Stories tagged with "rainwater harvesting"
A Resilient Suburbia? 3: Weighing the Potential for Self-Sufficiency
Posted by jeffvail on November 24, 2008 - 1:07pm
Topic: Environment/Sustainability
Tags: gardening, original, photovoltaics, rainwater harvesting, self-sufficiency, solar power, suburban energy, suburban gardening, suburban water, suburbia [list all tags]
A backyard garden in Oregon
Over the past two weeks, I have examined the challenges facing suburbia in a post-peak world. I’ve argued (in Part 1) that financial reality will prevent us from building an alternative to suburbia, and (in Part 2) that the superficial transportation issues facing suburbia are better viewed as a much broader economic threat posed by peak oil that equally threatens urban and suburban living. In this post, I’ll look at some of the unique advantages of our present suburban arrangement—is it possible that suburbia not only won’t be abandoned post-peak, but that peak oil will act as a catalyst for the adaptation of suburbia into a flourishing, vibrant built environment? I think it’s possible, but that it will be challenging. In this post I’ll explore this possibility—both the potential, and the challenges—of creating A Resilient Suburbia.
Abundant Skies: 8 Principles for Successful Rainwater Harvesting
Posted by jeffvail on July 5, 2008 - 11:00am in The Oil Drum: Local
Topic: Miscellaneous
Tags: brad lancaster, cistern, original, rainwater harvesting, self sufficiency, water [list all tags]
The following is a guest post by Brad Lancaster on rainwater harvesting. Energy scarcity and water scarcity are closely related phenomena, especially in certain parts of the world. While rainwater harvesting is no panacea for our water or energy problems, it may be a critical component in many regions for dealing with issues of scarcity. It is also an excellent example of a scale-free tool: it can be implemented by individuals, communities, or nations.

Food produced from rainwater on Brad Lancaster's Tucson residence
Brad Lancaster is a permaculture expert and consultant based in Tucson. His award-winning book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume I: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into your Life and Landscape (2006, Rainsource Press) and Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks are available on the web at www.HarvestingRainwater.com and at amazon.com. This website also contains a bounty of free information, image, video, and audio resources.


k Nation (Jim Kunstler)




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