PermaDesign

Georgia Organics!

Psyched to be speaking today at this cool conference in Athens, GA. Could be more than cool--with possibilities of snow in the mountains. My co-presenter is a farmer in Rabun County where it's technically rainforest. Ladybug Farms has a back-up well but relies mostly on rain catchment!

http://conference.georgiaorganics.org/

02/20/2015 | (0) Comments

Support Senator Peter Wirth Today in the New Mexico Capital Room 311

by Nate Downey

Join me, Sen. Peter Wirth, and others today, 3pm, NM capitol, Rm 311, as we push for a transferable water-harvesting tax-credit in NM.

http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/15%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0280.pdf

02/18/2015 | (0) Comments

Know Your Wind Rose!

by Nate Downey

Wind Rose Plots are a great way to view information about wind direction in a given area. The image and link below represent the Santa Fe Airport’s wind direction, and while individual locations in the area can vary a great deal, the plot does tell us the predominant winds come for the North and Southwest. In my book Harvest the Rain I talk about the importance of windbreaks and their effectiveness in conserving water. The link below is nice because you can go through month by month and see how to best orient your windbreak strategies.

http://windhistory.com/station.html?KSAF

02/15/2015 | (0) Comments

Burns Needed

by Nate Downey

Eco-Friends: You'll find my letter to the editor about controlled burns and Aldo Leopold's positive thoughts about them in today's "New Mexican." It's the second letter at the link below (but I will also post it in the comments just in case).

newmexican.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-to-the-editor-feb/article_82c8793b-5a41-5b61-8fdd-9863e3fbc6bc.html

02/09/2015 | (0) Comments

Dam Good Riddance

by Nate Downey

It’s good to see the acceleration of dam removal recently. Just last year over 730 miles of rivers and streams were freed up.

http://www.erosioncontrol.com/EC/Blogs/2201.aspx

02/08/2015 | (0) Comments

An Edict on Climate Change

by Nate Downey

Looking forward to the Pope's big announcement about the reality of climate change.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/27/pope-francis-edict-climate-change-us-rightwing

01/27/2015 | (0) Comments

Today’s Daily Dirt

by Nate Downey

I was happy to be invited to present at the Georgia Organics Conference in Athens. Then it was cool to be teamed up with a real farmer whose main source of water is a couple of cisterns. Next, it was fun previewing the presentation while answering questions for something called The Daily Dirt...But to be shared by a page known as FuckYeahPermaculture!?! I must say, I'm borderline verklempt.

https://georgiaorganics.org/2015/01/conference-spotlight-permaculture/

01/25/2015 | (0) Comments

Having Good Boundaries

by Nate Downey

Did you know the West was railroaded into its Cartesian geography? John Wesley Powell had it right. Watershed boundaries would have helped us understand and protect our most vital resource.

http://communitybuilders.net/the-united-watershed-states-of-america/

01/23/2015 | (0) Comments

What 1 in 10 Cannot Access…

by Nate Downey

The Atlantic published a lucid and fast-paced history of drinking water with a nod to water harvesting at the very end.

http://m.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/12/the-politics-of-drinking-water/384081/

01/02/2015 | (0) Comments

Rainwater Harvesting on the Rise in California

by Nate Downey

It’s great to see the rains in California are starting to pay off for those who took advantage of recent changes in California law allowing for rainwater harvesting. Let’s hope that the rebates continue to expand to include more cities!

http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/12/17/storms-a-boon-for-rain-water-harvesters/