad around his home, his and his brother’s urban-Tucson property, and the surrounding neighborhood, learning about their harvests of rainwater, stormwater, wild foods, sun, shade, would-be-wastes, and more.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Comparing summer night time temperatures: Cooling rain gardens vs. heating pavement
Stormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Summer sidewalk temperatures—in the shade vs. in the sun
Neighborhood Food ForestrySun and Shade Harvesting
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Soil & Fertility Harvesting Videos
Videos
How to Build a Composting Toilet Barrel System with David Omick
How to Build a Composting Toilet Barrel System with David Omick
Soil and Fertility Harvesting
How to Use and Maintain a Composting Toilet Barrel System with David Omick
How to Use and Maintain a Composting Toilet Barrel System with David Omick
Soil and Fertility Harvesting
Mr. Brown sings “Don’t Flush Your Mush” in celebration of composting toilets
Learn to compost your human waste into free, safe, on-site high-quality fertilizer that will make your garden lush!
Soil and Fertility Harvesting
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Neighborhood Food Forestry Videos
Plant the rain—don’t drain it—to end the drought with passive water harvesting by Brad Lancaster
This video was shot in early summer 2021 coming out of the driest year on record with record heat, and finally got 1.7 inches (43 mm) of rain 7-2021. But almost everyone let the vast majority of that rain drain away! For them, the drought continues. But for those who planted and harvested the rain, the drought ended where water has deeply infiltrated and abundance has been renewed!
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvest more rainwater with a living sponge than with a water tank
You can grow tanks (and living pumps), rather than buy them, and they’ll have a lot more water-harvesting capacity.
Neighborhood Food ForestryStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Make A Drip Irrigation & Fertilization System In 1 Minute For Free!
Learn a simple trick for a quick and easy DIY drip irrigation system, perfect for discreet guerrilla growing. This method is ideal for watering plants on the go! Also discover how to fertilize your plants for free (with urine!) using this system with just a plastic bucket, making it great for thrifty neighborhood foresters.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Plant rain then seed to vegetate your rain gardens for FREE with Brad Lancaster
This video is about how you can vegetate your yard, neighborhood, school grounds, and more for FREE by planting seed of desired multi-use native plants after planting rain.
Neighborhood Food Forestry
Transplanting FREE volunteer seedlings of multi-use native plants within rain gardens
Brad Lancaster hosts this video about how you can plant your water-harvesting basins for FREE by transplanting volunteer seedlings of desired plants that come up with the rains.
Neighborhood Food ForestryStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Plant the rain so plants self-seed, germinate, and thrive by Brad Lancaster
This video is about multi-use native plants self seeding, germinating , and thriving where we planted the rain. Typically, no supplemental irrigation is needed for these seedlings (the exception might be in an extreme drought).
Neighborhood Food ForestryStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Rehydrating community and controlling flooding with in-street and street-side water harvesting
Brad Lancaster hosts this video about how in-street and street-side water-harvesting basins, or rain gardens, rehydrate our communities, grow shading/cooling vegetation, and control flooding. Thus the street runoff irrigates the street-side and in-street vegetation for free! Footage from July 2021.
Neighborhood Food Forestry
Summer sidewalk temperatures—in the shade vs. in the sun
Neighborhood Food ForestrySun and Shade Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part One)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 1 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Brad Lancaster’s Urban Permaculture Oasis Homestead Tour- Tucson, Arizona (Part Two)
Join Brad Lancaster on a tour of his urban permaculture oasis in Tucson Arizona. See how Brad harvests rainwater, sunshine, and other resources to transform lifeless land into a sustainable, interconnected, abundant place to live. (Part 2 of 4)
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Desert Ecovillage Built for the Rain
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the Milagro Cohousing Community, completed in 2004. Milagro is located in Tucson, Arizona, and the design is centered around harvesting and reusing onsite waters. Brad was part of the original design team for this project, which is thriving today, 15 years after its installation, as you can see in this video.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Desert Streetside Rainwater Abundance at 25 Years
Brad Lancaster leads us on a tour of the rainwater harvesting neighborhood transformation that has happened in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. Brad has been working on soaking up the rains when they come since he started his project in the mid-nineties.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dry Land, Episode 5 of the Greenhorns’ Our Land Series
Dry Land, Episode 5 of the Greenhorns’ Our Land Series Brad discusses how we can work with nature to deconstruct our water woes back into water wins.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings
Dryland-harvesting home hacks sun, rain, food & surroundings Join Kirsten Dirksen as she tours with Brad around his home, his and his brother’s urban-Tucson property, and the surrounding neighborhood, learning about their harvests of rainwater, stormwater, wild foods, sun, shade, would-be-wastes, and more.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Fighting Drought with an Ancient Practice: Harvesting the Rain
Ancient and modern methods of collecting and storing rainwater are being used to address severe drought today.
Active SystemsNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Free Water by Andrew Brown of Focus Forward
Tucson filmmaker Andrew Brown says, “A short film I made on local rainwater-harvesting genius Brad Lancaster was a semifinalist in the Focus Forward film competition! I would really appreciate it if you took the time to check it out… and share if you can. I really believe in Brad’s message.”
