If you are one of the many that cringe at their monthly water bill and/ or want to create a more sustainable lifestyle, you won’t want to miss the Nate Downey presentation on harvesting rainwater – Wednesday, October 19, hosted by the Coalition. The talk and book signing will be from 7 to 9:00 p.m. at the Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Avenue.
Nate is part down-to-earth landscaper, hands-on scientist, and, dare we say, entertainer. Luckily for us, he said yes to a stop in Ojai on his way to larger speaking engagements in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
Nate’s aim with his latest book, “Harvest the Rain- How to Enrich Your Life by Seeing Every Storm as a Resource,” is to make doing the smart thing ecologically easy and a no-brainer for each and everyone out there. The book is filled with doable projects and ideas that can fit into anyone’s busy schedule, yes even in these days of trying to scrape together a living and, pardon the pun, stay afloat.
Nate shares information on everything from water-catchment techniques (created by digging, preparing soils and mulches, composting, cutting swales, and sowing and planting) to methods for converting an existing septic system into a “sludge-hammer”, a closed system method of converting sewage into useful greywater and eliminating expensive pumping.
Besides being thoroughly practical and enjoyable, his ideas are ranked according to time requirements, expense, and difficulty, and come with the highest of praise from major players in the sustainable and environmental movements.
Maude Barlow, author of Blue Covenant and Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the United Nations General Assembly called Nate’s book, “the book I have been waiting for, a detailed ‘how to’ for people and communities wanting to take a major step in saving the world's water.”
Andy Lipkis, founder and president of Los Angeles based TreePeople, says Downey’s book “is full of practical solutions to our water shortages and points the way to a climate-resilient future,” adding, “If we want thriving landscapes, abundant food, strong communities, and sustainable economies, we can start by treasuring rain.”
The book’s basic premise is that harvesting rain is the logical step forward and that conservation, which merely reduces our resources at a slower rate, is not enough. When writing on his website about the environment and dwindling clean water sources Nate shows his informed but humorous approach:
“Even though our pickle is now obvious, we’re certainly not stuck in an insoluble jam. All that we must do is figure out how to relish the pickle we’re in.”
Nate, who been a specialist in eco-landscape design for over 15 years and a permaculture columnist for 10 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, keeps his feet wet and his hands dirty gathering new methods and technology daily. He wants us each to jumpstart nature's ability to regenerate itself and he has gathered together ideas and methods to show us how.
“I emphasize the patterning naturally occurring in the landscape. My approach is to show people a lot of this information is made up of things they already know. My job is to show them that and empower people..., because every site is different. You can’t just go out and say ‘this is how you harvest rain.’…, you have to go out on the land and observe. We must learn to tag along with nature’s forces…, mimic them and use the forces that are already at work there.”
Nate also emphasizes the relationship between water and food. He believes the more we can use our roofs, our slopes, and our driveways to slow down the water that falls, allowing it to percolate into the soil, building root systems and producing food, the less people in the field of agriculture will need to drive down deeper into our aquifers.
“By the time people come to my talks,” says Nate, “I figure they already know about conservation, but conservation alone will only slow the impending water shortage down. We are looking at increasing productivity.”
If time allows, Nate wants to look at Ojai on Google Earth and with the audience calculate how much water can be captured from the roof of the Chaparral Auditorium.
Don’t miss what promises to be an enjoyable and educational evening, learning tools that can regenerate and multiply the life giving benefits of the rain. Join us Wednesday, October 19 from 7 to 9:00 p.m. at the Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave. for Nate’s talk and book signing. There is a $2 suggested donation, but all are welcome. An event flyer is available on the web at www.ojaivalleygreencoalition.org or you can call (805) 669-8445 for more information.
