The Right Place at the Right Time
Demonstration Sites, Irrigation, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Storm Water, Swales, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by eric seider May 15, 2010
The generally accepted maintenance schedule for cleaning out fire hydrant lines is once a year. At Kawela Plantation in Molokai, Hawaii this usually translates to thousands of gallons of water running down the street being wasted, creating even more erosion. What makes this even more disheartening is that this happened at the beginning of the dry season where they only saw about 5 inches of rain. Well thankfully for John and Roshani Nash they had installed 4 swales on their property at the start of the rainy season. They also had a fire hydrant at the top of the property. Fortunately Roshani was out planting trees when she noticed a rush of water coming down the street bypassing her property (thanks to improperly grated roads) and continuing down the street being wasted.
She approached the workers and discussing the sad waste of water asked if they can direct the flow of water. They replied that they can direct it anywhere they like. So Roshani asked why they don’t send it onto people’s property. They replied that most people would actually be quite upset because it would make a mess. Well we have swales, and that is exactly what they are made for. 3000 gallons and 7 minutes later the top swale completely filled and trickled over the level sill onto the next swale. This was a really cool thing to witness, as it would be quite unlikely for a rain event to match the speed at which the swale filled, well not without help from road runoff. Heres to being at the right place at the right time, turing a problem into a solution.
Comments (4)Letters from Chile – The Adobe House and Potty Training
Aid Projects, Biological Cleaning, Building, Community Projects, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centers, Land, Potable Water, Rehabilitation, Retrofitting, Urban Projects, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh May 8, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is Part IV of a series. Be sure to catch Part I, Part II, and Part III.
The ‘Adobe House’, El Manzano’s ecological demonstration house.
All photos © copyright Craig Mackintosh
In the middle of the little El Manzano village, on display to all in the community, is the ‘Adobe House’. This demonstration house is a project by Eco Escuela El Manzano to demonstrate to the community several low-tech but effective techniques for improving quality of life whilst reducing a home’s impact on the environment.
Comments (0)When the Water’s Gone
Conservation, Consumerism, Potable Water, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water — by Nichole Ross February 3, 2010
As I lay here writing this, the last inch of water is being intentionally drained from our 5000-gallon rainwater catchment tank. Although we live in the rainforest on the southeast side of the Big Island of Hawaii, we haven’t had any significant rain for almost 2 months. According to our neighbor, this kind of drought happens every couple of years. I can’t believe that the once abundant supply of water we took for granted only a few months ago is almost gone. Now the only thing coming out of the tap is a red-colored silt-laden bottom-of-the-tank soup. Even though we probably would have had a couple days supply left, we ultimately decided it was time to clean out that dirty tank.
We chose to gamble. The forecast predicts rain for Kapoho ever day this week, but only a 20% chance. In the meantime, we’ll make sure to keep the containers we generally use only for drinking water filled up to the top with water from the Pahoa water station. If we don’t get significant rain over the next few days, we may have to pay a water truck to come fill our tank. $180. Otherwise, no showers, no toilet flushing, no water for dishes or laundry.
Comments (1)Each Step is the Way – Part III
Biological Cleaning, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Food Forests, Rehabilitation, Swales, Waste Water — by David Perkins September 16, 2009
Recent developments at Kailash-Akhara, Adi Yoga Retreat Center, Phu Rua, Loei, Thailand.
By David Perkins (Dharmadeva) – Farm Manager and resident permaculture designer and educator at Kailash-Akhara.
This report provides an overview of many aspects of creating a retreat center and living sustainably using the principles of permaculture. Short updates will be given regularly to keep our wider community informed. See Part I and Part II if you haven’t already.
First phase of building is now complete
 The dormitory |
After a year and a half of construction in the core area, painting was completed just before an opening ceremony and party to celebrate the annual festival of Guru Purnima on the full moon in July. Four buildings make up the core area: The Temple/Training Hall, Dormitory, Kitchen-Dining Room, and Bath House with composting toilets. We are now practicing, sleeping, cooking, eating, showering, doing laundry, and recycling our poop in shiny new surroundings – a level of relative luxury compared to the stripped-down facilities we began with.
