Brad Stewart Lancaster (born 1967) is an expert in the field of

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...

and

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slightl ...

. He is also a

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principle ...

teacher, designer, consultant and co-founder of Desert Harvesters, a non-profit organization. Lancaster lives on an eighth of an acre (506 m2) in downtown

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, where rainfall is less than per annum. In such

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...

conditions, Lancaster consistently models that catching over of rainwater to feed food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape is a much more viable option than the municipal system of directing it into

storm drain A storm drain, storm sewer (United Kingdom, United States, U.S. and Canada), surface water drain/sewer (United Kingdom), or stormwater drain (Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to Drainage, drain excess rain and ground water ...

s and sewer systems. Lancaster helped legalize the harvest of street runoff in the city of Tucson, Arizona, with then-illegal water-harvesting

curb cut A curb cut (U.S.), curb ramp, depressed curb, dropped kerb ( UK), pram ramp, or kerb ramp (Australia) is a solid (usually concrete) ramp graded down from the top surface of a sidewalk to the surface of an adjoining street. It is designed primarily ...

s at his and his brother’s home and demonstration site that made openings in the street curb to enable street runoff to freely irrigate street-side and in-street water-harvesting/ traffic-calming landscapes of food-bearing native vegetation. After proving the concept, Brad then worked with the City of Tucson to legalize, enhance, and incentivize the process. Lancaster co-created and now co-organizes the Neighborhood Foresters program which since 1996 has coordinated volunteer crews of neighbors to plant and steward over 1,500 native food-bearing trees and hundreds of native food-bearing understory plantings within or beside water-harvesting earthworks in his neighborhood, while helping and training volunteers from other neighborhoods to lead similar efforts in their neighborhoods. Brad Lancaster leading tour of permaculture students

Brad Lancaster leading tour of permaculture students

The Desert Harvesters non-profit organization Brad co-founded teaches the public how to identify, harvest, and process many of the native-plant foods neighbors are planting in their neighborhoods. Desert Harvesters also makes the utilization of native foods easier by organizing community

milling Milling may refer to: * Milling (minting), forming narrow ridges around the edge of a coin * Milling (grinding), breaking solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting in a mill * Milling (machining), a process of using rota ...

events that mill native mesquite pods into nutritious and delicious mesquite

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

which is utilized by a growing number of restaurants, breweries, and home kitchens. A 2009 project involved acting as a representative for the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

on an educational tour in the Middle East.

Lectures

Lancaster lectures at the ECOSA Institute; the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

; and Prescott College. He has been a guest speaker at the annual Bioneers Convergence; Green Festival USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference; Texas Natural Building Colloquium; the New Mexico

Xeriscape Xeriscaping is the process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained acceptance in other ...

Conference; the Green Festival; the 2009 Water Conservation & Xeriscaping EXPO; the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference; and various Audubon Expeditions.

Design

Lancaster has designed integrated water-harvesting and permaculture systems for multiple projects, including the Tucson Audubon Simpson Farm restoration site, the Milagro development, Stone Curves co-housing project, and the Tucson Nature Conservancy water-harvesting demonstration site.

Books

* Lancaster, Brad (2020)
''Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks, 2nd Edition.''
Rainsource Press. * Lancaster, Brad (2019)
''Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, 3rd Edition''.
Rainsource Press. * Desert Harvesters (2018)
''Eat Mesquite and More: A Cookbook for Sonoran Desert Foods and Living''.
Rainsource Press. rad Lancaster: contributing author and editor.* Lancaster, Brad (2013). ''Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, 2nd Edition''. Rainsource Press. * Lancaster, Brad (2008). ''Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks, 1st Edition''. Rainsource Press. * Lancaster, Brad (2006). ''Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, 1st Edition''. Rainsource Press.

Published articles

Journal of American Water Works AssociationChelsea Green

Awards

*MOCA Local Genius Award: Tucson (2016) *Lifetime Achievement Award: American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) (2015) *Bicycle Commuter of the Year: Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee (2014) *Cox Conserves Hero: Arizona (2013) *David Yetman Award: Tucson Audubon Society (2013) *Award of Excellence/Personal Recognition from American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (2008) *Arizona Department of Water Resources/Tohono Chul Park Xeriscape Contest Award, First Place – Homeowner under $10,000 (2005)Poole, B. “Design With the Desert in Mind”, ''Tucson Citizen'', March 2006, p.4A. *Arizona Department of Water Resources/Tohono Chul Park Xeriscape Contest Award – Best Water Harvesting (2005) *Arizona Department of Water Resources/Tohono Chul Park Xeriscape Contest Award –J.D. Di Melglio Artistry in Landscaping (2005) *City of Tucson and Pima County Good Neighbor Award (2001) *Tucson Weekly voted Dunbar/Spring Organic Community Garden the Best Neighborhood Garden (2000)

External links

HarvestingRainwater.comDesertHarvesters.orgDryland-harvesting home gathers sun, rain, food

Interviews

Eat Mesquite and More! with Brad Lancaster and Jill Lorenzini, The Permaculture Podcast
10 March 2018
The Desert Harvesters with Brad Lancaster, The Permaculture Podcast
3 December 2015
Water Harvesting with Brad Lancaster, The Permaculture Podcast
15 January 2015
Tucson Man Harvests Water, National Public Radio (NPR)
10 September 2008
Harvesting Rainwater by Not Letting It Go to Waste

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

(NPR), 10 January 2008
Brad Lancaster: Dancing in the RainNew Dimensions Media
30 October 2006
Grow With the Flow: Legal Uses of Graywater
Carol Steinfeld, '' Natural Home and Garden'', March/April 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, Brad 1967 births Living people People involved with desert greening Permaculturalists People from Tucson, Arizona