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Greening the Desert II
Greening the Desert II is a dynamic water harvesting project in Jordan. This video is a great update of the original version. Click here to watch the video with Arabic subtitles. For more information and data on this project, see the article, “Permaculture Under Drought and Salinity Conditions,” by Mohammed Ayesh, a Jordanian agricultural engineer who has long been involved in the project.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvesting +30,000 gallons of roof runoff in tree basins for FREE
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater Harvesting
Harvesting FREE rain-irrigated mesquite pods for goat and people feed
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Harvesting the Future: Legacy of the Land
Ak-chin farming makes desert agriculture possible, and now, those practices help communities today. Farming can thrive in the desert. The Tohono O’odham people have grown crops for thousands of years, and in this short documentary by Wenona & Sal Baldenegro, we see these traditional practices are in community planning today. video here.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Homemade Cisterns Help Harvest Rain
This new Arizona Public Media video/story on a rain-jar cooperative shows how rain-irrigated trees are bringing life—in many varied forms—back to the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood.
Active SystemsNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How Rain Gardens Make Streets Greener & Reduce Flooding
How a series of a hybrid of street-side eddy backwater basins and flow-through basins harvest street runoff in BOTH low & BIG flow events, while also controlling erosion with hand-built one-rock-high structures such as the one-rock dam / rock-mulch rundown hybrids that act as grade-control structures at the upstream inlet of each basin.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How to care for, and learn from, your neighborhood street runoff garden
Easy street water harvesting maintenance tips to boost performance, improve your plant identification skills, and erosion-control rock work strategies and tips.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
How to Make Your Home & Neighborhood Greener, Cheaper, & More Comfortable!
Discover how to foster thriving urban spaces through practical strategies promoting affordable housing and strong community engagement. Learn how water-harvesting green infrastructure initiatives and passive sun and shade harvesting can contribute to sustainable living within the urban community, supported by effective local government policies. We’ll explore the role of community building in fostering resilient neighborhoods and rain-irrigated native food forests.
Greywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Integrated Local Harvests, a.k.a., Innovations in Solar and Water
Brad’s May 2015 presentation “Integrated Local Harvests”.
Active SystemsCondensate HarvestingFog HarvestingGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Locals Promote Rainwater Harvesting in Creative Forms
This rainwater-harvesting segment from AZ Illustrated Nature features the work of and interviews with landscape designer Logan Byers (Local Design + Build) and rainwater-harvesting expert Brad Lancaster.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Maximize the harvest: diverting water from one side of the street to the other to fill all rain gardens
A simple strategy to divert stormwater from one side of the street to the other in order to fill all the rain gardens on both sides of the street in a way that does NOT cause any flooding, but rather reduces flooding, while it also rehydrates the community and watershed and provides free irrigation water for a native food forest.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Overview of Lancaster-Homestead Water-Harvesting Strategies
A water-harvesting overview highlighting some of the strategies implemented at the Lancaster homestead to harvest street runoff, roof runoff (with simple filtration), and greywater.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Planting rain & shade in streets to cool & calm the hood
See the linked video below…
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Brad’s TEDxTucson talk, Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Portlandia Ecovillage Is A Giant Rainwater Sponge
Kailash Ecovillage in Portland, Oregon has transformed their 2 acres to absorb all of the rain that falls on it with an edible landscape, in a way that they give more water to their groundwater than they take from it via their well.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Rain-irrigated LIVING air conditioners, shading and cooling neighborhood streets by 38˚F (21˚C)!
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsStormwater & Street Runoff HarvestingSun and Shade Harvesting
Snow Falls on a Sinking CIty
Watch and read the American Oasis story about Brad Lancaster and others who are building on the region’s water-harvesting heritage and traditions.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Stormwater-harvesting eddy basins for free irrigation, flood control, drought-proofing, food forestry, & more!
How neighborhood forestry-led efforts turn flooding problems into a free irrigation resources that also help recharge the aquifer and other local waters.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
The Water Harvester: An Invitation to Abundance
A documentary on Brad Lancaster and some of his water-harvesting mentors.Click on the arrow in the center of the image below.It was produced, directed, and edited by David Fenster for Arizona Illustrated on Arizona Public Media.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
Transform Space Into Place
A wonderful video about the work of City Repair in Portland, Oregon, reclaiming streets and other public spaces for life, community-building, creativity, and celebration.
Neighborhood Food Forestry
Water Rainglers
A short, sweet film featuring Greg Peterson of the Urban Farm, Ryan Wood of Watershed Management Group, Ken Singh of Singh Farms, and Brad Lancaster talking about place-based, community-building, common-sense solutions to Arizona’s water needs.
Active SystemsGreywater HarvestingNeighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingSoil and Fertility HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
We Collected Thousands of Gallons From One Rainstorm!
How we turned a small rain event into a BIG rainwater harvest by planting stormwater within simple street-SIDE and IN-street water-harvesting earthworks or rain gardens growing food and shade-producing native plants. Some of these installations also help calm traffic. This dramatically helps reduce the negative effects of drought, climate change, and speeding traffic; while making our neighborhood more beautiful, comfortable, and safe.
Neighborhood Food ForestryPassive SystemsRainwater HarvestingStormwater & Street Runoff Harvesting
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