Comments (0)Letters from Sri Lanka – Greywater Recycling at Kuttam Pokuna (the Twin Pools)
Biological Cleaning, Conservation, Irrigation, Natural Swimming, Regional Water Cycle, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh August 11, 2009
Novice Buddhist monks listen to their instructor
Photos Copyright © Craig Mackintosh
Last time I spoke about the world’s largest earthworks project – an incredible and unrivalled example of large scale water harvesting. Today we continue the tale, highlighting the beautiful and practical Kuttam Pokuna, or Twin Pools, found at Anuradhapura in north-central Sri Lanka.
Comments (0)French Drains for Urban Storm-water Infiltration
Biological Cleaning, Conservation, Irrigation, Storm Water, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Campbell Wilson July 8, 2009
When rainwater harvesting is mentioned, most people think of tanks straight away. That’s a great start, but there is a much bigger storage you have available to you on your land – the soil. (Check out Brad Lancaster’s fun U-tube video on this site, ‘The muffin tin and the sponge’ for a good intro)
So when your gutters flow and your tanks are full, don’t send all that valuable water straight the drain like so many do. Instead, have a go at utilising that water in your garden by creating a system similar to this.
Comments (0)Greywater Mulch Pits
Biological Cleaning, Conservation, Irrigation, Storm Water, Swales, Waste Water, Water Contamination, Water Harvesting — by Campbell Wilson May 20, 2009
by Cam Wilson, Forest Edge Permaculture
Greywater mulch-pits provide an excellent solution when re-using greywater on your garden – they are cheap to construct, they improve the quality of water entering your soil and after some time provide you with valuable compost. They’re very easy to construct too. You basically just dig a hole, wack in some 100mm ag-pipe and then fill it up with nice chunky mulch.
Each Step is the Way – Part I
Biological Cleaning, Compost, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centers, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Land, Rehabilitation, Swales, Trees, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by David Perkins April 30, 2009
Editor’s Note: David Perkins recently sat his PDC with Geoff Lawton and Darren Doherty, and has been very busy since….
Recent developments at Kailash-Akhara, Adi Yoga Retreat Center, Phu Rua, Loei, Thailand.
By David Perkins (Dharmadeva) – Farm Manager and resident permaculture designer and educator at Kailash-Akhara.
This report provides an overview of many aspects of creating a retreat center and living sustainably using the principles of permaculture. Short monthly updates will be given to keep our wider community informed.
Training Hall & Papaya
Harvesting Urban Drool
Conservation, Regional Water Cycle, Storm Water, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Brad Lancaster April 3, 2009
© Brad Lancaster, www.HarvestingRainwater.com
 Urban drool running down concreted channel Tujunga Wash, Los Angeles, California. Photo credit: Brad Lancaster |
All around the world I see water wastefully flowing down and out of urban street curbs and concreted storm drains even though it has not rained in months. It is not stormwater I see flowing. It is urban drool. Others call it “nuisance runoff” – water from leaky pipes, driveway car washes, overwatered landscapes, and so on – our waste. But it can be a resource. It can be harvested.
That is what is happening in Los Angeles, California long a mile long stretch of the Tujunga Wash Flood Control Channel, between Vanowen Street and Oxnard Avenue. It is bringing myriad life back to this community.
Comments (0)Taking the Tragedy Out of Wildfires with Permaculture Design
Biological Cleaning, Community Projects, Conservation, Global Warming/Climate Change, Land, Plant Systems, Regional Water Cycle, Storm Water, Trees, Urban Projects, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh March 20, 2009
Recent wildfires in Australia shocked the nation, and the world – killing more than 200 people, untold creatures, buildings and other property. Indeed, entire towns were razed to the ground. In the following podcast, Geoff Lawton (talking while on the road – in his true multitasking style) talks about how Permaculture can tackle this issue head on, by designing appropriate Permaculture systems around settlements that would passively and perpetually protect people and property from the kind of horrific devastation we witnessed last month.
In comparison to the cost in life and property that these fires bring, such systems would be extremely cost-effective, and if done thoughtfully could also be used to bring other benefits – beyond fire protection – to local populations, wildlife and the environment. These concepts should be urged upon your local political representative for their consideration, and not just in Australia. Climate change is causing many normally wet regions to begin to dry out and already dry areas to dry out even more – so we can expect the frequency and intensity of fires to escalate in coming years.
You can listen to the clip in its entirety here (17 min, 15.4mb MP3). To download the file, simply right-click on the link and choose ‘Save Link As’ (Firefox) or ‘Save Target As’ (Internet Explorer).
