PermaDesign

Category: Books

PermaDesign Pays Off in Green

In this economy, it’s not always easy to sell a house, but some wonderful clients just sold theirs in 76 days! After they moved in (just before the crash of 2008), we replaced a whole lot of water-wasting lawn with a gorgeous low-water garden. When they decided to retire closer to family, none of us worried that the place would sell because its narrow backyard resembled nothing if not paradise.

With Book Release on Tuesday, Here’s My Schedule

by Nate Downey

August, 2010

TUESDAY, AUGUST 17 (AFTER MIDNIGHT), HARVEST THE RAIN IS AVAILABLE! Nate releases Harvest the Rain: How to Enrich Your Life by Seeing Every Storm as a Resource.

“Compost This”

by Nate Downey

Here’s the first in a series of seven or eight articles I’ve published since “Harvest the Rain” came out in August. This one about compost appeared in the Fall issue of Edible Santa Fe.

11/11/2010 | Books | Compost | Edibles | (0) Comments

Bioneers Day 3: Not as a God, but as a God Might Be*

by Nate Downey

On the third day (a wonderfully wet Sunday Morning), the Lafayette Bookstore (the bookstore at the conference) graciously let me sign books. One might think a 100-person line at a signing would be impossible for a new author like me, but in fact it actually happened! The catch was that the line was made up of early birds waiting for Jane Goodall.

Oddly, it wasn’t at all surreal to have one of the environmental movement’s founding mothers scheduled to sign books right after me. All of us in the movement seem to be doing the best we can do given our lots and talents. Sure, she’s borderline godhead, but so are YOU! (And she’d probably be the first to admit this.) Plus, when all was said and done, I noticed stacks of Goodall books that were NOT purchased, whereas we came a mere two books shy of selling out of Harvest the Rain.

*from “Sunday Morning” by Wallace Stevens

Bioneers Day 2: Walkin’ the Walk to a Lipkis Talk

by Nate Downey

Woke up this morning and found two flat tires on the bike I’m borrowing for the conference. The tires had been losing air slowly, but after last night’s goat head attack, the situation was grim. I pumped up the tires got dressed, shaved, called the family, responded to some emails, loaded my computer, bike pump, and books into my back pack, and strapped on my helmet. When I grabbed the bike, I immediately discovered that both tires were miserably soft.

Friends, Clients, Colleagues Bend Me an Ear: THANKS!

by Nate Downey

Nate Downey and Melissa McDonald In preparing to thank every New Mexico-based person, organization, and business that had a hand in the creation of my new book “Harvest the Rain,” I discovered that there are over 120 of these entities ranging from cover-art photographers Charles Mann and Jennifer Esperanza to envelope-pushing people-leaders Miguel Santistevan and Roberto Mondragon. To keep this blog post to a reasonable length, here I’ve decided to limit my thanks to a list of the locals who I did not mention in my previous post and who were also able to make it to Wednesday’s book-launch party.

Book-Launch Party Brings Rain, Fun, Song, & Sales!

by Nate Downey

Nate Downey Book Signing Thanks to all who came to my book-launch party the other night! Everyone who was there knows what a blast it was, and even I (who did most of the inviting) was surprised at the size of the multitude. Even though some of my favorite people in the Santa Fe area couldn’t show up, most of them did. We’re guessing we had between 200 and 250 people packed into our backyard, but a doctor in attendance told Melissa today that it was more like 300 including all of the kids. Whatever. What’s important is this:

09/09/2010 | Books | Events | Water Harvesting | (0) Comments

Nate’s Book, “Harvest the Rain,” Is Now Available as Iraq War Starts Wrapping Up!

by Nate Downey

The great news is that I finally got the shopping cart to work at www.harvesttherain.com, so you can now buy my book on our totally secure website! I’ll even sign it, inscribe it, date it, bless it, and send it off with a light misting of rainwater if you want me to. (HINT: For the latter, all you have to do is type “Please mist me.” in the little inscription box, and I’ll know the code.)

Municipal Bonds Could Save the Planet

by Nate Downey

Thanks to my old friend Michael Kramer, Melissa and I had the pleasure of having Woody Tasch, the author of the relatively new book “Slow Money,” over for dinner last night. The slow-money concept is based on the slow-food movement’s idea that local food is much better for people and the planet than fast food (imported from far-off places). With this in mind, it was fitting that nearly everything on the menu came either from our backyard (kale, chard, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, chives, and other herbs) or the farmers’ market (burger, mushrooms, and pecan pie).

08/04/2010 | Books | Ecology | Edibles | (0) Comments

Recycled Glass Bottles Could Replace Perlite & Pumice

by Nate Downey

A Santa Fe-based company is days away from opening up a very cool factory. Located at the Albuquerque city dump and recycling center, Growstone, LLC, is turning used glass bottles into a substitute for perlite, used in hydroponic growing applications and as a hygroscopic (water retaining) soil amendment. My guess is that their product will also soon be seen as an excellent alternative to pumice—at least when replacing the essential ingredient in one of may favorite passive water harvesting techniques, the pumice wick.

07/11/2010 | Books | Ecology | Water Harvesting | (0) Comments