Comments (0)Tackling Urban Water Runoff in a Sydney Suburb
Conservation, Food Forests, Land, Storm Water, Swales, Urban Projects, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Andrea Pape March 12, 2009
Swales aren’t often found in backyards, and water systems are the backbone of a permaculture design, so the Permaculture Sydney North Gardening Team jumped at the opportunity to take on a swale project in a lush Turramurra backyard, just around the corner from the APC9 venue.
Turramurra has the highest rainfall in Sydney with averages of around 1300mm a year, and issues such as flooding and erosion are common in lower areas of the catchments. The traditional approach to urban storm water has been to treat it as a problem, and to our detriment our cities have largely been designed to collect and dispose of rainfall as quickly as possible. City watercourses are being battered by dramatic and damaging flow patterns that would not have existed before hard surfaces and drainage systems were put in place. We are also wasting a hell of a lot of water.
Local government often approaches the problem with end-of-pipe solutions such as preserving riparian vegetation and stabilising channels with weirs, logs or concrete ‘realignments’. Water sensitive urban design is starting to be considered by councils, but this usually focuses on public or industrial areas, and will often prescribe expensive engineering structures that are out of reach of most home owners.
Comments (0)Street Orchards for Community Security
Biological Cleaning, Community Projects, Conservation, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, Land, Regional Water Cycle, Rehabilitation, Roads, Storm Water, Trees, Urban Projects, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water, Water Contamination, Water Harvesting — by Brad Lancaster January 19, 2009
© Brad Lancaster, www.HarvestingRainwater.com
 Fig. 24.The heat island effect. An excessively wide, exposed, solar-oven-like residential street in Tucson, Arizona absorbs the sun’s heat during the day like a battery, then radiates it out at night. This local warming effect has raised summer temperatures in Tucson by 6°F (3°C) since the 1940s, which contributes to global warming since the higher temperatures result in people using air conditioners more, which are powered by electricity generated through the burning of coal. Note that no shade trees are planted in the public right-of-way along the street, leaving street and sidewalk baked. All runoff is drained off site leaving the development dehydrated. Reproduced with permission from “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1" |
My view of public streets was radically changed when I heard ecovillage designer Max Lindigger tell a story of an insightful walk he took with his grandfather. “Look there,” said his grandfather, pointing to condominiums being built on the once forested slopes above his village in the Swiss Alps. “That’s where we grew and gathered food during the war. The forests were common land, a reserve of community resources. What commons remain? Where will we grow and gather our food in the next catastrophe?”
I then looked at my Sonoran desert city of Tucson, Arizona and asked myself, “Where are my community’s forests, our commons? Where would we get our food in times of need?”
Comments (1)The Muffin Tin and the Sponge
Biological Cleaning, Conservation, Regional Water Cycle, Roads, Storm Water, Swales, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh January 9, 2009
Two simple ways of illustrating how to plant the rain
Brad Lancaster, author of the award-winning books “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond” and info-packed website www.HarvestingRainwater.com, demonstrates how we can get the most from the rain by planting it in the soil, then accessing it with living pumps of plants. These are simple concepts that help turn scarcity into abundance.
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Design with Energy in Mind
Building, Energy Systems, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water — by Robyn Francis November 17, 2008
Permaculture designer, Robyn Francis (see also) looks at a variety of design strategies for using energy responsibly and sustainably.
The practical ‘down-to-earth’ farmer, gardener and layperson will often find the theories surrounding ecology and energy very heavy going, if not downright confusing. What I would like to do is offer some practical perspectives on how we can use resources responsibly.
Energy, in a holistic sense, involves much more than electricity and the use of fossil fuels, although these are certainly central to the energy issue. In permaculture design, energy and resource management are virtually synonymous and it is often difficult, if not impossible, to separate the two.
Comments (0)Humanure Handbook – Free Download
Community Projects, Compost, Conservation, DVDs/Books, Fungi, Insects, News, Potable Water, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Composition, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Waste Water, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh September 18, 2008
With chapters like ‘Crap Happens’, ‘Deep Shit’ and ‘A Day in the Life of a Turd’, this is sure to be an interesting book, albeit possibly not one to read over lunch?
With this wonderful substance piling up in all the wrong places (after all, we’re running out of clean water, and yet we’re crapping in it…), this taboo topic deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Enjoy the book – and special thanks to the author Joseph Jenkins for making this freely available (warning: 22mb PDF – if you want to download chapter by chapter, scroll down on this page, or just read online here).
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